Meet Amy Singer, Editor of Knitty.
della Q: Knitty is celebrating 20 years - how exciting! Can you tell us a little bit about your journey over the last 20 years?
Amy: Knitty Magazine launched in September 2002: a high-quality knitting magazine full of patterns and articles when the only sources of knitting patterns online were scattered over blogs or through listservs. The magazine publishes an issue 4 times a year, and has been free for the last 20 years.
Our mission is to provide patterns, instruction, and inspiration to countless readers around the world. Knitty has helped launch the careers of many of the most popular handknitting designers – people like Ysolda Teague, Stephen West, Romi Hill and many many more. We continue to look for new talent, techniques, and ideas in knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, and other fiber arts.
Meet Laura Zander (left), current founder of della Q and Della Quimby (right), original owner.
della Q: We're so excited to partner with you but we'd love to know why you wanted to partner with us to do this collaboration?
Amy: I've loved watching della Q grow its line from minimalistic needle organization made from beautiful fabrics into a full-fledged bag company. Knitty readers know I love bags, and what della Q had been doing with waxed canvas was really appealing to me. I was hopeful you'd agree to work with us, and thrilled when you said yes!
Now please meet The Canvas Maker's Satchel.
della Q: What inspired this particular bag design for the Satchel?
Amy: As a certified bag lover, any unusual shape of bag instantly appeals to me, especially if it's something I've found in a hardware or sporting goods store.
I'd seen plumbers' and bricklayers' bags in the big box home improvement centers and thought they'd be perfect for crafters like me.
But since we're not carrying wrenches and screwdrivers, we don't need bullet-proof canvas. Your lighter-weight (but still very sturdy) waxed canvas was the perfect answer! There's a big space in the middle to hold bigger projects, if you want it, or the brilliant cubbies to partition storage into sections.
Of course, all the usual della Q clever features are there, too. This is a very versatile design that will work for knitting or, if you're just taking a little sock project on the road for the weekend, it's a perfect bag for a few days' worth of clothes and essentials. And it's awfully pretty.
What are some of the other big things you have planned for this year?
An exciting new feature that changes the way you view Knitty patterns will be launching sometime in 2022, exclusively for our Patrons. To stay up to date with everything we're planning, sign up for our Newsletter! https://knitty.com/join.php
What are some ways you unwind (pun intended!) after a long day?
My dog, Sky (my first dog, a European street mix, aka mutt, from Turkey) will turn 2 this October, and she keeps me busy with walks and cuddles. She is the best thing to come out of the pandemic.
I am learning Tunisian crochet, and am fixated on the different color packs from Scheepjes and finding new ways to use them. I'm allergic to wool, so I love all the non-wool options Scheepjes offers.
Is there anything else you would love for us to know??
If you're new to Knitty, don't forget to check out our Library of back issues https://knitty.com/archive.php. As I write this, there are 80 issues' worth of patterns and articles in an improved searchable format – by yarn weight, type of project, or both!
If you know Knitty, please tell another knitter about us. Word of mouth is how we grow!