Get a Glimpse of Crochet!'s Art and Soul!

There aren’t very many crochet magazines. When I first learned to crochet, I was dismayed that every magazine I purchased seemed to go out of business within months. Granted, three crochet magazines a month should have been sufficient, but when you’re newly addicted to a craft, it doesn’t seem so.

So I was surprised last spring to find a new crochet magazine on the racks of our local bookstore. It was a magazine called simply Crochet! It had a different look to it than most of the crochet magazines that I had been subscribing to. It had a modest-Glamour magazine design to it—a bright-faced model on the right and screamer headlines down the left.

Crochet! is a magazine that is targeting a younger generation of crocheters without leaving the veterans behind. In the first four issues that they’ve published so far, they seem to be looking for projects that are trendy and will appeal to fashion-conscious women (though, the matching plaid sweaters for you and your dog did stretch my faith more than just a wee bit; as did the beaded bikini from an Australian designer).

Projects and Patterns

The most recent issue had as its cover project a white bomber jacket that I’d gladly wear or gift. It also had patterns for a skirt, top, and jacket that was completely lacking in the kitsch so often found in crocheted items. The magazine also includes projects that use specialty yarns—something very few magazines seem willing to do. So there are projects that are fancier and break out of the common variations that so many magazines seem to run again and again.

In the most recent issue (September), I was also impressed that they were finding unusual types of projects. Yes, they still had afghans, a doily, and clothes. But they also had a textured backpack, patterns for jewelry made with polished rocks and thread, a basket, and a pillow.

One of the challenges for the designers of any crochet magazine is what you are going to do with the patterns. After all, many patterns take several pages that look like this:

Row 8: dc in next 3 sts, ch 2, *(shell in next ch 2 sp) 2 times, 2 dc in next dc, repeat from * to end of row, dc in next 3 sts.

Note: Not a real pattern, please don’t try at home.

That doesn’t exactly make for exciting reading nor is it very pleasing to the eye. In fact, for all that the pattern is essential to anyone buying the magazine, it is real easy to lose your readers on those pages. Most other crochet magazines have solved that by having several pages of pictures of projects in the front and back with a refer line taking you to the correct page where the pattern is listed. The patterns are then all listed in the middle of the magazine, one page after another.

Crochet! magazine decided to take a slightly different approach. They start out with the patterns and large pictures of the project on facing pages with the beginning of the patterns surrounding it. At the end of the page, they then jump the rest of the pattern to the end of the magazine with a “continued on p. XX” line. It makes for a better design, but it is annoying when you are working a pattern to have to flip pages and not have them all together. One of the advantages to this method is that they do not go to the annoying small print on darker pages that some magazines do for their inside pattern pages. It is much easier to read their patterns because they keep it on the bright pages that have a high contrast.

On the “jump” pages where the patterns are continued, they include several “tips” for the patterns along with various quotes to break up the pages.

I have yet to try any of the major projects in this magazine, though the smaller ones that I’ve done have turned out well. I especially liked the scarf pattern they had in the most recent issue. However, most of the patterns in this magazine have been beyond my skill to create. This is definitely a magazine for the intermediate to advanced crocheter. Not that this factor stopped me from subscribing—I read it to find out what is possible and to dream about the day when my skills are at this level. It gives me something to shoot for and in the mean time, the magazines don’t spoil or go bad.

Articles

Let’s be honest, no one really buys crochet magazines for the articles. They’re a nice bonus, but what people really want are the patterns. That said, I’ve been extremely impressed with the articles in this magazine. No, they aren’t particularly well-written (though neither are they poorly written). However, they have managed to pick topics that you don’t often find in other magazines—and they are highly useful.

In their premier magazine, they had two articles that I have continually referred to, as they are so useful. The first was about yarn substitutions. Now, I’m one of those crocheters who has to have a pattern but I never follow it completely. I’m always changing hook sizes, yarn types, colors, or adding elements to it. The articles in the March issue were written for people like me. The one article talked about how to make yarn substitutions and offered such valuable advice as “work an intricate stitch with plain yarn and a plain stitch with novelty yarn.” That explains why some of my projects made with a bulky yarn didn’t turn out the way I expected.

The other article that had me swooning was a sophisticated guide to balancing and mixing colors. Matching colors is a major weakness for me. I can never tell what color is going to go with what other color (and yes, I have this same problem with my wardrobe—it’s why I buy all my outfits as complete sets). The article by Susan Levin and Gloria Tracy explain how to use a color wheel to get excellent results.

Every crochet magazine I’ve ever read has had interviews or biographies of crochet designers. It seems to be a stable. Crochet! is no exception, though I find I am more intrigued by their interviews than I have been with other magazines. They don’t follow one format with the same questions. Instead, they look for something unusual about that designer and write a true feature article. In the September issue, for example, they focused on a crochet designer who has created a technique that combines clay pottery and lace doilies. It was a fascinating article about a new art form. In the July issue, the article was on a crocheter: George Washington Carver. Yes, that George Washington Carver. It gave a brief biography of him and talked about the lace work that he used to do—there was even a picture of some of his work that is currently in a museum.

Other Departments

So far, Crochet! has six departments:

Crochet in the News is an article that does exactly what it described. It talks about new products, conferences, and any other crochet-related news.

The bookshelf reviews new pattern books that have been published.

Caring and sharing is a column devoted to the many charities that crocheters participate in—whether it be making hats for hospitals, scarves for orphanages, lapghans for nursing homes, or dog blankets for dog pounds.

Stitch Guide is a page that is the same in every issue. It explains the measurements, hook sizes, yarns, and stitch abbreviations. It also gives pictures of how to do the basic stitches.

Fasten Off uses the crocheting term for ending a row to describe the short article that they put on the last page. It is typically a piece of humor related to crochet. That page also has preview pictures of projects that will be in the next issue.

Recommendations

Crochet! isn’t yet my favorite magazine. I am unable to do most of the projects in it and many of the materials are out of my price range. However, I do find it a fascinating magazine to read and am impressed with a sophistication that is rarely found in crochet magazines. Its motto is “Sharing the art and soul of Crochet!” I’d have to say that in the first four issues, they have managed to do just that. Here’s hoping that they continue to find unique patterns, stories, and information that keeps the quality of the magazine high.

If you crochet and are looking for something different than the standard Leisure Art or Lion Brand patterns, check out Crochet!. I think you’ll find it refreshing.