I often have a horrible fear that those magazines wrapped in plastic at the grocery store will be a huge disappointment. They can't let you see inside! How do I know that I REALLY want that pattern?
In a way, the same thing happened the other day at Barnes and Nobles. I saw a magazine wrapped in plastic... but with a pattern for a knit cake inside. Hmm. I bought it, found out how easy the cake was, and hit myself in the head for spending $10.50.
But then I realized that this magazine- Simply Knitting- had so much more stuff inside it.
True, the patterns leave something to be desired, but if you're truely obsessed (comme moi) you'd probably find Simply Knitting a fun read.
Reveiw breakdown:
P(s pattern)= (2/8)=25%
Overall, the patterns were a little disappointing. I really liked this hat, though! Bulky is in. The other pattern I liked was a cute little baby dress, and a shrug for a small child... but the shrug was CROCHET.
Nonsenicalness= 1- This may be attributed to the fact that it's British, but a few of the stuff in this magazine didn't make any sense. There was an add encouraging you to order back issues, but according to the chart, all back issues were sold out EXCEPT THIS ONE. Also, there's a module titled "Sheep of the Month."
Interestingness= 5- "Sheep of the Month," while a little confusing, is still pretty interesting. Also, this magazine had a TON of fiber-related stuff, from yarn reviews to blog reviews to a knitting horoscope. Oh, not to mention a designer spotlight, articles on interesting charity projects, and HELPFUL yarn reviews. (Personally, I think a yarn review without a swatch is pointless.)
Oh, need I bring up the fact that they have discount codes for buying yarn from the distributors that sell their product? It almost makes $10.50 worth it.
My overall review: four stars, but don't bother buying the magazine for the patterns.
Picture from Down Cloverlaine
