Opinions and comments on the new issue of Interweave Knits pop up regularly in the land of knitting blogs over the last few days. The issue marks the first one officially run by Eunny Jang, though changes began to show up a couple of issues ago with the behind the scenes transition to a new editor.
Tonight I sat down to compare the current issue with some older ones. I couldn't put my hands on my copy of the Summer issue, so I looked at Spring '07 and Winter '06.
Last Winter's issue had the look I was used to seeing in Interweave. Changes first showed up with the Spring issue.
The cover changes, though subtle, make an impact with a glance such as the magazine would get lined up among dozens of others on a newsstand. KNITS is now in larger type running across the width of the top edge. The cover printing references more articles in a bigger variety of print sizes.
Inside the magazine several big shifts happened between Winter and Spring. The patterns separated from the initial photographs in Spring. I like the photo-spread style with first presentations uninterrupted by pages of pattern text. It allows me to quickly get an idea of what's in the issue in a very enjoyable way. Plus, I really appreciate that Interweave corrected that major flaw I find so annoying in Vogue Knitting. Both the first photographs of the projects and the pattern pages indicate clearly the page on which you'll find the other part. No frustratedly flipping back and forth looking for the gauge of yarn used or the photo that showed the cuff detail. And the pattern section still has an interesting layout with a separation between patterns.
Still, I found myself confusing the editorial section of the Spring issue with the advertising. The photos and page layouts had a similar feel. Things just didn't pop when I looked at them.
Fall '07 definitely pops. The photos are brighter and crisper, starting on the cover. Plus, each project has more photos, both in the initial spread and later with the pattern. Most projects have four to six different pictures giving a very good idea of what the garment actually looks like. There is no sense that a less than successful neckline is camouflaged or wondering how the sweater would hang if the model actually stood up straight. And the layout of the photos and print is clean and interesting -- very distinct from the ads.
One more change that I like very much first showed up in the Spring issue. The Beyond the Basics feature moved to the front of the magazine. Instead of drawings it has photographs. And a relevant pattern follows the article. Since I rarely actually knit patterns from magazines or books as is and mostly use them to learn more about knitting and knitting techniques, this change makes me very happy.
Some things, like fewer small entries in the News & Views sections or Clara Parkes' piece on organic yarns actually titled Yarn Review, may indicate changes or merely the content available for this issue.
Overall, the changes made more impact with this issue. The photography and its layout really felt new and fresh and made you notice that things were different. The issue was visually stimulating and just plain fun to look at.
Thanks for that insightful comparison of the old and the new flavors of IK. The things that bugged you about the old version also bugged me. Based on your review, I think I'll take a closer look at latest issue.
Posted by: JoAnne from Ottawa | August 15, 2007 at 06:15 AM
I still prefer the older layout (pre-Spring 2007), but I do agree with you that the Fall IK is better. And much less scary than Vogue Knitting!
Posted by: Karen | August 15, 2007 at 11:20 AM
Ok, the layout is better but the patterns are still atrocious. Most of them are dumpy and weird, even the talented Nora Gaughan's cover sweater.
Posted by: amanda | August 16, 2007 at 09:49 PM