Creative Knitting Summer 2015: A Review

The Summer 2015 issue of Creative Knitting is out. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Brahni Lace cardi. Nice little piece for summer. If you don't care to emphasize your waistline, decrease the height of the waistband on this one.

Caldew vest. It looks like Mary, Phyllis, and Rhoda have a new neighbour. Her name is Beverley and she just loves reminding them that she's engaged and they're not. Also she habitually wears shapeless knitted and crocheted vests that don't sit well unless she poses very carefully.

Metta pullover. Looks rather haphazard.

Vervain Tank. Not a bad look for casual summer wear.

Albany Tee. Standard lacy top that could definitely stand to fit better through the waist and hips.

Channel cowl. Nice cowl. If you wear cowls in the summer.

Dawning sweater. Nice lace pattern, but this shaping wouldn't look good on too many women. This model is barely getting away with it. I'd fix the dropped shoulders and the potentially awkward sleeve length and make the body a non-cropped length.

Headwaters Tank. I like this sheer tank until my view travels down to the very unfinished-looking hem.

Indus top. Looks like a cowl that got too big for its lot in life and decided to try to pass as a top.

Riverine tank. Baggy and crudely shaped.

Anise Wrap. Lovely and polished, with terrific texture and shaping.

Fen Neckerchief. Not a bad little wrap for summer.

Meuse shawl. I wish I could get a better look at this. What I can see looks okay, though that is a rather muddy-looking colour.

South Beach scarf. Pretty texture and colourwork.

Summer Morning Sky shawl. Another pretty little piece.

Elise Dress. It's a bit on the lumpy and bulky side, but it is cute enough. I do have my concerns about how open those sleeves are and what can be seen through them from the side view.

Her Darling Accessories. Cheesy.

Honeysuckle Tunic. Cute if slightly shapeless little tunic.

Wild Indigo Blanket. Striking and contemporary.

Canyon Cowl. Pretty.

Coastline Hat. It's a bit afghan-y in design, but I suppose it's not a bad little piece if you wear knitted caps in summer.

Dock on the Bay Tote. Very cute bag. I would want to line it to keep it from stretching out.

Moving Currents cap. Nice little cap.

Sand & Sea Mat. This doesn't look big enough to be useful for the beach.

Seashore Pillow. Not a bad pillow design. I'd like to see this in a more interesting colour.

Seven Seas Pillow. Too granny's afghan for me. A less traditionally afghan-like colourway would help.

Soft Shells Runner & Stitch Blocks. The idea here is that these squares can be assembled to make napkins, washcloths and a table runner, but I don't think the square designs work together well at all.

Sunroom Throw. These two colourways aren't doing anything for each other.

Under the Boardwalk. The pattern descriptor refers to this hat as "ultra-chic". Um, no. Putting some effort into the colourway might elevate this hat to cute, but I fear chicness is not its destiny.

Creative Knitting Spring 2015: A Review

Creative Knitting has released their Spring 2015 issue just in time for Christmas. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

The Reedy Creek Wrap. Not bad at all. The stitchwork is good and the use of I-cord for trim and ruching is interesting.

Colette Hat and Mittens Set. Cute set.

Breezy Mesh Vest. All I can say is that this looks like an innovative way to carry your shopping bags to the grocery store.

Butterscotch Topping. This is more than a little twee, but then the twee among us need knitting projects and clothes too. I would narrow the shape through the hips by several inches though, because it's too full and flaring for flattery as is.

Lavender Lace. I'm not against the idea of a sheer mohair top on principle (it could be a good layering alternative for those of us who can't be bothered to fuss with a shawl), but I don't care for this one in particular. I'd make such a top seamless and in a relaxed fit rather than as oversized as it is here.

Meshy Tee. Creative Knitting put this one on the cover, and I can't imagine why, as it's one of the worst designs in this issue. The shape of this top would make almost any woman look dumpy and frumpy. Even this professional model isn't quite getting away with it.

Mimosa Pullover. Nice, simple lace top overall, but I'd definitely neaten up the fit.

Spring Rain. This is... okay. It's nothing special design-wise, but it is wearable and attractive enough. I think I'd like it more if it were styled better. I'd put it over a spaghetti-strap tank, because layering it over a long sleeved t-shirt looks silly and dowdy.

Candy Sprinkles. My eyes. Both the colourwork and the stitchwork used here are awful. I can't help but think "Candy Sprinkles" was the marketing team's suggested replacement for this design's actual working name of "Rainbow Brite Vomit".

Cushioned Delight. These garter stitch pillows are as basic as it gets, but they're useable and attractive enough. Use a beautiful, cuddly yarn in your favourite colour for these and you'll enjoy the result quite a lot.

Diagonal Play Mat. I can't imagine a child would actually play on this for very long. Because, you know, small children and babies old enough to crawl tend to move around rather a lot. At any rate it's not a bad simple mat for the laundry room or bathroom. A dollar store grip mat placed underneath should keep it safely in place on a tile or linoleum floor.

Happy Baskets. The suggested use for these is to store yarn or children's toys. I can't think of anything else that would be light enough to not stretch these baskets terribly. I suppose they could work in a craft room, or hung on a towel rack installed on the inside of a closet door in a child's room.

Helical Mat. Nice, simple little mat.

Virgo Cloths. These just look cheesy.

Simply Washcloths. Cute. They really do look like something you'd see at a luxury spa.

Canyon Cowl. Pretty with a certain grace.

Previse Cowl. This looks a little like one of those draftstopping snakes people put across the bottom of doorways came to life and strangled its owner.

Quickie Mesh Cowl. Rather pretty.

Stella Cowl. I think might suggest the use of ribbons rather than the I-cord, which looks a little too coarse. Otherwise it's a pretty design.

Wildling Cowl. Very pretty. The colours are lovely.

2-Hour Tech Tote. Very home ec class. And even in home ec, this would probably only earn a grade of C-.

Happy Essentials. This is rather too cheesy and boho as is, but the colours and stitchwork are interesting and I would like to see them reworked into a better shaped and more carefully finished purse design.

Littleton. Quite like this purse design, though I would use a different yarn for it. This yarn is a little too tutti frutti for any female older than six.

Rhea Capelet. Very pretty!

Shimmered Simplicity. I like this scarf on the whole, but I do very much dislike the crude method used to create the "keyhole". I'd figure out some other less obtrusive method or just make this as a basic scarf.

Synergy. This looks slapped together, like a amateurish scrap yarn project, but it might work better with a more effective colour scheme.

Teasing Texture. Cute, fun scarf for casual wear.