Online Crochet Magazine Subscriptions

When you think about getting a crochet magazine you almost certainly think about checking your mailbox for each issue of your subscription. However we’ve entered the digital age. Many different types of magazines are now available online, offering a great alternative to physical magazine subscriptions. Crochet magazines are no exception. You can get some great information through online crochet magazine subscriptions if that’s a format that appeals to you.

Crochet Magazine Subscriptions Online

Let’s jump right into the meat of the matter – what crochet magazines are available online and where can you get subscriptions to them? The truth of the matter is that there are only a few options available on the market but this is an area of fiber arts and media that is expanding so it’s worth it to get used to this magazine format. Here are some great examples of online crochet magazines:

1. CrochetLab Report. CrochetLab is a website dedicated to all different types of things about crochet. It is produced by an artist named Linda Scharf, a woman who works in various mediums (but definitely incorporates a passion for crochet into her art). She also crochets hats for sale and additionally makes handspun yarn. As you might guess she has a variety of eclectic interests related to crochet, interests that are often totally different from what you’ll find on more traditional crochet blogs and websites. CrochetLab Report is her online crochet magazine. Now you do need to know that she has only produced three issues of this magazine and it’s been half a dozen years since she put them out since this isn’t something where you’re going to be able to get a subscription to enjoy. So why am I listing it here? Because it’s a great example of a crochet magazine and looking at those three old issues will give you some idea of what it’s like to look at an online crochet magazine rather than a physical crochet magazine.

2. Tangled. This is a brand new crochet magazine that I’m personally really excited about. It’s a quartlery magazine and the winter 2011 issue was only the second issue produced. This means that it’s a really current crochet magazine that incorporates a lot of up-to-date things like video tutorials. One thing that you do need to know is that it is an online magazine for both crocheters and knitters so if you like both of those needlearts then you’ll really love it and if you only prefer crochet then you’ll need to sift through what’s offered to find what you’re looking for. Don’t worry; you’ll still find it (and the sifting is easy). For example in the Winter 2011 issue there were five patterns inspired by Jane Austen Heroines – three were for knitters and two were crochet. What’s cool is that also showed how to make cross-threaded items (crochet items with knitted items to match). It’s a really innovative online magazine and it also has a blog to keep you interested between issues. It’s free online and requires no subscription to access the basics but if you see a pattern that you like then you need to pay for the PDF instructions for the pattern. That's fair because you pay for what you want with this online crochet magazine.

3. Knitch Magazine. This is a free online magazine that is described as a fashion magazine for knitters. Because it primarily focuses on knitting and not on crochet I won’t dwell on it but I will note that they do have some things that appeal to crocheters in each issue. I’ll also note that the format makes a lot of sense for an online magazine so it’s worth it to check it out to see what online crochet magazines could look like in the near future.

4. Chain Link Newsletter. This is a newsletter rather than a magazine but it provides a lot of the information that you might want to get from a crochet magazine. It is a product made by the Crochet Guild of America and all that you need to do to subscribe is to sign up to be a member. This gives you access to the bi-monthly newsletter online.

5. Yarn Market News. This is an online magazine about the yarn industry so although it is not specific to crochet it is definitely something that can be of great interest to crocheters. Free subscriptions are available to people who work in the yarn community. The March 2011 issue includes book reviews, legal issues in the yarn market, marketing for this industry, a celebrity interview with Ysolda Teague and a profile of a yarn company among other information.

6. CrochetMe. This is an online crochet community that functions a lot like a great online crochet magazine. It is associated with Interweave Crochet, one of the most popular print crochet magazines on the market.

Why Get Online Crochet Magazines?

Some of the reasons that people are increasingly interested in online crochet magazines instead of print magazines include:

o Affordability. They have the potential to be less expensive to subscribe to because of the fact that there are no printing and shipping costs.

o Interactive content. The video tutorials that are a part of Tangled Magazine are a great example of this benefit.

o Green. There is no paper waste with online crochet magazines so they’re a nice eco-friendly alternative to print magazines.

o No clutter. There is a tendency to keep paper magazines and let them pile up and that means you have to store them, dust them and deal with them as clutter. That’s not a problem with online crochet magazines.

Supplementing with Traditional Crochet Magazine Subscriptions

As you can see there are some crochet magazines available online but the number is small so it can be useful to supplement your online crochet magazine subscriptions with subscriptions to traditional crochet magazines. Check out my guide to crochet magazines from around the world for more information on print crochet magazine subscriptions.

Have you ever read an online crochet magazine? What do you see as the pros and cons of this format for crocheters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!