If you've been around as long as I have (and I'm not exactly a spring rose anymore), you'll remember an amazing show called "Knitty Gritty" that aired on the DIYnetwork back when said channel wasn't frothing at the mouth over home renovation projects.
Don't you miss those days?
The show was hosted by none other than my knitting idol Vickie Howell. You've probably heard me say several times that I learned how to knit from my Oma. While that's true, the woman who reinvented knitting for me (and taught me more than the basics) was Vickie Howell, and "Knitty Gritty" was the comforting-yet-educational reason I made it through a depressing breakup with my long-term, live-in boyfriend at the time.
I used to watch the show even when I hadn't touched my needles in years (and when I really only knew how to knit and purl). I experienced my first break-through thanks to Knitty Gritty: the yarn-over! And I've been plugging away ever since.
Needless to say, I keep a special place in my heart for Knitty Gritty and it's I-want-to-be-best-friends-with-her-host, and I've missed being able to tune in and see what she and her prolific-knitter guests have been up to.
Well, we have that chance yet again. I'm here to implore you to back a Kickstarter project I just found out about (and have backed myself): "The Knit Show with Vickie Howell". It'll the the first crowd-funded, professionally produced knitting show ad most importantly: it brings my favorite knitter back to our screens.
How does crowdsourcing work? I won't waste your time explaining it here because Vickie does a great job of that herself in this Facebook video. But basically, if you back the project, you can choose from different levels of support and receive a little reward if/when it goes live.
To me, it's more than worth the investment. As someone who has recently started a fledgling knitter group for my fellow Skimmbassadors (if you're not reading the Skimm, why?), this will become an important resource for them and other beginners. I know it did wonders for me, and there's no reason others should miss out.
Want more details? Check out the Kickstarter campaign here and make sure to review the different rewards you can get.
I really want to see this happen - for all the reasons described above, and also the fact there isn't any good craft programming on TV anymore. I feel like I've switched entirely to YouTube for my crafting needs, and although I move than love my podcasts, I miss this format. So how about we get this show on the road?!
PS: Backers of all levels ($1 and over) will receive the knitting pattern for the Sloucher Beanie, which is super cute. Check it out below: