Knitters Review

Today marks the 10th birthday of Knitter's Review, and I'm a bit sentimental. Where did the time go? I spent the day in the archives to find out. I found some long-lost friends, gained a little perspective on how we got here, and got a better idea of where we may be headed next. Cue the music for a retrospective on a decade of knitting.

We knitters have our own shorthand, a secret code of dots and squiggles whose mystery only reveals itself when properly deciphered in our stitches. Professional designers typically have a library of knitting symbols for their charts, or they use special charting software. This week I show you StitchinKnit, a knitting-themed symbol font that lets you create your own elegant charts using nothing more than your keyboard.

Greetings from London. I've spent the last week here teaching, meeting knitters from around the world, and drinking far too much tea. It was all part of the U.K.'s first-ever Knit Nation, and I've got loads of pictures, stories, and links for you.

In the mood for a little armchair travel? Good, because this week Kylie Gusset takes us Down Under for a peek inside the 133rd annual Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo, Victoria.

Pam Allen has worn many hats - designer, author, editor, and creative director. This week she makes her debut as yarn company owner. Meet Quince & Co.

Is novelty yarn making a comeback? Most people hope not. But according to several yarn companies exhibiting at The National NeedleArts Association trade show earlier this month, novelty yarn is coming back. It's now called 'fashion yarn,' and in moderation, it may do well. Here's what else I found at TNNA.

There are as many ways to knit socks as there are people to wear them. Still, a few common construction techniques prevail. We can knit socks from the top down, and we can knit them from the toe up. Each technique has its advocates. Wendy Johnson, Melissa Morgan-Oakes, and Chrissy Gardiner are all leaders in the toe-up sock world. This week I look at the most recent books from all three.

What difference does two ten-thousandths of an inch make? If you're talking circular needles, apparently it's the difference between a moderately annoying join and a perfect one. After a false start in December, the new circular needles from Signature Needle Arts are pure perfection.

Just as surfers seek the perfect wave, wool people are always on the hunt for the perfect fiber source. Last fall, I finally found mine. I'd been signing books at Rhinebeck for several hours when a tall, distinguished-looking man in a weathered barn jacket appeared at my table. 'My name is Eugene Wyatt,' he said, holding out his hand, 'and I raise one of the largest flocks of Saxon Merino sheep in the United States.' His farm is just 60 miles north of New York City, and every Sunday he trucks his wares/0x2014;from fresh sausages to billowing hanks of extraordinarily soft yarn/0x2014;to the Greenmarket in Union Square. It's my turn to introduce Eugene and his Catskill Merino to you.