Being both a knitter and a cross-stitcher, I subscribe to periodicals for both hobbies. I love getting both kinds of magazines. They’re always full of fun designs and new techniques to try. This is all good.

The knitting magazines have some features that I wish the cross-stitch magazines did, such as knitting newsy bits (this month’s Interweave Knits has blurbs about a man who knits super-hero costumes that he displays in a museum, a web site for men who knit, a baby gown that was knitted in 1851 with more than 6,000 yards of yarn (yes, it fits a regular-sized baby), introduction to a Debbie Bliss’s Loyalty Club, and other interesting tidbits), a regular column featuring all the new knitting-related books that are coming out, and an essay about knitting. Other knitting magazines have regular articles about the history of knitting, fashion trends, and whatever. Articles you can sink your teeth into.

Now, I don’t take all the cross-stitch magazines, never will, but I’ve never seen this kind of variety of articles on a regular basis in any cross-stitch magazine. It’s quite frustrating to me. I’m no historian, but it’s pretty clear that about as soon as people started making clothing to wear, they started decorating it with some form of embroidery. Embroidered and cross-stitched items of clothing, table cloths, hankies, etc. show up in museums all the time. Why don’t we see bits about them with photos, museum names, exhibit durations? I know that cross-stitchers are just as passionate about their hobby as knitters are about theirs. Why don’t the magazines feature essays by cross-stitchers? Why don’t they have lists of new books on the market? In short, why don’t cross-stitch magazines have more umph, more guts, more interesting things to learn and think about?

I just don’t get it.