TBT: New Year, New Projects
On this snowy, wintery Thursday, we are throwing it back to the spring of 2014. Lisa Shroyer’s words on possibility and fresh experiences from her Interweave Knits editor’s letter have us contemplating the turn of the page. A fresh start is what the New Year is about. But don’t forget that it can happen at any time. Just as you cast on with anticipation every time you start a new project, a fresh perspective awaits each time you try something new, or change a habit that has you in a rut.
Lately there is a trend afoot to invest in experiences instead of things. We believe that makers understand the importance of this more than most. Channeling inspiration to execution creates memories along the way, and including others in that journey is the most rewarding part of it all.
Cheers to the New Year,
Interweave Editorial Staff
Oh, spring. I’m writing this in the heart of gloomy winter, and spring seems so far, so green, so mythical right now. But I know time only moves in one direction, and I know that green morning is coming.
For now, I’m still in reflective new-year mode. As I approved the final pages for this issue, I’m reminded of the past year, of the work we did to produce these articles and projects, of the things I did during that process. I went to India! That was a life-changing trip. My colleague Karin Strom and I were invited b Knitter’s Pride to visit the factory and tour the company’s homeland. I also served as a guest judge on The Fiber Factor.
I visited astonishing locations for photo shoots. I stood on the plains and watched a herd of wild horses run over a ridge toward m at fully speed. I touched the marble inlay in the walls of the Taj Mahal. I knitted on airplanes and in hotel rooms and met such people as Vickie Howell, as well as delightful new designers. I shared a feast with old friends from the yarn industry. I opened box after box of project submissions in my living room, spread the swatches out on the hardwood floor, and imagined the possibilities.
Working on this magazine is a constant source of possibility for me. I am grateful for the challenge and fulfillment of it. And it has offered me some amazing experiences along the way. One of my favorite memories from the trip to India was on the six-hour train ride from Haridwar to Delhi. On the bench across from us was an Indian couple. Like everyone I met, both were very friendly. I started knitting. Knitting led to conversation and they, who turned out to be traveling yoga instructors, wanted to understand what I did for a living. I explained that I edited a magazine about knitting, which seemed to puzzle them a bit. I wish I’d brought some magazines, I thought! Then I remembered, on my iPad in my bag, I had the Interweave Knits Winter issue. I gaily pulled out the iPad, opened up the app, and passed the device over to them. They sat there and read the whole thing. It was delightful. They asked questions as they read through it, and the man was particularly excited by the piece on novelist Alice Hoffman, about how knitting became part of her meditative approach to life in the wake of her cancer diagnosis. “It is like meditation, isn’t it?” he looked up and asked me, gesturing at the knitting in my lap. “Yes,” I smiled and nodded. And I believe that.
Here’s wishing you wonder and possibility in 2014.
—Lisa Shroyer
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