So… it looks like I’m writing a magazine now ~ ^^
Last month, under chapter three of the Chasing Magic Series, I teased there might be a little something new coming, while we take a month off from our monthly sock patterns.
I felt inspired to try my hands at making something in a magazine-like format, and this is what I ended up with!
It was a lot of fun to put together, and I’m looking forward to explore this more!
I’m planning to bring out an issue of the Cozy Corner Magazine every 3rd month – January, April, July & October.
This first issue is mainly meant to be an introduction to the concept and style, so please keep in mind that it’s a lot more simple and has a lot less content than future issues are bound to be and have <3
Inspired To Cozy Up
You might wonder why I’d even bother creating something like this, when I already have a blog to ramble on, and plenty of options to offer patterns for download.
Simply said… I just felt like it ^^’
But of course, there’s a bit more to it as well
I’ve always loved the concept of a magazine, but never enjoyed them as much as the thought of them…
Buying physical magazines – apart from the obvious problem, that the writing in them thends to be tiny! – often felt like spending money on unnecessary paper waste and quite frankly… ads!
Why in the world am I spending money on something that is telling me to go spend even more money?
Of course there’s other (and digital) options to access magazines but the “spending money to be advertised to”- aspect stayed the same in all I knew of.
This somewhat changed, when I discovered “Knitabillity” – the patreon exclusive magazine of the Bakery Bears.
I really loved the concept of this one!
I was never a regular patreon because I usually don’t use the service at all, but my partner had gifted me a month of the platinum membership on theirs during the 2025 advent calendar.
I especially loved Kay’s articles on her latest designs, needles she tried out etc.
It was really fun to read and looked like it would be fun to do as well, so I decided: I want to try that too!
This all happened before the utter tragedy their family has experienced since.
I have followed them for years and they were my absolute comfort place.
I can’t even imagine what Kay is going through now!
I hope it’s not inappropriate to mention the Bakery Bears as inspiration after what happened – it would’ve felt wrong not to credit their work as the main inspiration it was.
Curated For Creatives
So, with the decision made, it was time to decide on what kind of magazine it was supposed to be.
Obviously knitting and generally crafting related! But what about the rest of the concept? What should it be called?
Should it have a concept?
A theme?
Changing themes?
The name and contents were quite easy to come up with – I already built a bit of a personal style in writing and formatting and the things I write about, so it only made sense to stick to that for the magazine instead of trying to reinvent myself, when I already have something that feels so much like me.
It only took a bit of brain storming over a notepad to mold that into a concept, that – at least to myself – made enough rough sense to work with.
For the name, I was pretty set on “Cozy Corner” right from the start, since it’s been a “phrase”/metaphor I’ve liked for a long time and wanted to finally use.
“I can’t always do and offer a lot. I can’t always leave the corner I’m sitting in… But I can make the tiny space I can navigate safe and cozy, and offer others to join me in my cozy corner”
But, as is often the case when I find something inspiring, I don’t just go “I want to do this too” without adding “…but more!”.
Because who wants to spend tens of hours writing and trying to create your own version of something that’s great the way it is, when you can add a few hundreds of hours going totally over the top on it as well?
I really wanted to make it not “only” a magazine with articles to read and enjoy, but also like the kind of magazines you can buy, with recipes and such.
My main priority in this magazine, is to offer something of actual value to the reader – something they can get a “use” out of.
My ultimate goal in this, is that there will be a good balance of:
– Things you can just sit down to read while enjoying your morning coffee or tea – things like rambles I’d post under the “finding joy” category on here, on topics such as slow living, embracing the moment, managing life and such
– Things to read that have to do with the creative process, such as design diaries or reviews of tools or materials, as well as maybe some advice where I have any to give
– Things to actually do – meaning patterns and perhaps a recipe or similar every now and then
I’m not planning on ever putting out an issue, that doesn’t have any project to do at all – wether it’s a full on amigurumi pattern or “just” a cross-stitch chart.
Finally, there was the question of a theme.
I LOVE things with a theme – coming up with a theme is the main way I come up with anything at all in the first place!
The concept of a magazine already kind of dictates regular releases, and since monthly would be way more than I’d find enjoyable to write and I just so happened to have four roughly evenly spaced empty slots in the Chasing Magic schedule… it just fell into place.
And since I’m very seasonally inspired anyways, matching it to the seasons I’m experiencing where I am only made sense. ^^
The additional theme, that moves within the “restraints” of the current season, is going to be whatever feels inspiring and helps me curate something cohesive.
Initial Difficulties
There is one tiiiny problem with the first issue though …
By the time I had made up my mind on all of these things and overcome my “but it’ll be terrible and everyone is going to laugh at me and think I’m dumb and arrogant to even have tried”-thoughts, enough to do it anyways, it was already March, with all the ideas I had for a first issue only making sense if I brought them out this April.
However, the way I had conceptualised this magazine and my utter lack of formatting experience in anything even remotely similar, meant it would’ve been a project for multiple months for me, between the Chasing Magic Series writing and designing, and my executive functioning difficulties and all.
Of course, I could’ve scrapped it all and started over planning for summer, but I was really attached to the idea of Mei (the Strawbunny Amigurumi) coming out before easter, and I really wanted to release something in between the Chasing Magic Series to keep up my creative momentum.
So, I did.
Scrapped my perfectionism despite it feeling like “cheaping out”, used pictures I didn’t deem “good enough” and reduced it to the absolute bare minimum I can somewhat live with;
An introduction to the concept, a few example articles and one full amigurumi pattern.
Terribly lazy I know (/light hearted /joking)
I really wish I could be proud of this first magazine, but after staring at it for two weeks straight and having lacked the abillity to make it more… I struggle to
Which I feel like is actually a quite common experience amongst perfectionists, isn’t it?
I personally always hate whatever I made right after I finished it – it takes a while of walking away and looking at it again at a later time, for me to actually feel good about something I created.
All this to say:
I hope you enjoy this introductary issue of the Chasing Magic Magazine, and stay tuned to see what it’ll grow into! ^^ <3
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my rambling!
And thank you for taking a look at the Cozy Corner Magazine!
May your days be filled with the joy of spring and confidence
Have a wonderful month!
Snowdrop ~