Yarn Cost Breakdown - Interweave Knits Winter 2015 magazine

As promised, here are the costs for the suggested yarn for each of the patterns in the Interweave Knits Winter 2015 issue. A few notes - most of the prices I pulled off webs, but even if I found the yarn on sale elsewhere I calculated the cost at the undiscounted price for the yarn (since you're not guaranteed to get it on sale). I calculated it for the size closest to my bust, so 34-36 inches, which since I'm typically the smallest size they list means that for a lot my bustier friends the yarn would cost even more.

Ready?

Brace yourself, some of these patterns aren't cheap!

1) Fall River Cowl. A cowl, so not bad on price. $59.10

2) Quivira Coat. Though it's a larger piece, they used a cheaper yarn, so it's only $69.30

3) Moraine Jacket. $43.96. Color me utterly shocked to see a Lion Brand yarn in Interweave.

4) Muir Wrap. $68.

5) Hudson Wrap. $166.25

6) Bear Lake Cowl. $51.

7) Ozark Wrap. $111.60.

8) Tanawha Wrap. $103.60

9) Zuni Cardigan. I didn't bother, since it has so many different colors in it.

10) Bozeman Hat. $34.

11) Trapper Cowl. $30. Not bad for getting to work with a Manos del Uruguay yarn.

12) Ice Rink Pullover. $205.20. I'm going to officially call that not worth it, though not surprising since it uses an alpaca and merino blend yarn.

13) Kittery Point Cardigan. Didn't bother, too many colors.

14) Siobhan Blouse. I was pleasantly surprised by the price tag - $49.39.

15) Quadrille Pullover. $87.96. Since I'd lengthen it, I'd probably have to order extra, so it might be more. Such a gorgeous yarn, I might have to splurge. Someday.

16) Cocoa Cardigan. $220. YIKES.

17) Pearl Lake Mitts. $32.

18) Caterpillar Cowl. Glad I stash-busted on this one - $49.90.

19) Modest Pullover. $73.60. Again, I'd lengthen it, so I'd need more yarn.

20) Wind at Your Back Pullover. $103.80.

21) Matalina Pullover. $230.45. YIKES again.

No one who reads Interweave Knits regularly is foolish enough to delude themselves into thinking they use cheap yarns. Knit Simple and Love of Knitting are for that. But even I gulped at some of the price tags on these patterns. HOWEVER, it's worth nothing that a larger knitting project can mean over a month's worth of entertainment, evenings and weekends spent enjoying the feel of the yarn sliding through your hands and listening to the soothing clack of the needles. If you factor in what you'd spend to go a movie each of those nights, or to buy a book*, really, it's cheap entertainment! And thus ends your yarn purchasing enabling.

- Dena

*we'll leave libraries out of this justification.

Review: Interweave Knits Winter 2015

If you read this blog at all regularly, you'd know that I haven't been happy with the new editor's pattern selection. At all. And I've been seriously debating whether or not to renew. While I don't think she's quite there yet, the Winter 2015 issue was the best yet and I will be renewing - but just for a year, not for my usual two.

It's the first issue that contained a pattern that I immediately cast on - the caterpillar cowl - and the yarn choices were more colorful than in past issues. I do still think that she needs to work on getting some variety into the pattern selection, and that too many of the patterns look similar to others in the issue, but there is some improvement.

The patterns in this issue were divided into two groupings, Outfitted and Mulberry Cottage. The first group, Outfitted, was heavy on the wraps, cowls and the three tie front cardigans. It was, to me, the least imaginative. Two of the tie front cardigans - the Moraine Jacket and the Quivira Coat - looked like almost the same pattern. In fact, when I flipped the page I thought it was another picture of the same pattern, until I realized that the Moraine Jacket has a different collar and the Quivira Coat has cables. On their own in a different collection the patterns might have stood out more, but grouped together and in too similar ivory/oatmeal colors they just look blah.

While the wraps are all pretty I can't think of a single occasion where I'd sling half a blanket around my shoulders and think I looked fashionable. The chevrons on the Muir wrap have potential but I'd want to see them in different colors.

I liked the reversible design on the Bear Lake Cowl, but again that boring oatmeal. Seriously, someone just remove the color from new editor's yarn palette, PLEASE. Flip the page and, oh look, more ivory/oatmeal. The color does help the chevron pattern on the Ozark Wrap stand out, but again I'd want to see it in another color before casting it on. I'm not even going to talk about the Zuni Cardigan, which looks like it crawled its way out of my 1985 closet, where it should have stayed put. I like the slouchy Bozeman Hat a lot, and I really like the double-knit brim detail. Those slouchy hats look so cool but are so impossible to keep on my head, and I think the double-knit brim will solve that problem. Here's the hat;

The trapper cowl at least manages to move up a decade from the Zuni Cardigan, to my 90's grunge flannels. So I guess there's that.

The second grouping, Mulberry Cottage, contains most of the patterns that I liked best in the issue. The Ice Rink pullover does, in fact, look like a sweater I wore to the rink in the 90's, complete with the bobbles.

The best pattern, by far, of the issue for me was the Siobhan blouse. The different neckline, the slight puff on the sleeve, and the cable work on the front all really stand out. And I love the color. I would omit the tassel because I have a toddler, and it's basically begging him to come pull on it constantly, and because I'm not a fan of home decor items on clothing. But that's just me.

Second favorite would be the caterpillar cowl, which is the pattern I knit immediately. It was a fun, quick knit that I've already received compliments on and worn twice. The Cocoa Cardigan has some gorgeous lacework on the shoulders that's just beautiful, though per usual I'd probably add two inches to the length.

I feel so bad for the model in the Quadrille Pullover - it was like they decided to put her in the one sweater that would make her look squat, block-shaped and wide. The pullover actually has a lot of potential, interesting cables and yoke, but the combination of its tightness and length make it very unflattering. Loosen it up a bit, make it longer, and it could really work.

Mitts! I love mitts. With crossing latticework to frame bobbles, they're super cute if not hugely practical. The bobbles on the palms would bug me when driving, if I knit them I'd leave them off the palms. Oh look, another sweater IN IVORY/OATMEAL. YAWN. The variegated yarn used in the Modest Pullover is, however, gorgeous. I love the idea of using a pattern on the sleeve cap.

Something new I've decided to add to my magazine reviews are the average cost for yarn to make the patterns. I know I consider it helpful, and I do look at it when deciding whether or not to knit a pattern. But because that could get long, I'm going to put it in a separate post. Let me know if you think it's helpful, and if so, I'll keep it up.

D

Pattern breakdown

- 5 pullover sweaters

- 4 cowls

- 4 wraps

- 2 button up cardigans

- 3 tie close front cardigans

- 1 hat

- 1 mitts pattern

Cowls here, cowls there, cowls everywhere!

Okay, Interweave Knits won me back with the Winter issue (review to come), even though I think the new editor isn't quite there yet. This was the first one of her issues where I felt the need to immediately cast on one of the patterns. Shockingly, it was a cowl, the Caterpillar Cowl.

I've had the Dark Horse Fantasy yarn sitting around for years. I loved the variegated colors, I loved the feel of it, but I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't have enough yardage for a sweater, too much yardage for mitts or a hat, and the one scarf I knit with some of it turned out terribly. Despite extensive blocking the scarf rolled constantly and wouldn't lay flat. When I decided to knit the cowl I went hunting through my stash, re-discovered this yarn, and decided to rip out the scarf and re-use its yarn in the cowl. I'm glad that I did.

The cowl knit up quickly over Thanksgiving weekend and is super warm. The pattern on the lace ends was easy to memorize, and the stacked rows of purl/knit stitches in the body provide interest.

I will warn you, though, I'm used to reading lace patterns from right to right - ie, each pattern starts on the right side, you knit across, and then the next row starts at the right. I knit about two inches before I realized this was wrong and that you had to knit this chart back and forth.

Ripped out, started over reading the pattern back and forth and the work went quickly from there. Here it is, finished, around my neck this morning;

Super warm and comfy, I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of this one!

- Dena