Magazine of the Week

Hi, everyone! Mag of the Week time again!

Winter break brings us relief from homework. Suddenly all that time you spent finishing class projects is your own again! Time for movies, time to sleep late, time to cook, see family, and hang out with friends. For me, this includes time for knitting again!

Intarsia flower patterns in spring 1999 issue

 

This week’s magazine is a favorite for all my knitting pals. Interweave produces “enthusiast” magazines, books, television, social media, and live content for a range of crafty pursuits, from knitting, spinning, weaving and other fiberarts, to drawing, painting, and jewelry making. Interweave Knits is one of several knitting titles the company prints. The title comes out 4x per year, from the parent company F+W Media’s offices in Fort Collins, Colorado.

 

 

 

 

 

The Interweave organization was founded in 1975 by Linda Ligon, who remains the company’s Creative Director. Ligon’s original brainchild was Interweave, which she launched with $1500 and the support of weaving stores near her home in Colorado. Spin-Off evolved in 1978, and Handwoven in 1979.

As the crafts market began to slow in the 1980s, she created Herb Companion. She launched Interweave Knits in 1996. By 2005, when Ligon sold it to Aspire Media, Interweave was a multi-million dollar company. In 2012 F+W Media Company, the present owners, bought Interweave and have continued to expand its media projects into the digital era.

 

 

 

Among the knitters I know, Interweave Knits has the reputation for having more interesting patterns and contemporary but timeless design. My friends also appreciate that IWK offers a wider range of sizing in their patterns. This title also includes a healthy number of designs for men’s knits.

 

 

 

 

 

Included within are the usual helpful “how-to” articles, with a seasonal bent. Knitters need to understand fibers, and IWK’s editorial often includes both background on a range of fiber options as well as reviews of interesting new blends being produced for retail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FIT library carries several of the title’s direct competitors, namely Threads Magazine and Vogue Knitting International. Threads is more sewing focused, but occasionally has articles on knitting or crocheting. Vogue Knitting presents more sophisticated, fashionable knits for the intermediate-advanced knitter. My knitting crew said they preferred Interweave Knits because the patterns were clearer and would remain in fashion no matter how long it took to knit them.*

Many also commented that Vogue’s many knitting reference books were invaluable (and yes, we have those here!)

For a quick search of all the publications by Interweave that the FIT library owns:

http://fit.sunyconnect.suny.edu:4690/F/?func=find-e&find_scan_code=FIND_WRD&request=interweave

https://www.interweave.com/store

For a nice list of popular online knitting magazines:

http://newstitchaday.com/top-5-online-knitting-magazines/

http://www.foliomag.com/linda-ligon-creative-director-interweave-press/

 

*Weirdly, Elle France included knitting patterns on their last page throughout the 1980s and ’90s.