some thoughts on the C-magazine

I got my advance preview copy of "Craft" magazine (from the same publishers of "Make" magazine), and had a chance to look it over last night. I sort of have mixed thoughts on it, so I guess I'm sort of "reviewing" it in a way.

First off, kudos to the basic gender-neutral premise of the publication. Despite the fact that "craft" and its ilk are feminized in the media (and even when men do craft, it's still pointed out as some weird gender anomaly anyway). There are a good representation of guy contributors and non-fiber-oriented projects, which makes me feel relieved, really. I was dreading an overly "girly" publication that was sickeningly cloying or too cute. Overall, the look and feel of the mag is nice and it's not *too* cute. I found the articles interesting, as well as the spotlights and interviews with particular makers. That's always fun.

That said, I did have to wonder if I (or anyone else, for that matter) would really be interested in making a large-scale wall divider that looks like an oversized ant farm. Or make a giant cardboard catnip castle to hang on the wall for their cat (alright, I know there are a lot of kittie-lovers out there...maybe I'm wrong). Some projects were downright lame, and I don't want to call them out since it wouldn't serve anyone any good.

After reading it from back to front, I'm a bit confused about why Craft magazine is an actual physical magazine as opposed to just a blog. It feels like a printed version of Craftster.org, replete with a mix of wacky, innovative, and also lame projects to accomplish. It *does* have the addition of written articles (as opposed to just how-to projects), which distinguishes it from the free-form posting that happens on Crafster.org. I generally like grab-bag magazines--they can be fun and the variety of things can tease the mind with possibilities. But I felt Craft magazine sort of sagged at various moments, and I wondered how the editors were choosing which projects to include.

The blurb that kind of disturbed me was the last paragraph of the intro article "Why Making Stuff is Fashionable Again." Author Jean Railla writes, "(I)ts hard to bemoan the popularity of crafting. What is "selling-out" if you only encourage creativity? Although books, kits, and TV shows can inspire you, at the end of the day, it's you and your craft supplies. The point of crafting is to be in touch with one of the things that make us human--our ability to make stuff. And if this spreads like organic honey on a hot stove, then I'm all for it."

I have a nagging feeling that craft is spreading less like organic honey and more like a melted NutraSweet packet stuck to the bottom of a shopping cart. And that's sort of related to a previous discussion on "Craft/Kraft" posted here about a week ago.

Despite my suspicions and nagging doubts, I want to follow what happens to Craft magazine. Writing this little observation may be oddly like shooting myself in the foot, since I have been approached to write a how-to for it on my Counterfeit Crochet Handbag Project and I do want to do it. My questions for the mag run something like this: what distinguishes you guys from ReadyMade magazine? Why didn't Make Magazine just expand to include this Craft content?