Working at a LYS, we meet a lot of people who are aspiring designers, bloggers, and creative geniuses who hope to one day make a living from their craft. We were lucky enough to chat with Eunny Jang, Editor of Interweave Knits, who has made that dream a reality. We asked her about the summer trends, the wide range of Interweave's media and what kind of shenanigans the gals over at Interweave like to get into....
Eunny: I am completely in love with Nancy Eiseman's Coral Cardigan, which ended up being our cover garment. Nancy uses a really intriguing random lace technique to create an allover fabric—she gives a few rules to follow, and then you make decreases and yarnovers as you like to make a loose, supple lace fabric with a fascinating organic texture. I love knitting that pushes conventions!
JBW: What is the biggest trend that you were surprised to see this summer?
Eunny: I love all the new blends of unexpected animal and plant fibers—linen and alpaca, linen and wool - they have a great hand, show stitches beautifully, and have a great modern feel that fits right in with layering and trans-seasonal dressing. I love the focus on fabric and drape that they bring out in handknitting designers - they move and drape unexpectedly, and you can do so much great stuff, pleats, swingy shapes, etc. - that really take advantage of that.
JBW: Other than the print magazines, what else does Interweave offer?
Eunny: Oh, wow. In the knitting market, Interweave's got tons of stuff - we've been releasing all-new e-mags over the last year, which are fantastic digital magazines with really fun and functional interactive pieces and some great patterns. We've got books. And an ever-growing collection of PDF downloads, both of full magazine issues and of single patterns from past issues. So you can get your knit fix anywhere - you can still stash the magazine in your knitting bag, or carry it or another digital product on your iPad or smartphone.
JBW: How do you decide what gets filmed for Knitting Daily TV?
Eunny: That's such a fun thing! We poll the audience from time to time on the knitting daily TV blog and on the KDTV facebook page, asking what techniques people would like to see explained. We talk amongst ourselves to see what we haven't covered or what we think we could cover better. And then, sometimes, it's just me planning segments that I think will be fun to prepare and demonstrate - techniques that I myself really love to do and teach.
JBW: In 2007, you left your fans at your blog See Eunny Knit! and joined the Interweave Knits family, becoming the Editor of Interweave Knits. Do you have any advice for hopeful crafty bloggers with the same ambitions?
Eunny: Stay fresh. Make sure you have other hobbies outside of your chosen subject, so you can keep your passion for it alive - as fantastic as it sounds to talk, think, and work knitting all day long, it's actually very easy to get burned out if that's what you're really doing. It's a hard thing to keep enjoying your sport once you've gone pro - whether pro means working in the knitting industry or answering to a big online readership. Make sure to knit something just for fun once in a while!
JBW: What's the culture around the office of Interweave? Are you all heads down - get straight to business types or are shenanigans a part of your everyday mix? (I'm guessing the latter...)
Eunny: Heh. We're a pretty earnest group, mostly because we're cranking so many issues out. But we do find time for some silliness now and then - and baked goods. Lots and lots of baked goods.
Thanks so much to Eunny and the other Interweave Knits gals for sharing some fun with us! Be sure to check out the most recent magazine, Weekend 2011! It's got page after page of inspiration!
Can't wait until August 9th for your Fall issue? Check out a preview of the new knits here!
If you want to know more about Interweave Knits, here's where you can catch them:
Website: http://www.interweaveknits.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/InterweaveNews
Knitting Daily: http://www.knittingdaily.com/
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