The Road to Interweave Knits Fall 2023: Peek at Our Process

The path from concept to print for an issue of Interweave Knits magazine takes more than a year to traverse. We’re taking you behind the scenes to show you all that goes into making this beloved publication by looking at the process of creating Interweave Knits Fall 2023.

Thankfully, when you are part of a well-oiled machine that’s been running for 25+ years, the road is pretty smooth.

Theme Brainstorming

Every issue of Knits starts with a team brainstorm. Knitters and non-knitters come together with their thoughts on current trends, cool techniques, and creative themes. For the Fall 23 issue, we considered “High Desert,” “Little Luxuries,” and “Mixed and Marled” as themes before finding our way to “Reflection.”

Related: Read Kerry’s editor’s note from Interweave Knits Fall 2023

We love a theme that can be approached from multiple angles. “Reflection” allowed us to suggest that designers submit ideas that literally reflected like a mirror image, as well as ideas that were reflective in their thoughtful, timeless, classic appeal. Those ideas were put into a submission call that went out to designers more than 58 weeks before the magazine itself would publish. And oh, how they answered the call!

Submissions, Yarns, and Designers

Choosing what designs to include in an issue is bittersweet. We talk through each submission’s strengths and weaknesses as we narrow the choices down to the final collection. No one looks forward to sending the rejection letters, but at the same time, it’s exciting to see the theme coming to life.

Related: Best Practices for Submitting Designs to Interweave Knits

Click the arrows to left and right below to follow Evelyn Siatra’s Memoir Cardigan through the submission and publication process.

When projects are accepted, we begin the process of pairing them with just the right yarn. Together, Sandi Rosner (our technical content editor) and I talk about what a project needs to be successful. Does it need the structure of hardy wool or the drape of silk? Then our editorial coordinator, Gabby Axner, reaches out to yarn companies who provide yarn support to our designers.

As for the color selections, I revel in creating a custom color story for each issue. The story for Fall 23 was warm tones for the timeless designs and cool colors for those that mirror image. Although truth be told, I don’t always follow the color rules I set in the beginning. Vera Marcu’s showstopping Cilin Sweater is a rule breaker. It features mirrored cables worked in a lovely lilac purple colorway.

Tech Editing, Photography, and Design

Each and every pattern in Interweave Knits is tech edited. It is a vital part of the process that ensures a successful outcome when casting on one of our projects. Size inclusivity is important to us; we want every knitter to be able to wear the designs we feature. So, before designers cast on for their finished sample, Sandi works one-on-one with them to draft the pattern for at least nine sizes with the best proportions for each size. Then, once written, those numbers are checked and rechecked.

While Sandi is deep in her spreadsheets, the rest of the team has all the fun planning the photoshoot. This issue took us into the Colorado mountains to the abandoned mining town Silver Plume and its local eatery, Bread Bar. We loved this location for its historic charm, which tied in perfectly to the “Reflection” theme.

Related: 6 Tips for Taking Photos of Your Knitwear

This was our first Knits shoot with our new staff photographer, Brien Hollowell. Brien has an incredible eye for fashion photography. We drooled over his computer screen as he shot hundreds of photos of each project, which were styled by our talented stylist, Briana McDivitt-Smith.

All those breathtaking images made it easy for our layout designer, Lisa Park, to put together a gallery in the issue that makes you feel like you were there.

Good to Go!

When photography is complete, the final stages begin as we race toward our final deadline. Articles and patterns go through multiple rounds of review by the entire team. It’s tedious, but as grammar geeks and editors, we enjoy it. Fun fact, there is a difference between straight quote marks and slanted/curly marks. And, ahem, we all know the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash.

With pages reviewed, reviewed, and reviewed again, it goes to a proofreader before we load files to the printer. Then, we wait for what feels like a lifetime but is just a few weeks for the issue to make its way to our mailboxes and yours.

Are you a Knits subscriber? Let us know what you think of the Fall issue in the comments below! Or send a letter to me, the editor, at knitting@goldenpeakmedia.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Serial yarn sniffer Kerry Bogert loves to spend her time knitting when she’s not collaborating with the team at Interweave or editing Interweave Knits magazine. Her passion for making things with her hands is only matched by her love for her children and a well-attenuated stout. Kerry endeavors to never stop learning, buying yarn, or collecting beads. Read her latest articles at Interweave.com.