Interweave Crochet

[shoegirl]

i am a huge fan of Family Circle Crochet magazine, and their Knitting version usually has some crochet patterns in it too. i like the variety of patterns and the instructions are pretty easy to follow which i appreciate because i'm a novice crocheter that doesn't follow patterns that well. I like the pictures in Interweave magazine for inspiration, but it's not a magazine that i can really get a lot of use out of.

[amie]

Cute avatar!

[determinedimprovisation]

while walking around town (norman, ok) today i found a knitting and crochet store (yay!) and for lack of anything to do i bought this magazine.  i'm going to make the pirate jacket, but symeterical.  as for yarn subsitutes, red heart has a plush yarn that's actually very soft and about $5 for a normal-sized skein at walmart.  hobby lobby recently came out with their own brand of yarn.  it's beautiful, soft, comes in several styles, and a normal-sized skein cost me about $4-$5.
*edit*
ok, so while attempting to make the fingerless gloves, i have become hopelessly lost.  can anyone explain the blossom stitch to me? 

[FluffyMonkey]

I think the problem with the books is that you have to pay $15 for eight patterns that are ugly as butt and two that you like. I'm one of those frustrating surf-the-web for free patterns types, but it's because I can't afford to buy a pattern and yarn and spend $20-$100 dollars on one project. I'm really getting sick of all the freaking easy, ugly, or old-ladyish patterns out there. I want something challenging that doesn't drain my wallet. *sigh*

Fluffy Monkey

Ps. How much does Interweave run and can you find it in a store or do you have to send for it? Yet again, I like two or three patterns (and none of the others) from the pay side of the pattern directory. What a drag.

[determinedimprovisation]

Ps. How much does Interweave run and can you find it in a store or do you have to send for it? Yet again, I like two or three patterns (and none of the others) from the pay side of the pattern directory. What a drag.

i think the crochet issue is a once a year thing...the other 3 issues are knitting ones, but i'm not sure.  i found it at the yarn store, and the cover price is $7.99 US.  i could e-mail you the pattern you wanted.  i don't think the magazine people would hunt me down, especially since i'm not making any money off it.

[BeppyCat]

II'm really getting sick of all the freaking easy, ugly, or old-ladyish patterns out there. I want something challenging that doesn't drain my wallet. *sigh*

The thing is that what you're looking for are things that are hard enough to design that people can't put that much time into them and then just give them away.  They deserve to get paid for all the time and trouble it takes.  But there is hope.  Most of the more modern pattern designers like Amie and Lavonne (there are others, these are just a couple examples) sell their patterns as singles, so... no money going for a pattern you won't make. 

And you could always try to design what you want yourself.  That's definately meant as real advice, not sarcasm, because only you know your tastes exactly, and you'll be able to get just what you want.

[heatherann]

i'm going to make the pirate jacket, but symeterical.

Me too!  I haven't sorted through the pattern to see quite how to do that yet, so we'll see how it goes.  It's super-cute, but I think it would drive me crazy having it asymmetrical.  I would always be tugging on the short side.  Of course, I could always just get me a pirate sword, and then there would be a reason for it being asymmetrical, but I suspect my university would frown on that.

i could e-mail you the pattern you wanted.  i don't think the magazine people would hunt me down, especially since i'm not making any money off it.

You know, that's probably one of the reasons it only comes out once a year.  If we're just going to give it away, how are they ever going to pay designers or publishers?  I love free patterns as much as the next girl, but I'd be pretty pissed if you started giving away my non-free patterns.

[amie]

Actually, I'm going to gently throw out the knowledge that it is indeed illegal to post patterns from magazines. That's their 'bread and butter.' Designers are paid to make those patterns. If people post them illegally as opposed to going out and actually buying the magazine, then there's no real demand for them, and then the magazines no longer exist.

Copyright is a serious issue being debated amongst designers. Just put the image in your head that if you're just giving away their work, that it's like taking away the food on their table. It sounds dramatic, but we really don't get paid a lot for what we do. I'd rather have dinner than not have it. I hope I've made my point as clear as possible.

[FluffyMonkey]

oh, no, that's right. i understand why patterns cost money, and i would love to design my own (and i have done a few), i'm just not good enough yet to make up the kind of things i want to.

i could e-mail you the pattern you wanted.  i don't think the magazine people would hunt me down, especially since i'm not making any money off it.

don't worry, amie, beppycat, or heatherann. if i want the patterns enough, i'll pay for them. determinedimprovisa tion, thanks for the offer, but i probably wouldn't be able to afford the yarn anyway! 

[cejaypi]

Now see, i am very excited by the new Interweave and was pleasantly surprised by the Family Circle mag (lily chin's "living on the edge" poncho is fabulous - I am excited to use up all sorts of fun bits I have left over and have been "saving"). No, personally, I will not sink in 300 dollars on a project in yarn, but I have never found I ever "had" to. Combination of yarn substitution and always having an "eye out" for deals, recyclables and my favorite, trendknitters (all these acquaintances who "just had to start knitting" and bought gorgeous yarns and supplies and never finished a sleeve, I have been lucky to "inherit" some nice little stashes). Besides, I love having the magazines and even books to fall back on - not always following their pattern but working on various things and then saying "hey" to myself "I remember a similar but cooler collar on that one jacket in such and such" and digging it out. They are a great resource, just like a lot of the freebies online - i will print them out and I may never make that really frilly doily starched into a basket but I liked the stitch effect they used on say the handle and can pull that out to experiment with.

Besides, even if I never make a thing or use the Interweave mag for anything else, I went and bought a copy today (Hastings had it in early woo hoo!) for nothing else than to support those designers and to say to everyone else "hey, we are out here and we are not making doilies". And yes, I will never wear the asymmetrical pirate jacket, but I was ecstatic and excited to see it in there because Ms. Durham is an amazing artist and it is great to have that "edge" advocated in crochet.

but on a nerdier point, I am really excited that they talked about the cool "chaos" model of the Lorenz manifold - and have a short and sweet pattern for a smaller hyperbolic plane so that I can sit it on my desk (next to the set of "germs" I am crocheting) and proclaim my nerdiness even louder!