Knitty Winter 2007 Review

The Winter 2007 edition of Knitty has finally arrived. Let me tell you that all last month I would visit the site pretty much every day to see if they had updated. Yesterday I finally saw something new. Since I have been reviewing many of the other popular knit publications like Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits, I thought it would be appropriate to rate this issue.

Overall, this issue is solid. As usual Knitty (like many other knit wear magazines) has a few hot messes that makes you question why you were ever excited for this new issue to come out in the first place. However, as you browse around, there are still a couple great treasures that reaffirm why you love Knitty so much. I definintely had a "What the Hell!" moment when I saw this hand puppet and this ball. However, this could be the practical knitter in me taking over my judgement. I figure hand puppets and balls can very easily (not to mention more cheaply) be bought at a local discount store.

Some items that are just darling to look at but not necessary something I would like to knit is the cover pattern named Ice Queen, Three Tams, and Quant.

For those who love socks, this issue offers 4 sock patterns, my favorite being Azure. Other noteworthy accesories are Jeanie, a gorgeous wrap of cables and lace, Toasty Topper a cute and quick hat and scarf combo to warm your little ones with , and Fair Isle Rapids, a stunning color work scarf that I feel would not only be fun to knit but a great addition to anyones wardrobe. Matrix is another pattern I definetely see myself knitting this winter for myself, most likely in colors I prefer (like green and yellow because I love Brett Favre or blue and white because I'm a dedicated Colts fan).

Though the accesories are strong, many of the wearable garments are rather disappointing. Out of 6 sweaters, only 2 are worth my time. My favorites are Laughing Carrots and Cables & Bits (which technically is a dog sweater but it is a wearable garment for someone).

I did skim through the articles but lets face it, many knitters are looking for patterns, not articles. Still some of you may want to check out a tutorial by Frankenknits about changing a pullover into a cardigan, Cool Stuff, and more about dying yarn with food coloring and Kool-Aid.

Aside from this particular issue, one qualm I have with Knitty in general is the timing in which their issues are uploaded, especially the Winter issue. The focus for these issues tend to be gift giving and quick yet thoughtful are what we knitters need this time of year. Many other knit publications have their holiday issues hit store shelves at the beginning of November, giving you ample time to buy your materials, knit a bit, procrastinate, become overwhelmed with sleep deprivation from staying up and knitting all night for 4 weeks straight, and get the thing done in time for Christmas. The time that Knitty updates (around Dec. 1) I feel is too late for knitters who are serious about their gift knitting to wait for their designs to come out every year. I would suggest that they update the website around the middle of November. That gives you ample time to make several hats or one sweater for someone very special in your life and still be sane by the end of it all.

That's all I have to say. Do leave some feedback about this review and about the new Knitty in the comments section.

Happy Knitting!