Yep, too much time spent online. Tweaking the blog, shopping on eBay, skimming Knitter’s Review, reading other people’s blogs….and reading online mags.
I like Knitty a lot. None of the current patterns grab me (except, strangely enough, the lampshade), but I read it for the technical columns as much as I do the patterns. The tone is right for me — humorous but grounded in valuable information. There are past patterns I like a lot and though they’re not high on my list, I may get to them eventually. The layout of the site is easy to navigate, both for the current issue and ‘thumbing’ through the archives. The photography and presentation is top-notch.
As much as I like Knitty, though, it only comes out quarterly. And it doesn’t take more than a day to read the columns and peruse the patterns, even at a leisurely pace.
So I was happy to hear about Spun, a new online magazine, the first full issue of which came out today.
Let me first say I like the Stitch N Bitch books. Really. I don’t like many of the patterns (but, as you know, PinUp Girl by Annie Modesitt is on the needles — a nice simple but elegant pattern, not trendy) but I think the instructions are clearly written and I enjoy Debbie Stoller’s ‘voice’. Yeah, sometimes it’s a little too hip for words, but I didn’t find it intrusive.
As I was reading LYS: 40 years in a desert of costume bling, which had the author droppin’ g’s at the ends of words and worse, I was preparing a scathing review. The writing style annoyed me so much it initially colored my feelings about the entire issue, which isn’t fair, because the rest of it isn’t so bad.
The travel column, a review of several yarn stores and other areas of interest in Vancouver, was nicely done. I didn’t care for any of the patterns. The knitting DVD and book reviews were fine. I enjoyed the column by the pierced and tattooed knitter, Nicole, and the Debbie Stoller interview.
I wouldn’t recommend Spun to anyone like I would Knitty, but I’ll probably check out their next issue.