Reviewing Interweave Crochet Magazine

I picked up a copy of Interweave Crochet not too long ago. It was the issue from last Fall 2006. I scanned the copy to find that there were a number of patterns that looked great, but the Citrine Skirt designed by Annie Modesitt was the reason I put my $8 dollars down. I'm relatively new to the world of crocheting clothing, and so I figured that a magazine that contains a variety of patterns would have patterns that are easy to follow for all levels. Not so.

I began the Citrine Skirt pattern using a heavier weight yarn that suggested so it wouldn't curl up so much as I made it. The pattern consists of making panels and joining them, than adding a hip yoke. It isn't an easy design, and the intricacy was complicated as you worked up each panel, trying to be consistent. I thought the hardest part was going to be just making all the panels; I was right, but for the wrong reasons. As I got to a specific row, the pattern had some minor typos-noting the wrong stitches to be used for the row. But then I got to the Lattice paneling section and realized that the pattern was so wrong, I could not go on unless I could figure out what the designer was doing. And being relatively new to fashioning crocheted clothing that was impossible.

This might be a typical experience for most crocheters, but in this case I had spend quite a lot of time and money on supplies only to not have the means of completing the project. I wrote the company for information on corrections because they didn't have any stated on their website. Never heard from them.

Luckily I found the pattern designer of the skirt online, and obtained an email address to ask her a few questions. She was very polite and prompt about responding and gave me her original pattern notes. I read them over and realized that the pattern in the magazine wasn't even close to the original! Sure, most of the numbers were the same, but her original pattern was really for a skirt, while the one in the magazine was clearly not. I have no idea what happened from submission to publication, but this isn't the only pattern that needed corrections. In the end I was only able to make the pattern by using the designer's notes that she so generously provided in my plight.

I found it an unpleasant experience to pay for a pattern magazine that obviously has incompetent people typing up the patterns. We aren't talking about small or minor typos, but a pattern changing set of problems. I suppose that Interweave Crochet, a sister publication to Interweave Knits, is not as high quality as their other publications. I wouldn't even consider trying another pattern from this magazine, in case the designers aren't as polite as Ms. Modesitt; I basically paid $8.00 for the right to email the designer for her corrected version.

The quality of the magazine is definitely poor. I know of at least 4 patterns that needed correction, one other than the Citrine skirt that needed corrections in the basic pattern stitch. They even recently posted corrections for a scarf pattern. How can you get something that simple wrong? They also don't seem to be very quick at admitting their mistakes, since I'm sure I was not the only one who wrote them about the problems with the Citrine Skirt pattern.

So if you are thinking about buying the Interweave Crochet magazine-consider yourself warned.