Before Ravelry, before knitting podcasts, before the internet fully found its craft obsession, there was Knitty. Amy Sadler shares the inspiration and evolution of the online knitting phenomenon.

In the early 2000s, as the internet became part of daily life for millions, Amy Sadler began a knitting blog. The blog movement connected knitters around the world (whether newbies or longtime stitchers) and sparked friendships and inspiration. Amy participated in a blog ring, which directed readers from one blog to another, and saw the opportunity to collect and present the clever patterns and ideas that were cropping up around the web. She put out a call for patterns, her husband coded the website, and she released the first Knitty in Fall 2002.

Since the first issue, Knitty has released 95 issues (and counting), becoming one of the most respected and longest established knitting periodicals currently published in any format. Knitty was the first publication to include patterns by knitting stars including Cookie A, Gudrun Johnston, Ysolda Teague, Stephen West, and Kate Gilbert. The magazine’s technique section has offered groundbreaking new ideas including Jeny’s Magic Cast-On. Knitty was at the forefront of the sock-knitting craze in the 2000s and a leader in the push for expanded size ranges (its garments are sized from XS–5X).

And access to Knitty’s patterns and articles has always been free to users. Amy is Knitty’s only full-time employee; the publication pays contributors for their work and commissions professional technical editing for every pattern. To support Knitty, a longstanding Patreon program invites readers to fund the magazine directly.

More than 20 years in, as the knitting community and the internet have seen dramatic shifts, Knitty continues to welcome new voices and connect knitters worldwide with fresh ideas.

Knitty

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