Customer Reviews

The Best of Interweave Knits

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are a longtime subscriber to Interweave Knits, and if you saved back issues, you won't need this book. This is a convenience volume for people who missed subscribing and want some of the classic patterns that were offered over the years.

I've subscribed since Issue #1, and strangely, my faves were not included in the book, but I think that most knitters would find the selection varied and useful. Of the patterns included, the Pearl Buck swing coat and the Burmese Rings pullover are notable.

The contents include:

Man's Brioche Best
Cambridge Jacket
Pearl Buck Swing Coat
Forest path stole
Icarus shawl
lotus blossom tank
ruffle tank
vip cardigan
lace piegnoir
salt peanuts
cabaret raglan
basketweave pullover
marcel's sweater
marseilles pullover
simply marilyn
Kritin's carryall
weekend getaway satchel
threepenny pullover
striped fringe scarf
water garden fair isle
burma rings pullover
lite lopi pullover
millenium argyle vest
union square market pullover
stripes go round blouse

As you can see, it tends to pullovers and sweaters, with a few scarves, shawls, and two bags. If you have trouble finding back issues (which are somewhat scarce) then this book may be helpful to have some of the past designs on hand for perusal and knitting for yourself or for others.

If you have never subscribed to Interweave Knits (I.K.), this is an excellent book (or if you are a new knitter & just starting a collection of great patterns). The selection really is the best of I.K.

Otherwise, save your money and use the pattern index on I.K.'s website to find the patterns in your existing magazine collection (I printed a copy, it is very useful). Of the 25 patterns in the book, I already have copies of 24 of them available. And have knitted two already (Simply Marilyn and Icarus). This is the sentiment of my knitting group and guild, also. We might have purchased if it included half new patterns and half old, but it is redundant for long-term knitters.

One of the reviewers said "timeless classics" and that is THE best review this book can get. Not a single ugly pattern in this book - all of them are timeless, beautiful and perfect. The Forest Path Stole is so beautiful I'd like to wear it on my wedding day (happily enough, seems I still have time to learn how to make it - it's terribly complicated).

At first I was irritated by the "how to knit" sections between patterns, but when I read them it turned out they were detailed, far beyond basics and well worth reading and keeping at hand.

I am not a subscriber of Interweave Knits (much though I would love to) so I haven't seen the patterns before. I don't understand people complaining the book is just a repetition of the magazines - title says it, doesn't it?

To sum up: a beautiful books with beautiful patterns and great technical advice: what else could you want?

Expected better out of Interweave. With all the glorious patterns the mag presents, the most mundane seem to have been picked as the "best". Chosen by a committee made up of folks with very different tastes, nmost likely, which is maybe why it's a boring book. Really too bad.

Gets 3 stars anyway because the pattrns are nice, and knittable, and the tips are decent, but this sure isn't nearly the best of what's in my stack of saved Interweaves!

I have liked Interweave Knits since its beginnings. One of the reasons Interweave Knits is interesting to me is because every issue pushed the envelope on design and technique. It also had very lovely pieces.

Unfortunately, the pieces in this book, (except for Forest Path Stole) don't really bring to mind what made Interweave Knits the best mag on knitting. The pieces are nice, but they are some of the blandest designs that were published. You feel as though the people who sat down to pick the patterns wrote down a set of rules: "OK, gals, we need one from every issue, AND we need sweaters, and a shawl and a stole and a pair of socks." Instead of going at it from the angle of what really were the pieces that made Interweave Knits stand apart.

And frankly, it's as if the editors couldn't pick and just decided to agree to disagree on the most fantastic pieces and go with the consensus makers. And you end up with a beautifully edited and hugely promoted boring knitting book.

The patterns are a good selection from recent magazines. But, best for me, are the reprints of articles about different techniques and styles. Now they are in one place. I had particularly been looking for an old article on lace and was pleased to find it here.

I already have knitted Salt Peanuts -- it took about a vacation week to knit plus another weekend to block and put together. There are errors in this pattern, which may make it difficult for someone with only moderate knitting experience. And the yarn used in the pattern is discontinued, so you have to be VERY careful when you choose a replacement. I highly recommend mapping out your own charts for the neck/collar/arm sections as they are complex.

One of the best things about Interweave is the detailed sections that help knitters expand their vocabulary.

Interweave Knits is the knitting magazine I eagerly await each season for, without fail, I find a "must-knit" in its pages. Over the years, many well-known designers have had patterns featured in this popular magazine, although many young designers have found a place here as well. Interweave Knits is known for its innovative and appealing designs, offering challenging and wearable garments for advanced and beginning knitters alike.

As Pam Allen, past editor-in-chief, explains in her introduction: "The best moments [in putting together the magazine], however, come when the contents of a submission envelope spill out and elicit a collective `Ahhh!' from the staff...For The Best of Interweave Knits: Our Favorite Designs from the First Ten Years, we've culled as many `Ahhh' projects from past issues as would fit into these pages."

Over the years, many Interweave Knits designs have become as well-known as their creators, and this collection of 30 designs contain many of these: the Lotus Blossom Tank (Sharon Shoji); the Forest Path Stole (Faina Letoutchaia); and the Icarus Shawl (Miriam Felton). This leads to the obvious question: How many of the patterns featured here are your favorites? This collection includes four of mine, two already listed (Icarus Shawl and Forest Path Stole) and two others-Striped Fringe (Amanda Blair Brown), an ingeniously designed wrap of seven different colored stripes, and Cambridge Jacket (Ann Budd), the perfect zip-up weekend sweater.

Sweaters in The Best of Interweave Knits range in finished chest sizes of 32.5" to 57.5", with the average range being 36" to 48". Scattered throughout the volume are "beyond the basics" sections that cover topics from cast-ons to blocking, pulling together great resources into one volume.

Armchair Interview says: Find new personal favorites.

Even if there were no patterns in this book, it would be worth every penny. The "Beyond the Basics" sections are so clear and well-explained that I refer to this book constantly. Several of these sections were written by Ann Budd, one of my favorite knitting authors.

There have been complaints (by reviewers here on Amazon) that there are duplicate patterns that someone who collects Interweave Knits may already have. Well, for those of us who weren't subscribers ten years ago, this is not an issue. Included is the "Lite Lopi Pullover" by the wonderful Norah Gaughan. It's a great adaptation of Bohus knitting with excellent color charts.
There is a nice variety of patterns from tanks, sweaters, jackets, and the glorious "Icarus Shawl". I'm an experienced knitter, and there is plenty here to challenge me for some time to come.

New knitters who want to progress rapidly will benefit from the fantastic tips and techniques.

I have subscribed to 'Interweave Knits' magazine for over 15 years. It is my favorite knitting magazine by far. I await its arrival in my mailbox as soon as I hear a new issue is coming out.

While I have saved all my back issues of the magazine, I appreciate having many of my favorite patterns in one place. Often, I can't remember which issue of the magazine a pattern appears in. I can check this book to see if the pattern I am thinking of is included. An example is the Icarus Shawl. Recently, I had an urge to knit this pattern again but could not remember which issue of the magazine it was in. Since it was included in this book, I did not have to spend valuable time searching through many magazines.

Not everyone will agree with the selections that Interweave has chosen as their best patterns but even the mediocre patterns in 'Interweave' are better than most other patterns found elsewhere.

I highly recommend this book.