Knitscene Summer 2014: A Review

Knitscene has released their Summer 2014 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

The Tuolumne Tank. I think I may already own this. It's downstairs in one of my kitchen cupboards with about 5 kilograms of basmati rice in it.

The Kaweah Tunic. Here we have a dress of what looks like flour sacking, with a draggled-looking hem and stretched-out looking pockets.

The Petaluma Tee. This pattern has a bit of life and smartness in its colourway and graphic design, and is at least not sack-like, though it is baggy in way that is going to make many women look dumpy.

The Morro Tank. This one I can see working on a woman with a very contemporary dress sense. The buttons are a good thought and add a bit of interest and style.

The Argon Tee. This one isn't bad. It's got a decent shape, though surprisingly it doesn't seem to sit very well through the shoulders in any of these photos. I'm not sure how I feel about the drawstring around the waist. It looks a little awkward. I think a knitted in line of yellow and maybe an intarsia bow might have served this sweater better.

The Helium Sweater. For a random bit of colourblocking, this works surprisingly well. The overall shape of the sweater is good and the curved colourblock seems in accord with it.

The Krypton Hat. Really cute little cabled hat.

The Xenon Mitts aren't a bad little pair of fingerless gloves, although I don't know who needs fingerless gloves in summer. Perhaps this model has an especially hard time staying warm in summer, and has therefore provided herself not only with the gloves but with a hair pillow in lieu of a hat. You know what your mother always told you about how much body heat you lose through the top of your head.

The Radon Pullover. Oooh, I like this one! It is genuinely original and interesting and yet still quite wearable. I'm also imagining it lengthened into a dress.

The Stoxa Tank is a quite a nice little piece, though I think there are better colourways for it.

The Bethel Tank. This is pretty and could be a nice addition over a simple summer dress.

The Kinross Tank. I love this one. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that diamond lace pattern.

The Indio Cowl is pretty and, as you can see, it lends itself to being worn a few different ways.

The Leven Shawl is very pretty as well.

The Austin Tee. I very much like this one. The lines and stitchwork are both so good and this is a flattering and useful summer top that can be worn many places.

The Manchester Pullover. I'm not really a fan of this one, though I suppose objectively there's nothing wrong with it. The shape is good and the tie detailing down the arm is an interesting touch. I think it's the I-cord ties at the end that are bothering me. Such ties have a way of looking too thick and tend to coarsen the look.

The Lea Pullover. I do like the openwork detailing across the shoulders and sleeves here, but this top has one major flaw, and that is the shaping. Notice how it's even making this lovely professional model look dumpy and frumpy? If you want to make this one, shorten the sleeves to at least midway between your elbow and shoulder and neaten up the shape and fit.

The Sunspot Tank. This is a nice casual summer top with a good shape and a creative use of polka dots. I'd want to pair this with a skirt in a polka dot skirt in the same colours.

The Bokeh Tank is elegant and flattering, and yet so simple it will go with all a woman's summer shorts, trousers, jeans and skirts.

The Datura Kerchief. This is pretty, though if worn in certain areas of southwestern Ontario it might get you asked if you're a member of one of the offshoot Mennonite sects.

The Gambeson Tunic. Not liking this one, which looks rumpled and frumpy even on the model.

The Dowlas Tee. Knitscene used this design for the cover shot, and I don't know why, as there are far better patterns in this issue. The pocket is sagging open, none of the design elements are working together, the item doesn't sit very well as a whole, and even the model has a, "Seriously?" expression on her face.

The Linum Tee is simple, wearable, and attractive.