Warning: Pattern Rant Ahead!

rant on/
Does anyone else have the most recent issue of PieceWork magazine? In it is a pattern for "Jody's Many-Color Vest", which on first blush is a really gorgeous, intricate fair isle pattern. And it's very intriguing because it is knit in the round from top to bottom with the cast on row being the left front edge, and the cast off row is the right front edge. (You know, where they meet in the center)

Unfortunately, the pattern falls apart from there! It is one of the most unnesessarily complicated patterns that I have ever seen! I, personally, found it almost illegible, and Mom and I sat there for a good half an hour last night tearing it apart!

Now, I said that this pattern is knit in the round, but what you can't tell is that the two front pieces and the back are actually three seperate pieces that are joined together to make one long tube with armholes and vents cast off so you don't have to cut them. (I know! I can hear you going "Huh?") Where there should have been 'bold' headings for those the type is just the same as the rest of the pattern-almost as if you were reading a column instead of a pattern.

And then you cut the tops and bottoms of the tubes to make the shoulders and bottom hem ("Wha?")

And while there are charts galore for the fair isle stitches, there is *no* schematic that shows measurements, cutting lines, sewing lines, or anything! And this pattern really, really needed it! The pattern is definately for a more experienced knitter, but you need to be an expert+++ to be able to actually read the pattern!

And, yes, while I know that PieceWork is not a knitting magazine, I would think that if they were going to print a knitting pattern they would make sure that is actually readable! I'm sure that if I were to actually knit the pattern it would make sense; but reading it I find it impossible to visualize just exactly what the heck is going on in it!
/rant off

Or is it me? Has anybody else seen this pattern? (My Mom, of course, has given me the challenge to actually make the vest for her, in the process rewriting the pattern. (Gee, Thanks Ma...) I'm going to be obsessing on this for a while...)