Pom Pom Quarterly – Issue 44: Spring 2023

Pom Pom is a quarterly, collectable publication based in London UK, for smart, creative types who like knitting patterns with a modern aesthetic, great photography and interesting writing. Pom Pom is also into lots of other types of crafts and of course music, fashion, art, food and just generally making the world a little more beautiful with the things to make!

Pom Pom was set up in 2012 by Lydia Gluck and Meghan Fernandes. They knew (like you probably do!) that knitting is super-cool, but based on the way knitting was presented in the media, they felt it didn’t always look super-cool to the naked eye. So, backed by their amazingly talented army of friends who also happen to be designers, writers, photographers and all-around wonderful people, they got started making a magazine, hoping to present knitting, crochet and other crafts in the best possible light!

Embracing varying intensities of colour and focusing on the transitional layers of spring, the Pom Pom Crew have put together a collection of 9 stunning patterns that are inspired by the practice of layering images. Musing on printing and making remind that knitting and crochet are the original 3D printing; engineering layers of stitches together to bring 2D instruction into its final form. The initial inspiration for this issue came from layering in images such as risographs, shadows, and superimposed photos, which got the team thinking about printing and how it works. As a print publication, transferring the words and images they craft so carefully onto paper is part of what Pom Pom does.

You never know what the day will bring with spring, so it’s the perfect season for layering! All of the pieces in Issue 44 play with opacity, texture, and colourwork, layering techniques, tones, and transparency - sometimes all at once!

Issue 44 features designs by: KLARA NILSSON - KLARYBERRY // MAREN ODENTHAL - KNITTERISTA // JESS KAVANAGH // JULIA MADILL // ARA STELLA // SUSANNA KAARTINEN - SANNA AND CO // JOANNE FOWLER // AMALIA SIEBER - KINDRED RED // SORAYA GARCÍA

Issue 44 also includes a celebration of the art of screen printing by Mei Stephens, who muses on the parallels between printing and knitting, and Hannah McGregor’s second contribution to Pom Pom, this time taking on the colour yellow and its cultural history. If you’re looking for a sweet treat, our recipe for bebinca, a layered Goan dessert, will have your mouth watering!

Your purchase of the print magazine also includes access to a digital copy, this can be accessed via Ravelry using the download code printed on the inside cover of the magazine.