Wednesday 11 March 2020

Vogue Knitting Late Winter 2020: A Review


Vogue Knitting has released their Late Winter 2020 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?





#01, Overlapping Patches. When I saw the preview photo for this design on the VK website, I thought how much it looked like a Kaffe Fassett pattern. And then, upon viewing its Ravelry page, I learned it was in fact a Kaffe Fassett piece. His aesthetic is as distinctive as a fingerprint. The quilt-like design is a fun direction for knitting, and his colourway is masterful as always.





#02, Sunday Brunch. A very decent casual, relaxed piece. The collar sits well.





#03, Tea Time. The cardigan's nice, but I'm not sure how I feel about the combination of the (attached) collar and the standard v-neck of the cardigan. It looks a bit silly to me, but then it is a new look, and sometimes I mellow (or simply get worn down) on a new look that I disliked at first after I have had time to get used to them.





#04, Cocktail Hour. No need for me to mellow on this look -- I love it and would totally wear it myself. It makes me think of Joan Holloway's dictum of 1960, "Men like scarves." (For the record, I don't think men do find scarves an especial draw on women, and that 15-20 years later a more liberated Joan Holloway Harris would put it, "I like scarves.")





#05, Striped Pullover. This is an interesting and smart contemporary look. While I'm prone to suggest neatening up the fit/shape of designs, in this case I wouldn't, as I think this is a design that requires a loose shape and geometric lines.





#06, Fluo Flow. This one verges on afghan territory, but I think it remains just within bounds of wearing apparel. I rather like the way they've styled it.





#07, Ringwald. A classic open front cardigan.





#08, Ice Pop. I love the tartan pattern, but I would correct the dropped shoulders. I'm not crazy about the colourway, but then few knitters use the sample colours/yarn anyway. Picking out colours you love is part of the fun of knitting your own pieces.





#09, Vibes. Not bad. I won't suggest fixing the dropped shoulders, because I think that the lines of the brioche stitchwork make them work in this case, but I would suggest a new colourway, as this one is a little retina-searing.





#10, Geode. Very much like this one, with its striking abstract yoke detail.





#11, Gamine. Comfy "around home" sweater.





#12, Kyoto. This cowl is essentially a lovely sampler of knitting patterns. It looks better worn double than in "deflated inner tub" style, of course, but I've used this photo so you can see the stitchwork in it.





#15, Lady Susan. This collar is a lovely thing in itself, but I am not sure how one would actually wear it. I don't like the way it's styled here -- I think a crewneck sweater would pair better with this collar.





#16, Wentworth. With the last pattern ("Lady Susan"), we entered a Jane Austen category of design, in which the aesthetic takes a turn for the antique. The stitchwork on this capelet is beautiful, and it will add a touch of period drama to a classic outfit.





#17, Miss Bingley. This looks like one of the lesser designs in Knit Simple. Poor Caroline Bingley not only did not succeed in attracting Mr. Darcy, but must needs be saddled with... this.





#18, Morland. Love this one. It's both handsome and practical.





Neutral Gear Cabled Turtleneck. This a "from the archives" design, originally published in the 2002 special men's issue. It's classic menswear.





Lattice Cabled. Another reprint, this time from the Holiday 1986 issue. It's aged just as well as the previous pattern, which is to say -- not at all. But then that's menswear for you.

6 comments:

  1. But... wouldn't Kaffe Fassett's design still look better on the couch??

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    1. Only if your couch is the same color as that chartreuse coat!

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  2. My comments are being attributed to "Umknown". I don't know why and I'm sorry if it makes me look stand-offish.

    I have been awaiting your annual post of your own knitted projects from the past year. I expect blogging can get stressful when people have expectations, but I have enjoyed seeing your work in the year-in-review posts.

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    1. I actually have *three* year-end project draft posts in the works: 2018, 2019, and 2020. The hold up with the first two is that I designed a knitting project each year and didn't want to release the post until I had gotten off my ass to write up the pattern and release it. I'm hoping to get those done within the next few months, so keep the faith if you can. Sorry about the delay!

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  3. I look forward to that. Stuck at home due to coronavirus = extra time for designing and knitting, huh?!

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  4. I love of them! and great inspiration too, I will love the Ice Pop design!

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