Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in contributing to WeaveZine. We are an online publication with an emphasis on fun, inspiring, weaving articles and projects. New designers are encouraged to send us work; we’d love to be your first publication.

What is WeaveZine?

WeaveZine is a new online weaving magazine. It is fun, hip, and distributed free on the Internet. It is the weaving analogue of Knitty or CrochetMe.

Who is Syne Mitchell?

I’m the editor of WeaveZine.

I’ve been a professional writer for the past sixteen years, selling five novels and many short stories during that time. I have done technical and programmer writing for Microsoft, freelance catalog writing, and have sold articles to Handwoven; Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot; and Spin-Off.

Weaving is a wonderful art form. My time at the loom is magical, and I want to share that enthusiasm with the world. My first venture in weaving publications was WeaveCast, a successful podcast (Internet-based talk-radio show) for hand-weavers. WeaveCast has won several grants and has listeners all over the world.

My plan is to expand on that success and launch an online weaving magazine that will inspire current and future weavers. I hope you will be a part of this exciting new project.

What are We Looking For?

WeaveZine wants informative and entertaining articles and projects that are fun, beautiful, and inspiring. Extra credit if they are whimsical and/or break new ground in weaving. Double-extra credit for projects that do all of the above and are also approachable for new weavers and knitters (tip: these people rarely have floor looms.)

Projects and articles must be entirely your own work, without infringing on the copyrights or designs of others. In other words, “inspired by” is okay, plagiarism is not.

Your submission must be unpublished. This means that it can’t have previously appeared in a book, magazine, Web site, blog, or social networking site such as Ravelry, Facebook, etc.

WeaveZine has several regular features. You can write to one of them, but don’t feel limited by them. If you send an article or project that makes me rush to the loom, I’ll find a place to publish it.

Weaving 101

Articles about how to do basic weaving tasks. For example: winding a warp, beaming on, sleying the reed, warping cards for tablet weaving, warping an inkle loom, etc. Step-by-step photos are ideal here. Video clips would be very welcome, as would simple projects for beginners.

Selvedges: Weaving on the Edge

Projects that push the boundaries of handweaving. Articles about novel techniques or people weaving new and innovative things. Surprise me!

K1; Weave One

Projects that combine knitting and weaving, playing to the strengths of each craft. For example: a knitted hat and woven scarf or knitted tea cozy and woven tea towels. Also articles that describe how knitting can improve your weaving, and vice versa. WeaveZine is knitter friendly.

Spin 2 Weave

The congruence of spinning and weaving. Articles about how to spin a particular fiber to serve for a specific type of project. Projects in which handspun is an integral part. For example, a corrugated scarf that relies on overtwist in the weft.

Warped!

Make me laugh. Weaving should be fun. This can be a whimsical project, a story about weaving gone awry, or whatever would tickle a weaver’s funny bone.

What to Weave?

The heart of WeaveZine. Projects that are beautiful and make weavers want to run to their warping boards. Bonus points if they are also easy and approachable to beginners. Whimsical/different/unusual is a bonus. Plain weave and projects that appeal to color/texture weavers are welcome. But don’t be afraid to send those 16-draft projects as well. WeaveZine has room for all kinds of weavers.

WeaveZine Schedule

WeaveZine is published four times a year. The deadlines for articles are listed below. I’ve also listed recommended themes for each issue. Don’t let them hold you back; if the project or article is good enough, I’ll find space for it.

Submission Deadlines for 2008

Summer	March 31st	“Light-weight Garments & Shawls”
Fall	June 30th	“Blankets & Big Things from Small Looms”
Winter	September 30th	“Quick Gifts & Warm and Cuddly Weaving”
Spring	December 31st	“New Beginnings”

Response Time

If something’s not right for WeaveZine, I’ll let you know right away. If you don’t hear back within a week that means your submission is under consideration. If you don’t hear back by the time the next issue goes live, that means something has gotten lost somewhere; feel free to query me at editor@weavezine.com.

Payment

WeaveZine currently pays $25 per article or project.

WeaveZine is a new venture. As a professional writer, I feel it is important to pay contributors from day one. As a start-up entrepreneur, I have a small budget. There’s a chicken-and-egg problem: advertisers won’t come until WeaveZine has an audience. The audience won’t come until there are great articles and projects…so until all that happens, I’m paying you out of my yarn budget.

Think of this not as a small paycheck, but rather a chance to get in on the ground floor of something that could help change the face and future of weaving. You’ll be helping create a new market for independent weaving designers to sell their work.

I will be promoting WeaveZine on WeaveCast and at conferences and various guild meetings, so hopefully it won’t be too long before we’re able to raise contributor rates.

Payment is made “on publication” which means that when the issue is uploaded to the Web, checks and Paypal payments go out.

WeaveZine purchases exclusive rights to your content for the period that it is in the current issue on the WeaveZine site (typically three months), and non-exclusive rights thereafter (so we can keep past issues available in our archive.) When your article or project is moved to the WeaveZine archives, you are welcome to republish the content in a collection or post it to the Web.

We’re very open to new designers and writers; people who’ve never been published before. WeaveZine is a great way to get your work seen in a professional and public venue. The author bios that accompany each article or project optionally contain a link-back to your personal Web site or blog, which will drive traffic to your site.

Submission Format

Email submissions are preferred, and will get the quickest response. Send text, image files, and WIFs or Fiberworks DTX files (if available) to editor@weavezine.com.

Postal submissions should be sent to:

WeaveZine Editor
Post Office Box 860
North Bend, WA 98045

Text should be sent as a Word document or as text in the body of an email. Articles should be between 1000 and 2000 words. Projects should include warp and weft calculations, and if possible, a WIF file. (tip: If you do not have weaving software, take a picture of your weave draft using the macro (aka: tulip-flower) setting available on most digital cameras.) Tell the story of your project. Not just the how, but the why. Readers like to know what made you want to weave this project. Written submissions may be edited for style and clarity.

Digital images should be at a minimum 72 dpi in resolution and at least 540 pixels wide. Larger is better. When sending via email, I can accept images up to 3MB in size. If saving as a JPEG, please use the best possible quality. Photos should be clear, and show off the item to best advantage. Include the names of models appearing in the photos (if any) as well as photo credits. Feel free to get creative with how you photograph your work, keeping in mind that readers will want to know (a) what the item is, (b) its handle, and (c) what the fabric looks like close up. Submitting multiple photos is encouraged.

All submissions should include a 50-75 word bio blurb and author photo. If you have a Website or blog, please include the URL.

If you would like to receive periodic announcements for contributors with information such as upcoming issue themes, article or project requests, submission deadlines, etc. please sign up for our Contributor's newsletter.

The following checklists will help you gather the information you need to submit along with your project or article.

Article Submission Checklist

Have you included your contact information? Name, address, phone, email, Web site, etc.
Is your article 1000-2000 words? Don’t obsess about the word count, just be in the ballpark.
Are there any photos that would clarify and enhance the content of your article? Visuals can really bring a subject to life. Especially how-to articles.

Are the photos 72 dpi or better, at least 540 pixels wide, and no larger than 3MB in size (if sending via email)? (If saving as a JPEG, please use the best possible quality.)
Who is the photographer? If it is someone other than you, do you have their permission to use the photo?
Are there models in the picture? If so, who are they? Do you have their permission to use the photo? (A model release is recommended.)

Author photo headshot
50-75 word bio with optional URL to link back to.

Project Submission Checklist

Have you included your contact information? Name, address, phone, email, Web site, etc.
Title
What the item is; its purpose.
The story of how this project came to be. Why were you moved to weave/design this?
Type of loom used.
Warp yarn: fiber, grist/ypp, manufacturer, yards required.
Weft yarn: fiber, grist/ypp, manufacturer, yards required.
Sett.
Warp length.
Width of warp in reed.
Warping method you used.
Weave structure used. Please provide a WIF file if possible.
Width and length after taking cloth off the loom
Width and length after wet finishing
Finishing techniques used. For example: fringe twisting, hemming, hem stitching, etc.
Photos of the object. Ideally this would include close-ups as well as distance shots. Multiple photos are encouraged.

Are the photos at least 72 dpi in resolution, at least 540 pixels wide, and no larger than 3MB in size (if sending via email)? (If saving as a JPEG, please use the best possible quality.)
Who is the photographer? If it is someone other than you, do you have their permission to use the photo?
Are there models in the picture? If so, who are they? Do you have their permission to use the photo? (A model release is recommended.)

Author photo headshot
50-75 word bio with optional URL to link back to.