Customer Reviews

Knit'N Style

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

 

 

I have subscribed to this magazine for the last year. There are good quality photos, hand & machine knitting instructions, and schematics for every pattern. However, instructions are sometimes on the same page, a few pages later, or in the back of the magazine--not consistent and sometimes challenging to find. It would be nice if the editor would have these in a consistent location.

"Knit N Style" has been around for a long time--I remember picking it up when I first began knitting seriously several decades ago. It has some nice patterns, but overall I find it the least useful of the major knitting magazines. I don't know about its current policies, but it used to be a vehicle by which the yarn manufacturers promoted their wares. On numerous occasions, the patterns published in "Knit N Style" were pattterns previously published as leaflets by the manufacturer of the yarn suggested. I don't know if this continues to be their policy, and they have made attempts to upgrade the editorial content with informational features. Nonetheless the magazine's quality remains lower than that of Knitters, Vogue Knitting, etc. My advice is to check it out at the newstand and if you see a pattern you like, then buy it.

The magazine has a broad range of patterns. Out of 1 year there are about 10 things I want to make. Or I should say I wanted to make- Until I started on the first one.

They have a high percentage of errors in the patterns. One Issue had 13 out of 30 that had corrections. The worst part is, they don't seem to post corrections until a reader has tried to knit the item and told them what was wrong. Which means that unless you want to do a lot of counting, calculating, ripping and reknitting, you have to wait until an issue has been out for 6 months and other readers have found the errors.

I'm working on a cardigan that I plan to give to someone for Christmas, and have found 2 major errors so far. No idea if I will get this done in time and when I get done if I'll have a cardigan or a layette! One more error that causes me to rip it out and start over and I'll find a new pattern or make my own. After spending $130 on angora yarn to make this gift, I'm not going to give up, but the renewal notices I get for the magazine are promptly thrown out.

update- Still working on the cardigan, have pretty much had to start over and redesign the pattern on my own. Still no correction online, but they have added many other corrections for other patterns from this issue. The Corrections sometimes are little, simple ones, but some of the corrections are a total rewriting of the instructions or charts! I have thrown out all of the magazines so I don't get tempted to try another pattern from them.

I have about two to three years of Knit N Style (2001 - 2003)Magazines, and lately have spent a lot of time looking through them for a Cardigan Pattern to Knit for myself. I haven't found a single one. All of the patterns have serious faults: Drop Shoulders, (totally unacceptable) little or no armhole, neck and/or shoulder shaping. Most sleeves have little or no cap. And, worst of all, they are all made in five or more pieces. Haven't any of these "designers" heard of Elizabeth Zimmerman? I was going to give the lot to the library, but am wondering if perhaps the trash might be a better place. If you are trying to attract new knitters from among younger people, why don't you teach them the PROPER way to knit? Young people are smarter than you think.

Don't waste your time even just simply flipping through this magazine at the newstand. Trust me... there will be no worthwhile patterns (I mean... just look at what they choose to grace their cover!!!)

I have stopped hoping for even a half-way decent pattern to come along during the two years or so. I have seen litteraly only ONE knittable pattern in the last three years (December 2004 I believe it was... a lace cardigan with beaded trim). Even the articles are pointless. Save your time and money and get a subscription to Interweave Knits or Vogue Knitting. Or opt for a new magazine (not available at all newstands in the US) called Simply Knitting, which is imported from the UK.

It amazes me that this magazine is even still in production with how horible it is!!!

I am not alone when I say that Knit 'n Style leaves many a knitter confused and/or turned off. It seems to be evidence that someone, somewhere, is seriously deluded if they think that these patterns are what the average knitter is yearning to make. I am stunned at most of the men's patterns in particular. Neither my husband or my father, or most any other man I know, would be comfortable wearing what are very often outlandish or garish sweaters. The women's offerings tend to range from odd to ill conceived, with an ocassional gem thrown in to keep you coming back. A telling note is how few of their patterns become "classics" in the knitting world compared to other magazines, and how many are offered by the yarn companies vs. independent designers. It doesn't have to be this way! There are many, many talented designers out there, more than ever these days.

There are two things that always stand out in a positive way with this magazine. There are always dozens of patterns, which increases your chances you'll find something that's to your taste, and the articles are great.

Save yourself the money and flip through this magazine if you see it on the shelf somewhere. You may get lucky and find a couple of patterns pattern that are worth making in a single issue... but then again, you may not. I suggest Interweave Knits, Family Circle Easy Knits, or Vogue Knitting if you want patterns you'll actually want to wear.

I totally disagree with the negative reviews of this magazine. I have been subscribing to the magazine for about 5 years, about as long as I've been knitting. I have progressed from beginner to experienced and have knitted at least one project from each issue. Yes, there have been corrections to patterns I've used from this mag, but I find the same issue with Vogue. All things considered, this is my favorite knitting magazine. (I subscribe to 3 and usually pick up a few random issues of other magazines.)

Based on negative reviews, either I've been knitting too long to still have good sense, or completely in the dark when it comes to this magazine. It is my favorite, and I do not always follow patterns exactly but use ideas in my own sweaters. I found about 6 cardigans in just the last 2-3 issues (a reviewer didn't find any in a couple years of issues). Re Zimmerman-type designs, you can make any sweater in one or two pieces, change gauge, needle sizes, yarns, etc. Search Websites to give you the basics for free. After 2 years of crochet, I learned to knit at age 8 with 2 pencils for needles, found that quad-ruled pads were great to chart patterns whether plain, fancy, Aran, Jacquard, sideways or you-name-it. I like Knit 'N Style. Thanks for reading this.

I totally agree with those who DO NOT RECOMMEND this magazine. I recently purchased my first and last issue. The first pattern I began had serious errors, beginning with the wrong yardage per manufacturer's skein being listed. Even worse, the measurement schematic does not correspond with the garment in the photo. (If you make the garment as indicated in the instruction schematic, it won't be what you see in the photo!)

I contacted the editor who did acknowledge both (with excuses that make one wonder how this magazine even exists,) but that really does not help. (If others plan on contacting them, and I hope you do, note that one of the email addresses they provide on their site does not work - it will bounce back.)

What did I learn from this? - when buying craft magazines - especially on impulse, don't just write Amazon reviews - check them first!!

It took months to get this magazine--like with those cheap independent services. Only I pretty much paid full price on Amazon. So, inexcusable. Re the magazine itself: it tends to have a lot of nondescript sweaters with little stitch patterns added to try to convince you it's not the same thing you've seen a million times before. But then you may get 3 to 5 genuinely interesting and creative patterns. I would suggest looking through each issue at the store and decide whether it's worth buying, not subscribing.