Best Quote I Heard All Day
If you can't annoy somebody, there is little point in writing. --Kingsley Amis

The Rise and Big Fat Fall of Knitter's
Well, you knew that I'd open my mouth on the Winter 2003 issue sooner or later. But so many people have been trashing this issue, on the KnitList, in private e-mails to me, that there's not much that I can add, except my dollah-three-eighty.

The issue is past bad. It is the worst melange of mediocrity and silliness that I have ever seen, in any magazine.

WTF is XRX, specifically Rick Mondragon, thinking? Very honestly, when Nancy Thomas left the magazine and Rick was named editor, I had some trepidations about him. I don't know the guy; however, Nancy Thomas produced arguably some of the best issues ever. As editor of VK, she had a proven track record. Rick had no editorial experience. And it showed immediately in the first issue. You'd think he would have learned something since then but the content has gotten worse and worse, culminating with this horrorshow. Editing is not an easy job--I know, I did it for 18 years, starting at McCall's Needlework & Crafts in 1983 as assistant knit/crochet editor and ending as a financial editor at S&P in 2000. But someone needs to tell the editor he's missing the mark, big time.

It's also curious that Alexis has not recently written any of his long, overblown, rambling discourses on the "Knitting Universe." Is he distancing himself from Knitter's? Does anyone remember how fast he pulled the rug out from under Weaver's? Is history repeating itself? I doubt it, although I could see them dumping the magazine, which probably barely breaks even, in favor of increasing the number of Stitches across the country (those probably do make money for them) and knitting camps and continuing their book publishing.

It's unfortunate that KnitU is so tightly censored. Of course, Knitter's owns the list and can manipulate it to their own benefit. That's their right. But it's also curious that there have not been the usual sycophantic, slobbery, ass-kissing posts praising this issue. The list has been pretty silent. However, the KnitList has not. People are fed up and are not resubscribing. Is XRX is so engrossed in its own self-aggrandizement that it is incapable of judging the readership's interests? It would seem so--the magazine is catering to some bizarre market segment these days. Haven't we had enough of garter stitch yet?

Therefore, I suggest that all of us who are disgusted with Knitter's write to Alexis Xenakis or Rick Mondragon and tell them why.

Do your part--send an e-mail to Alexis Xenakis or Rick Mondragon. If you have a knitblog and agree with me, put their e-mail addresses on your blog so that your readers can write to them too.

I mourn the death of Knitter's. It was once the best. It's now the worst. And no hope of resurrection.