Interweave Knits Winter 2016: A Review

Interweave has released the Interweave Knits Winter 2016 issue, and it features a very solid, wearable collection of patterns. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Inverness Sweater. With such a classic cabled pullover, what's not to like?

Coldfield Pullover. Some nice detailing on this one. I like the mid-arm band concept.

Glasglow Sweater. The reverse stockinette on the sleeves and what looks like Shaker stitch in the body are nice touches.

Worthington Gansey. The deep waist band and the dropped shoulders give this sweater an awkward, disproportionate look, but they are easily remedied.

MacGowan Pullover. Really lovely stitchwork on this one. I love that lacy centre panel.

Shiloh Sweater. Nice stitchwork and the modified collar works really well with it.

Slean Mittens. Nice detailing on these.

Rivers Stole. Love the texture on this one. It's rather big, which won't be to everyone's liking, but you could always scale it down to whatever size you liked.

Tulle Mittens. Very pretty arrangement of cables on these mittens.

Oxford Stockings. Classic cabled socks.

Keeley Sweater. The pattern is good overall, but I think I'd want to fiddle a little with the proportions by making the body somewhat longer and decreasing the height of the cuffs and waistband slightly.

Walthall Sweater. Very much like this simple but effective sweater. The shaping is really good and the cables direct the viewer's gaze to the wearer's face.

Hoxey Cowl. This is quite pretty, and quite well styled. It's a piece that will look best with casual clothing such as this denim jacket.

Warwick Hat. A carefully worked out and finished piece. I'd nix the pom pom, but that's me.

Whitfield Cardigan. Not a fan of this one. The fair isle patterning has a rather helter skelter effect, and the dropped shoulders aren't helping. It also wouldn't be possible to fix them without changing the construction of this piece entirely, as it is knitted in one piece and steeked.

Hawkherst Sweater. Solid classic Cowichan-style piece.

Vernon Hat & Scarf. Attractive set. I like the idea of using a contrast colour for the fringe on the scarf and the ribbed band and pom pom on the cap.

Interweave Knits Fall 2015: A Review

Interweave Knits has released their Fall 2015 issue. Let's take a look at it together, shall we?

Tucker Sweater. This is the cover look, and it's a nice simple piece with good shaping and face-framing detail.

Yellow Gold Pullover. This is a nice piece too, though all the horizontal lines make it less flattering than the previous design.

Woodlake Shawl. The stitchwork in this is very well done, but the piece looks so awkward and bulky and "seventies-era homemaker magazine pattern" as a whole.

Deirdre Shawl. Lovely and polished little shawl.

Paddock Cardigan. Well-shaped and simple with just a little telling detail to keep it from being too plain.

Squall Line Shawl. Classic lace shawl.





Purple Sage Socks. This pattern has two versions: a version with plain ribs between the cables and another with lacy ribs and cables. My preference is for the plain ribs pair, but they're both good design and look very well structured.

Zigzag Wanderer. I like the stitchwork here, and the unexpected touch of the stockinette undersleeve section, but the fit and shape could definitely do with some neatening up.

Gunnislake Pullover. Oooh, this one is eye-catching and has a lot of style, and yet it's something most men would have no objections to wearing. This isn't something one sees every day in men's knitwear, so good work.

Dee Pullover. I quite like this piece on the whole, as it has good shaping and some interesting detail. But I would fix the mullet hem by making back and front equal length, and there are more attractive yarn choices for this piece. This one makes me think of mouldy fall leaves.

St. Helier Pullover. This isn't a bad piece on the whole (it's hard to go wrong with a classic Guernsey pullover), but I keep staring at that bottom hem and thinking it's placing way too much emphasis on the hips, which is really not an area any woman cares to highlight. I'd cut down the depth of the hem by omitting either the diamond section or most of the horizontal ribbing section, and adjusting the cuffs to reflect whatever I'd done with the hemline.

Bath Abbey Hat. Very clever integration of colourwork and stitchwork in this one.

Commonwealth Sweater. Nice design. It has good shaping and I like the subtle snowflake pattern.

Agrotera Pullover. This is a traditional style with a bit of a twist in its distinctive ribbed yoke. The result is lovely, and fortunately the added leather harness is optional.

Cotswold Henley. Traditional men's sweater with some added textural detailing to keep things interesting.

Interweave Knits Summer 2015: A Review

The Summer 2015 issue of Interweave Knits is out. Let's have a look at all the summery knitted goodness within, shall we?

Jubilee Kerchief. Fetching little accessory. If you're the type who can wear a kerchief without looking like something off a Soviet propaganda poster, which I unfortunately am not.

Highlands Headband. Don't care for this one too much. It looks like a Girl Guide craft badge project.

Figure 8 Head Scarf. This one isn't too bad. It has texture and a certain style to it. No link for this one because, as of this writing, the one provided on the Interweave Knits page is broken.

Berkshires Band. This one's better. Good stitchwork.

Olympia Headband. This is one you'll want to wear when you're getting all physical and letting your body talk while you do your Jane Fonda workout tapes on beta. In other words, you'll probably never want to wear it.

Appalachian Thermal. And here we have a sweater with what looks like a bookmark tacked on to the front placket. This sweater needed some interesting detail, but not this particular one.

Bartram Vest. Classic vest with a finished, polished look.

Mount Robson Pullover. A perfect, classic man's sweater. It's amazing how much the stockinette shoulder patches add to the look.





Clove Hitch Tee. Don't care for this one much. It looks okay on a professional model when styled just so, but a long loose top like this would look frumpy on most women. I'd neaten up the fit a bit at least.

Phyllotaxis Hat. Nice little lacy cap.

Wildflower Bolero. I'm torn between thinking this is a rather cute little topper for summer and thinking it looks like it was made out of an afghan. Making this piece in a different yarn would correct the afghan tendency, though.





Dianthus Cardigan. This one has not only a mullet hem but mullet sleeves.





Blue Columbine. This one looks a bit limp and unfinished, and it doesn't hang well.

Trillium Shawl. Lovely.





Western Slope. I like the back of this but the combination of the garter stitch and cables at the front doesn't work that well, and the shape is a little on the baggy side.

Larkspur Shawl. Another lovely shawl.

Chesapeake Jacket. Not a bad little piece. The colourwork is crisp and striking and shape is good. I'd normally advise fixing the slightly dropped shoulders but I doubt it's possible to do that without interfering with the crab pattern at the shoulders.

Magic City Henley. The shape is good, but the colourwork, which is meant to represent Birmingham, Alabama, isn't visually cohesive.





Chrysler Cardigan. Terrific design. It's got a sharp visual appeal, and the shape is both flattering and perfect for the charted design.

Cottage Baby Blanket. Nice piece. I do have a definite soft spot for this kind of very textured solid colour afghan, which always looks luxuriously and elegantly comfortable.

Sock Yarn Braided Trivets. These are adorable, like tiny braided rugs.