Cast On Fall 2018: A Review

Cast On has released its Fall 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Austrian Traveling Stitch Hat. Classic cabled cap.

Baby and Big Boy Bavarian Sweater. Quite decent on the whole, but I would definitely fix those dropped shoulders.

Basket Saddle Cardigan. Not too thrilled with the checked stitch waist on this design. It has an awkward look to it. I'd decrease the depth of it and make it just a trim as it in on the cuffs. The detail on the sleeves is enough to carry this design.

Bavarian Columns Socks. This is the best-looking pair of socks I've seen in awhile.

Bavarian Sampler Cowl. A cowl with some very attractive cabling. Though it is freaking me out a touch as it looks like it's being modelled by the Headless Horseman.

Birch Pullover. Not terribly taken with this one, but there are modifications that would help. I'd fix the dropped shoulders, possibly go with a more finished edging, and I would also not use white, cream, or any other pale shade for the main colour on this design. In my experience adding colour(s) to a pale background never works because one's floats always show through -- as you can see they are doing here.

Bird Lover Tunic. This one's a glorious piece of work, not to mention a LOT of work, as it's stranded lace weight yarn knitting on size 0 needles. The shoulders are slightly dropped, but I wouldn't fix them as I think they work proportionally with this particular design.

Contemporary Hap. I'm not really sold on the colour palette here, but this is a lovely traditional design and could easily be made in a more attractive striped colourway, or even in a solid colour.

Cowl Three Ways and a Headband Too. These pieces have some very nice texture to them.

Evora. Oooh, this one's both lovely and quite wearable. The body is knitted double strand to make it opaque, while the sleeves are sheer, and a bit of exquisite lace work at the cuffs and bottom finishes the look off beautifully. I may just have to make this one myself.

Honeycomb Sweater. Some admirable stitchwork in this one, which definitely deserved a better colour than this dingy-looking mauve.

Legerdemain Reversible Cabled Scarf. Some beautiful cable work in this one.

Loudoun Pullover. I like the sleeves and the side detail, but would go with a more finished-looking hem and neck edging than is used here.

Morro Bay Golf Club Covers. These are very well made, and any golf clubs that have a set of these will definitely be the best-dressed set of clubs in town.

Orbit. This one has a rather cool, understated look to it.

Patrick's Vest. Love the stitchwork in this one.

Triple Mock Cable Sweater. Nice piece on the whole. I am not at all sure what's going on with the striped effect mid-sleeve, but whatever it is, I'd nix it as it looks merely odd and distracting.

Tulip Garden Felted Cowl. Cute design, but do those motifs look more like radishes than tulips to anyone else?

Zephyr. A lovely classic cardigan.

Ziggy-Zaggy Sweater. I'll have to give this one a cautious "not bad" given that I can see so little of it.

Cast On Summer 2018: A Review

Cast On has released their Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Angelic. Love the texture, but that oversized and cropped shape is a difficult one to carry off.

Baby Butterfly Duster. The designer of this piece writes that she created the design because she needed a long cardigan to wear over her sleeveless dresses in summer. It does look like a useful piece, and its good texture and back pleat give it some style.

Bow Knot Pillow. This isn't bad. I think those decorative bows would get on my nerves if I tried to rest my head on this, but realistically this throw pillow is going to be almost entirely decorative. I'd make it in a more interesting yarn.

Camilla. This has beautiful stitchwork. I'd be inclined to scoop the neckline out a little more to rid this top of its slightly prim air.

Chase Cardigan. Pretty basic but quite serviceable and presentable. I'd make this so that the front edges overlap in order to get rid of that gap between them, because gaps between the front edges always make for an awkward, "too small" look.

Comet. Here we have the cover look, and it's a very eye-catching and Art Deco-esque piece.

Drunken Snakes. A classic cable and garter scarf.

Fall Cowlette. This isn't bad. I feel like this project needs a different colour palette, as those twisting leaves look more like shooting flames to me.

Faux Sheepskin Pillow. This is actually a fair rendering of a sheepskin-style cushion. And I can imagine it feeling comfy too, depending on what yarn one chose.

First Saturday (for Daughters). This is not a bad little dress. I would argue that the colour scheme isn't doing it any favours, though, and that the rosebuds on the bodice should be on the front of the dress, not the back.

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First Saturday (for Moms). The lines of this sheath are beautiful, but I'd nix the rosebuds entirely, as they seem too cutesy for a grown woman's dress. If you'd like to ornament this dress, I'd try some sort of duplicate stitch design around the hem and neckline, or doing the dress in a more interesting yarn.

Fishing in France. Here we have another take on the classic Breton sweater. It's not bad.

Honeycomb Pullover. Classic honeycomb design pullover.

Leaves of Cordia. Very attractive pair of socks. And this photo is a welcome burst of colour -- so far this issue has been in subdued tones.

Lorelei Clutch. I like this from the outside, but I wish there were more pictures, as I have questions as to how this clutch is lined and whether it would keep its shape when held as one holds a clutch. If it folds over limply when held vertically or sags out of shape whenever anything is put inside it, it wouldn't work too well as a clutch purse.

Miss Nancy's Necklace. This doesn't look so much like actual jewelry as it looks like an embellishment for a knitted sweater that decided to make a stealth attempt at strangling its wearer.

Summer Lace Boxy Top. Not a bad little top. The wearer will probably want to wear it over another piece, so it's worth thinking about whether she'll want to wear layers in summer weather.

Tea Roses. These are very well-rendered leaves and rosebuds -- I've never seen any I liked better.

Ultra Wide Mock Cable Pullover. Very much like this one, which is truly striking and unique take on a cable front pullover.

West Village Cardigan. Not bad. The stitchwork is interesting. I'd widen the neckline edging and make the front button and buttonholes bands a little narrower.

Zig Zag Redux Socks. A very nice pair of chevron socks.

Cast On Spring 2018: A Review

In today's post we're going to have a look at Cast On's Spring 2018 issue.

Baby Bear Sweater. This has some good stitchwork, and I like the contrast buttons. I'd add a garter stitch trim to the hem and cuffs to make it look a little more finished.

Bead Stitch Blouse. Very attractive piece. The shaping is good and the lacy stitchwork is really beautiful.

Delia Baby Dress. This little dress has the look of a late Edwardian ladies dress -- can't you imagine one of the ladies of Downton Abbey wearing something similar? -- and yet it's quite wearable for a toddler of our day. This is so lovely I wish I knew a baby girl to make it for.





Dragon Cape. I think this piece is one I'd enjoy seeing on someone at, say, a fantasy conference as a part of some sort of Game of Thrones cosplay, but it would look odd in real life. The dragon illusion is inventive, and the dragon clasps are fabulous, but the cape has an awkwardly proportioned look, the join between the black yoke and the body of the garment looks rough, and the hem looks unfinished.

Draped Top. Oooh, I rather like this one, which has such great lines and hangs so beautifully. The scalloped hem and ruching at the neckline give it all the detail it needs. It is a little long. I'd be inclined to either shorten it to hip length or go all out and make a dress out of it that can be worn over a chemise-style underlayer.

Drummie Bees and Snowflakes. This isn't a bad pattern, but the gradient colourway isn't quite working.

Fleck Stitched Vest. Useful layering piece.

Illusion Argyle Scarf. This is a fun and contemporary take on the argyle scarf. I'd add a fringe to the ends.

Lace Butterfly Halter. The straps of this look a little too on the thin and insubstantial side for my liking. I'd make them at least a little thicker. They look like I-cord. I'd consider braiding three I-cords together to make the straps, or perhaps crocheting the I-cord into a thicker chain.

Little Dancer Ruched Jumper. I quite like this one, but I can't help feeling it would look better with sleeves in a stockinette and ruched stitch to match the skirt. That's not to say it isn't perfectly wearable and attractive as is, and happily I do know two little girls who are of an age to wear it.

Little Rosebud Aran. I'd fix the awkward-looking dropped shoulders and go with a ribbing at the neckline which, if made deep enough, would also eliminate the problematic cable ends at the centre front.

Mayfair Cardigan. A really lovely piece.

Peek-a-Boo Skirt and Top. This would be a cute little ensemble for a little girl (it is also sized to adult's extra small and small). I'd do it in a fun colour as this one's a little blah.

Physician's Sweater. This design, which incorporates the DNA strand and the caduceus, is elegantly rendered, but I can't help feeling that it's a little too gimmicky to appeal to an actual physician as clothing. As an editor, it amuses me to imagine a version of this sweater with a delete mark on it, but I wouldn't wear it.

Rose Gold Hoodie. This has a rather shapeless, flimsy look.

Springtime Illusion Washcloths. These look a little rough and ready to me, but then I'm a hard sell on knitted dishcloths as I can't bear using them. But I know lots of people do love knitted dishcloths, and as the pattern descriptions says, this would be a good way to practice illusion knitting.

Summer Shoulder Shawl. An attractive little wrap.

Turicum Shawl. This is a fun, contemporary piece.

Two-Color Cable Top. Nice design. I don't happen to think the colours used here does much for it, but it would be fun to come up with one's own colourway for this one.

Whirlwind Barn Quilt Hat. According to the designer of this hat, "[o]ver the past few years, large painted quilt squares have appeared on barns, houses, and commercial buildings in northern Vermont. Barn Quilt Trails are rapidly developing and can now be found in many parts of the country." That does sound like a fun direction for an outdoor art installation, and reminds me of a news item I read some years back in which a woman painted her car to look like a giant crazy quilt using bottles of nail polish. Quilting is such an art that there's certainly no reason why the quilting aesthetic should be confined to just one medium. This hat was inspired by Vermont's quilt square art, and it's an attractive and wearable piece.