Showing posts with label Cast On. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cast On. Show all posts

Monday 28 January 2019

Cast On Winter 2018/2019: A Review


Cast On has released their Winter 2018/2019 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?





A Leaf Unfurled. What a lovely, polished cowl.





Almost Argyle Sweater. This one has a playful, fun concept, and would be a good way to use up some small amounts of yarn.





Austin. Love the "threaded ribbon" effect of the dash and dot pattern.





Avila Breeze. This one has attractive stitchwork and a rather elegant look to it.





Book of Kells Sweater. I'm always an easy sell on Celtic designs. I think I would reposition the decorative panel a few inches to the south, though.





Cliffs of Moher Shawl. Such great texture.





Easy-Peasy Cabled Fingerless Mitts. Classic cabled mitts.





Fleur-de-Lis Cowl. Not such a fan of this one, but then the colour scheme isn't doing anything for it.





Gnome Hat. Cute children's hat. I'd be tempted to put a fake beard on the kid too, but then that's me.




Harmonious Echo. Classic cabled pullover.





Heart Sweater. This is rather girlish and fetching, but it does deserve a more fun colour.





Horizons Top. This has a seventies vibe to it, but not in a good way. Maybe I'd like it better in another colourway?





Incan Headband. I'm not sure how many people could carry off this look.





Kim and Greer. Fun concept, but those flowers aren't rendered all that well -- they look a little spindly and flattened.





Megane Hat. That's a eye-catching effect.





Megane Mittens. These and the hat above would make a nice set.





Minuet Shawl. Classic lace shawl.





Solomon's Island Cardigan. Not bad, though I'd recommend another colour. Any other colour, for that matter.





Summer Breeze. This has an awkwardly proportioned look to it.





Swedish Block Scarf. Simple, attractive and wearable.





Therese Flip Doll. I have a bit of a thing for topsy-turvy dolls, but not for this particular one, which looks a little cobbled together.





Thrummed Booties. Very comfy. It always makes me smile that thrumming looks like little hearts.





Warm Things. Another pair of classic cabled mitts.





Wasp Wing Cardigan Redux. Some beautiful lacy stitchwork in this one.

Friday 12 October 2018

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.

Friday 15 June 2018

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.