I picked up this issue this week at work and thought I would pass on my 2¢ worth on it... that's about all my opinion is worth, and don't forget the Canadian dollar exchange rate! *teehee* One thing I give them credit for is using a Canadian yarn company as their issue sponsor. All of the yarns used were from Spinrite, a mill in Listowel, Ontario that makes {among others} Bernat, Lily, and Patons yarns. For this reason most of the materials used should be fairly easy to obtain for most Canadians, unlike most of the time where we have to use the samples shown of the yarn to substitute. Wal-Mart carries a good selection of Bernat and Michael's carries a lot of different Patons yarns. Those are my two usual places I go to get supplies for a project. Zellers and Lewiscraft are also places you can go to find some of these yarns. Of course there is always your local LYS... I hope that yours isn't stocked with knitting snobs though.
Most of the articles that I took the time to read were very informative. There is one article on working with the novelty yarns which is invaluable to those that are new to working with them. I still find that knitting with them is usually easier, but it is good to have the skills needed to crochet with them as well. There is another article on the latest fad, felting. Most of the felting articles I have read lately have been geared to knitting... it's refreshing to see the crochet side of it for a change.
The magazine starts off with ladies' wearables. Even though I don't think I would take the time or money to make any of them {not my taste}, I'm impressed that they are stylish and not boxy looking like a lot of crocheted clothing patterns tend to be.
The next section is still wearables, but updates of older patterns. A few of these are the stereotypical style that I tend to detest, but others take on a new life in new fibres.
Next comes kids' wearables... a few of the "nasties" peek in, but the overdone poncho actually takes on a new life in two patterns, one a poncho and the other a loose cardigan.
After that we have the hats and scarves. These have to be the hardest to come up with something "new"... unfortunately they decided to do a portion of them in granny squares... UGH!!! Don't get me wrong, the granny square is okay, but it drives me nuts that so many people think you can't do anything else with a length of yarn and a hook.
Next comes my favourite part of the magazine, a few patterns that combine knitting and crocheting. This is my latest interest, and it is nice to see them blended together.
The magazine is finished off with a poncho out of edgings... nice symbolism I think! Not a pattern I'd make, but inspirational for sure.
Overall, I'm not really sure that I'd make more than 2 or 3 items out of this issue. This is the premier issue of it, so I'm hopeful that they continue on with things other than granny squares and toilet paper cozies... there is so much more than that to crocheting, regardless of what the editors of many magazines seem to think. One thing, if you aren't into wearables {adult or child}, give this issue a miss. There isn't a kleenex box cover to be found here, and the only afghan you'll find is in the felting article. For me, I think this issue will be mostly used for design inspiration...
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