Guest Editor at the Helm: 5 Questions for Anne Merrow

It’s 117 steps to my mailbox. Normally, it’s not a particularly interesting jaunt (for most of us, I imagine this is the case), but when I know a new issue has arrived, I walk with a little more pep in my step. There’s nothing quite like the crisp feel of those pages in your hands for the first time.

Speaking of new issues, if you’ve turned to page four of Farm & Fiber Knits Spring 2026, you may have noticed that we had a special guest editor for this issue. While editor Kate Larson continues to be hard at work preparing three more issues for this year, co-founder and editorial director Anne Merrow stepped in to put together the gorgeous new Spring issue.

When I asked Anne how many magazine issues she’s done in her career so far, she said dozens—around 30 at this point. Knowing that, I started to wonder: After overseeing thousands of pages of content, what keeps her needles clicking, and what does she love about this new issue?

With these questions in mind I caught up with Anne, and here’s what she had to say.

1. What was your favorite thing in this issue to knit?

I was excited to try a lot of different yarns, so I actually knitted all the swatches for “Finding a Kindred Yarn” and “From Runway to Any Day,” found on pages 64 and 68. I’m not usually a knitter who loves to swatch, but I loved trying out all those very different yarns, and I really loved blocking them all. The fabrics changed so much with a good washing, even though these were reversible fabrics without any lace or cables.

Anne enjoyed swatching a variety of yarns for the Wee Cardi, and provides advice on how to find a substitute yarn if you so desire (see page 64). Photos by Matt Graves

2. What’s on your knitting needles right now?

The Wee Cardi! In fact, you can see my cardigan-in-progress in the image below—I love a top-down cardigan with drop-sleeve construction, and I’m having a blast with this one. I’m using Wing & A Prayer The Happiest Yarn. I’m also darning my wool socks—inspired by Kate Larson’s mending series—and knitting hats for my mom and me.

Currently on Anne’s needles? The Wee Cardi featured in the Spring issue of Farm & Fiber Knits on page 56. Photo by Matt Graves

3. What makes you smile every time you see it in the issue?

I have to pick an article and a project. Sahara Briscoe’s “The Scrap with My Stash” makes me feel inspired to use the yarn I have without guilt for having it in the first place. I also love that joyful article because the photo on the first page is of my stash! I had a lovely time choosing scraps, leftover skeins, and treasures to use in the photo.

As far as a project, I love the geometry and easy knitting of the Salt Spring Cowl! Knitting on the bias brings out the dynamic colors of the gradient yarn, and I love it when garter stitch looks so polished.

Get a peek at the new issue as Anne flips through page by page!

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4. Tell me about your scrappy stash. What’s in it?

I have so, so many sock yarn scraps, which are great for darning! They’re also pretty compact, so they don’t take up too much space. My souvenir skeins tend to be either sock yarn or laceweight, because you can get a small project’s worth in 100 grams. The most difficult are the leftovers from another project—what can I do with an extra skein and a half from a sweater I just finished?

5. What are you looking forward to next?

I had a blast being the guest editor of this issue while Kate Larson focused on developing our other issues this year. The first thing I’m looking forward to is getting another new issue in just a few months! Spring 2026 was our first quarterly issue, so the Summer 2026 issue isn’t far behind. For that issue, editor Kate Larson and photographer Gale Zucker photographed the projects at a sheep farm in Florida, and I can’t wait to see what sheep look like in the Sunshine State . . .

We’d love to hear from you! What’s in your stash, and what are you loving from the new issue?

Find the Spring 2026 issue on the Farm & Fiber Knits Library.