How to Choose a Knitting Magazine

At my local bookstore I can pick up half a dozen knitting magazines. A few clicks on the Internet and I have many more to choose from, both print and digital. Reading, storing and learning from all of them isn't necessarily feasible or desirable, so I--and you--have a choice to make about which ones are right for our specific needs. Here are some tips for choosing the right magazines.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Local bookseller or newsstand

Instructions

1. Know what you want out of a knitting magazine. Deciding that you are more interested in techniques than patterns or maybe keeping up with new products and trends will help you evaluate each available publication as to how it meets your needs.

2. Look at the ads-to-article ratio. It's not uncommon for a printed magazine to have a full third of its content be advertisements in one form or another (sometimes including classifieds in the last handful of pages). This isn't necessarily a bad thing since ads are a great way to see what the new, hot products are and where to find them, and can be helpful when you lack a local yarn shop to fill that need.

3. Check the publisher information for publication frequency. Somewhere in the first few pages you will find the magazine's masthead that lists editors and other staff--the schedule should be listed at the bottom of that column. Most knitting magazines come out four to six times a year which means long stretches without new content.

4. Examine the patterns for style, materials, sizes available and degree of difficulty; not just how many are in each issue. If you prefer simple knits, a magazine that specializes in ornate designs is not going to do you much good. If you are a plus-size knitter, make sure it's the magazine's policy to have designers size the patterns adequately. Also, the fewer substitutions you have to do to accommodate your yarn budget, the better, so look at what sorts of fibers the designers use most.

5. Go online for additional benefits the publisher might offer subscribers. Frequently there will be a newsletter you can sign up for that may include anything from coupons and special offers from advertisers to free patterns between printed issues. They will also be the first place to check for the occasional correction to a pattern (often referred to as errata) if you suspect an error.

6. Browse your local store's shelves. After all, the best selection criteria in the world isn't going to change a gut reaction you may have to a magazine's layout, energy, color choices or writing style. But hold off on the lifetime subscription until you've had a chance to work some of the patterns included or try the advice given; looks can be deceiving.

Tips & Warnings

• A single publisher will often produce several titles in order to target different groups within the market. For instance, SoHo Publishing Company produces the high-end "Vogue Knitting," the family-friendly "Knit Simple," as well as "Knit 1" which targets the 18 to 35 age group. As your needs change and skills progress, you can expect similar quality throughout the family of magazines.

• There are also knitting magazines that are available completely online--both for free and a some for a fee. The same guidelines apply, though--check them out before committing to a subscription.

Resources

• Knitty, a Free Online Knitting Magazine
• Creative Knitting Magazine
• Vogue Knitting
• Interweave Knits Magazine
• The Knitting Universe
• Knit N Style-the Ultimate Knitting Magazine
• Verena Knitting Magazine
• The Daily Knitter