MetaBlog

Want to take over?

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:35:54 GMT

I still don't feel like knitting, talking about knitting, or running this here little knitting website. I can't afford the hosting for something I don't feel like maintaining, so sometime in the coming months I'm going to move all the MPMK patterns to my much-less-expensive domain: www.OneSheepHill.com. That is, unless somebody would like to give me free hosting or take over this space.

If you want to maintain this domain, or even start this magazine up again, let me know: robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com. Otherwise, I'll post to this blog one more time before I move all the patterns, just to give everyone a heads up.

-robin

MPMK is going on hiatus.

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:00:30 GMT

My deepest apologies to anyone who is finishing up a fall submission, but I have decided to put MPMK on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. I will keep the site live, I will probably still post to the blog, and I might even post a pattern or an article every now and then, so stay tuned for updates and feel free to send in interesting bits for the blogs or even article/pattern submissions. Add us to your Google reader or other favorite method of syndication so you'll know when there's something happening here.

If you're interested in what your friendly neighborhood MPMK editor is doing while MPMK is on hiatus, you can tune into my blog at http://robindodge.livejournal.com for art, gardening, cooking, occassional yarn-making and dyeing, and all kinds of other things that are completely unrelated to knitting.

Thank you to all of our contributors and readers. Your support has meant a lot to me.

-Robin

PS. After coming to this decision on during my long and late commute, these awesome needles were waiting for me when I got home. Free, from Knit Picks, a pair of their new Zephyr Acrylic needles (available on their site in early August) for me to try out and talk about on this here blog. I knew I had made the right decision when not even free stuff from Knit Picks could change my mind.

Yarn review - Knit Picks City Tweed

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:18:22 GMT

Knit Picks City Tweed, a review by Rachel Clarke

When talking about yarns, tweeds seem to call to mind a “rustic” air. But there is nothing rustic about KnitPicks’ new City Tweed HW. This new tweed offers both traditional and contemporary knitters a soft, reliable workhorse yarn suitable for a variety of projects.

Offered in 14 new colors, City Tweed HW is just as rich in person as on-screen, if not more so. The rich red I received, “Romance,” was a nice brick hue, with abundant nepps of black, brown, and tan. The nepps are well-integrated into the 2-ply yarn, unlike some other tweed yarns where they seem like an out-of-proportion afterthought, prone to detach or flake off.

City Tweed HW is also softer than other comparable tweed yarns I have worked with in the past, probably due to the superfine alpaca content. Unlike many 100% wool yarns, this would be something I could stand to have against my skin. Despite the high alpaca content (25%), the 2-ply yarn holds its shape quite well, making it a good choice for traditional tweed designs like cables and other textured stitch patterns.

As I am not the world’s best cabler, I was worried that frogging the yarn might distort or felt it, but I was relieved that this was not the case. After 2-3 frogs, it does show a tiny bit of wear, but the plies help the yarn keep its definition even after 5 or 6 unravelings (and yes, I unfortunately unraveled one swatch that many times…).

The price seems a little higher than KnitPicks’ standard price point, but not so high as to not be a good value, because of the yarn’s qualities but also the high yardage per skein. At 164 yards, the skein seems to go on forever. After 4 swatches and a neckwarmer, I still had about 5 yards of yarn left over.

In addition to the traditional aran jumpers, fishermen’s sweaters, and cabled scarves, I think City Tweed would be great for a Chanel-inspired jacket, such as Deborah Newton’s Chanel Jacket or classy clutch handbag like Janine Le Cras’ CoCo (originally from MagKnits November 2006, now available through Ravelry. Or if you want to look forward for inspiration instead of to the past, plenty of designers have incorporated tweed into their Fall/Winter 2009 designs. In addition to the tried-and-true favorites, take a look at collections by designers like Isabel Marant, Frederico Sangalli, Caroline Charles for some truly innovative tweed pieces.

KnitPicks City Tweed HW

55% Merino Wool, 25% Superfine Alpaca, 20% Donegal Tweed

164 yards/100 grams

Heavy Worsted Weight

4-4.75 sts=1” on #7-9 needles

Swatches knit on US8 needles

Color # C103 (“Romance”) lot # 3860

Editor's note: We've always loved Knit Picks here at MPMK, so I can genuinely say that this review is not more biased just because the yarn was free. And hey, if you run a yarn company and want to send us free yarn, we'll review yours too.

--Robin

Fall 2009 Trend Preview and Call For Submissions

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:58:49 GMT

Just in time for the summer heat, here's an early preview of Fall 2009 runway trends.

Black and grey are the big colors of the season. Designers are sprinkling a few other colors in there, including lots of neutrals and some bright oranges and fuscias reminiscent of the 80's. The 80's is still hot, and oversized knits still dominate the runway, this time with cowl necks and lots and lots of layering. But it's not all loosely draped. The waist is in this season. Designers are using shaping or adding belts over chunky knits to emphasize the female form under all that yarn. As for details in knitwear, dropped stitches dominate. Here's a brief look at a few of these trends:

Dropped stitches from Mara Hoffman:

Fashionable socks.

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:54:01 GMT

Check out this adorable site, hansel from basel. They even have sock "collections" each season.

Thanks to Caroline for sending it along!

Fashionable blogs.

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:53:02 GMT

A few fashionable blogs to watch:

knitkicks: showcasing "knitwear that pushes creative boundaries and inspires us to pick up our knitting needles."

yellow orange wonderland: makes connections between fashion and art, pop culture, and nature. (Music starts when page loads.)

Daddy Likey: just check it out.

-robin
Thanks to Caroline for sending these along. You can send your favorite fashionable blogs to robindodge@metapostmodernknitting, or post them in the comments section.

Pegboard Lace Tunic Correction AND a video tutorial!

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:08:37 GMT

Our sincerest apologies for those already in progress on the Pegboard Lace Tunic. We've discovered an error in the lace pattern, specifically in round 6, after the work is joined for knitting in the round. The error has been corrected in the pattern.

We've also added a handy-dandy video tutorial to help you with the icord seams! Thanks to Caroline for creating this video:

Feedback about our patterns is always welcome. If you have any questions about any MPMK pattern, please don't hesitate to contact the designer, and of course your friendly neighborhood MPMK editor is always happy to help as well: robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com.

-Robin

Fashionable people.

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:17:46 GMT

I love blogs like this: http://lookbook.nu/. Actual people, showing off their inspiring and wonderfully fashionable outfits. They all make it look so effortless. I've seen a few others like this, but can't remember them. Anyone know of any more, or have any favorites like this? Post them in the comments!

Thanks to Barb for sending this link along.

-Robin

Lion Brand gets trendy.

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:28:08 GMT

My first impression of the recent Lion Brand fashion show is that they're trying to be too many things to too many knitters. They showed some very trendy pieces, some really atrocious pieces, and a whole lot of trying-too-hard-to-be-trendy pieces. Not that I blame them. It must be hard to try to target the Tween knitter market and the Hipster knitter market, and the Soccer Mom knitter market, and the Elderly knitter market and just about every other knitter market all at the same time. Some confusion over trends is bound to ensue.

Check it out. What do you think?

Thanks to Alyssa for sending it along!

-Robin

The Spring issue is live!

robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:33:15 GMT

We love our Spring issue and we hope you do too!

Don't be shy. Tell us what you think: robindodge@metapostmodernknitting.com. And after you whip up all these cute spring patterns, start thinking about Fall because we want your designs and articles. Check out our submission guidelines here.

Enjoy!

-Robin