Interweave Knits Spring 2018: A Review

Interweave Knits has released its Spring 2018 issue, and it's a very solid effort from them. Let's have a look at it.

Bergen Peak Pullover. Very much like this one. I might make that cabled yoke a little shorter in order to raise the Fair Isle bands, as this sweater has a slightly top-heavy, disproportionate look as is.

Bronson Rock Pullover. I'm loving the gansey stitchwork on the body of this. I'm not sure I'm sold on the contrast sleeve effect, though. I think I might use two colours that worked together better, such as a solid yarn for the body and a coordinating variegated yarn for the sleeves, and/or work the collar in the sleeve colour.

Clear Creek Cardigan. Classic cabled cardigan.

Compass Rose Pullover. This one garnered an, "Oooh, love that!" from me when I first saw it. The chart work on the front and back is very strikingly attractive, the shaping is good, and the ribbed detail at the sides and neck gives the sweater a finished look. This design would have been my pick for the cover design, rather than the classic but comparatively dull cardigan above.

Dual Sport Pullover. Not a bad contemporary take on the classic chevron design.

Elk Meadow Pullover. Very nice! This would be a fun sweater to pick out the colourway for, because one could go for a subtle, muted look as has been done here, or something crisp or bold.

Evergreen Mountain Pullover. Some beautiful stitchwork in the front of this pullover. It does have a mullet hem, but that's easily fixed if you feel the way I do about mullet hems.

Genesee Mountain Poncho. Fantastic stitchwork in this capelet, and it sits so well. Very nice work!

Kittredge Wrapper. I'm not a fan of this one, which has a sloppy, unfinished look.

Open Road Vest. This would be quite a useful piece for spring and summer because it can be either layered or worn alone. This design makes good use of a nubby yarn.

Saddleback Mountain Cardigan. Love the colorwork design of this one, which has the look of an Arts & Crafts wallpaper. I'm liking the flat, wide collar too -- it's something a bit fresher and more contemporary than the expected shawl collar or narrow bands.





Scoot Jacket. This jacket sits quite well in the back but quite poorly in the front.

Squaw Mountain Pullover. Far be it from me to claim to know the mind of a man, but I think most men would be perfectly happy with this pullover, which is perfectly attractive and wearable.

Straightaway Cardigan. Very much like the combination garter stitch and brioche stitch used here, but I can't help wanting to fix the dropped shoulders and neaten up the fit on this cardigan.

Throttle Moto Jacket. Motorcycle jacket-like styles often don't translate too well into knitwear because yarn is far softer, drapier medium than leather, but this designer has managed to rise to the challenge and create a linen stitch piece that both sits well and has a rather smart and very unique tweedy look.

Torque Hat. The hat design is good, but I can't say I think that leather snap detail works. The leather snap looks as though it wandered off the model's jacket during a photo shoot break, got stuck on her hat, and couldn't get back where it belong again. I'd use some other kind of buckle or snap closure.

Interweave Knits Winter 2018: A Review

Interweave Knits has released their Winter 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it!

Anchorage Cardigan. Good texture and shaping in this one.

Clinton Creek Hat. I'm liking the concept of a textured band and a stockinette body in a cap.

Dawson City Pullover. A lovely and classic fair isle yoke pullover.

Eagle Island Cardigan. This is a very attractive example of a Cowichan-style sweater, and it's also quite Dude-esque. I like the combination of gray, black, cream and red, as a nice change from the traditional black, grey, and white, or brown, tan, and white.

Elim Poncho. Some really lovely stitchwork in this one. I'm not as thrilled with the shape of this thing, but then I'm no fan of the poncho in general. It does drape well.

Grand Forks Pullover. Strikingly beautiful.

Grayling Cardigan. Another beautiful fair isle piece. I'm not crazy about the belt, which obscures some of the pretty pattern and does nothing to make the sweater sit attractively. Surely it would be better to shape this sweater at the waist.

Ibex Valley Mittens. Love the pinecone design, and these look super warm and cosy.

Iditarod Pullover. Fabulous cable patterns. I so need a broad-shouldered, hunky boyfriend to knit this for. Interested eligible bachelors are welcome to apply!

Klondike Pullover. Very decent piece with some interesting cable work.

Mount Lorne Pullover. So beautiful! That yoke is really fabulous.

Nome Pullover. The front cabling is good. I'm not crazy about the neckline, which is a bit too low and open for a man's sweater.

Rohn Pullover. Another lovely yoked sweater.

White Mountain Ruana. This has some great texture, but these loose, bulky, baggy numbers never really appeal to me much.

Whitehorse Pullover. Not bad, but I would fix those dropped shoulders. The sleeves look so absurdly short.

Yukon River Stockings. Ah, thigh high stockings for the sensible showgirl who wants to dance the can-can in Whitehorse without developing pneumonia. I kid because I love -- these are well-shaped and beautifully cabled, and they would be a good way to add some extra protection in extremely cold temperatures.

Interweave Knits Holiday 2017: A Review

Interweave Knits has released its Holiday 2017 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Alcova Scarf. How handsome! And the scarf is very attractive too. (Sorry, more than a little deprived here.)

Buckwheat Cowl. An attractive, classic piece.

Cable & Seed Knee Socks. It's hard to go wrong with such classic stitchwork. Though I would like to point out that these socks go nowhere near the model's knees. I suppose the name "calf socks" doesn't have quite the same ring.

Cookie Decorating Set. This is meant to be a play set for a child, and I suppose a child baker might have some fun playing with it. The oven mitts are too cute.

Dickensian Dolls. These are quite a good recreation of Scrooge and the three ghosts from A Christmas Carol. I'm not crazy about the blank faces, though I know perfectly well it is difficult to create likenesses with yarn. The blank face does work in the case of the Ghost of Christmas Past, because it makes him look scary, and he's supposed to be scary.

Entwined Shawl. Very nice!

Fantastic Fox Family. These don't look very much like foxes, but they are undeniably cute and cuddly.

Frost Mittens. These are pretty, and they're lined for extra warmth.

Jacquard Mittens. These are different. I don't know if they quite appeal to me, but they certainly have a lot of textural interest. In this brown yarn they have a certain "woven from straw" look.

New Growth Shawl. A lovely, even elegant, wrap.

Oslo Hat. I don't even like this style of hat, but this one is so well rendered, so nicely detailed and carefully shaped, that it's appealing.

Parallelogram Hat. Nice classic cap.

Powder Puff. This is pretty basic, but like most basic designs it's wearable and useful.

Solstice Hat. Love this one. The fair isle design is beautiful and the slightly offbeat colourway works really well.

Tree Boughs and Trails Hat. I'm really liking the combination of the pine-needle branch-like cabling and the twisting cables.

Two Cables Socks. This is a very handsome pair of classic cabled socks.

Wayworn Cap. Another classic cap.

Winter Sky Mittens. These are cute, but I do wish they had a more graceful shape and fit more snugly around the wrists. Leaving the wrists that open is not going to be too conducive to keeping the wearer's wrists and hands warm in winter.

Winter Snowflake Stocking. Really cute design. I'm liking that the designer didn't just make a classic snowflake pattern stocking, but added some interesting extra touches: the lace at the top, and the cream heel and toe with a decorative line of seed stitch in the main colour and a contrasting colour.

Winter's Chill Cowl. This is a pretty little piece. I'm liking the combination of pale blue, aqua, and white.

Woodland Lace Stole. This a fabulous piece of knitted lacework. It's modelled on traditional Shetland shawls, and indeed, it could pass for one.

Yeti for Bed. This doesn't look much like my idea of a yeti, which are usually depicted as furrier/hairier than this, but I must admit that the idea of dressing a fearsome creature in long undies (complete with a buttoned flap on the rear end) and bunny slippers is a very witty one.