Debbie Bliss magazine's premier issue is a highly recommended read, in my opinion. It has a very Martha Stewart Living kind of feel to it. I am a finicky reader and have never subscribed to a knitting magazine before due to the inconsistency of pattern quality from issue to issue, but I might just have to subscribe to this one on faith. Debbie Bliss is a truly great designer and I trust that this great issue will be the first of many, not just a fluke.
In addition to her designs, I have a soft spot in my heart for her yarns. I've been a fan of the Cashmerino line for years, and now it seems no matter what I'm going to knit, Rialto comes to mind as a contender. This magazine will be like a high-class version of whatever that other magazine is that only calls for Lion Brand. Or that other other magazine that only calls for Red Heart. Bleagh.
The selection of patterns in the issue is impressive. Though many of them have been published previously in her books, there are several new designs as well. I've already made it past the heel flap on the black cabled socks (knit in Rialto 4 ply) and I'm happy with them so far despite finding a couple of minor mistakes in the instructions.
Rant Of The Day: I vowed to keep myself up to date with the latest knitting news, so I have tons of knitting blogs dump their content into my RSS reader. Lately I am really surprised at how many blogs previously consisting only of craft-related subject matter have begun adding political content to their posts. I'm just as opinionated about the presidential candidates as the next person, but a blog about knitting hardly seems like the appropriate place to discuss it. Why would you risk alienating your readers like that? Rest assured, this blog will stay on the topic of knitting, though I many occasionally veer to such off-the-wall topics as crochet and spinning.
It's not that I am against political blog rants. For instance, I've enjoyed reading The Little Red Blog of Revolutionary Knitting since seeing some of her machine-knit sweater art in a magazine. But her artwork is political in nature, and therefore the ranting is to be expected. But one other blog in particular (whose name I will withhold to avoid being a meanie) had a post the other day where the writer went back and forth between posting pictures of progress on a scarf and discussing what a whacked-out moron Candidate x is and why Candidate y is so much better. Coincidentally, I agreed with the opinions expressed, but I'm removing the blog from my list on principle.