Knitty First Fall 2016: A Review

Knitty has released their First Fall issue for 2016! Let's have a look at it.

Mad for Plaid. A very cute and striking little accessory. I'm not usually a fan of the pom pom, but they really work here.

Candy Dots. This has a fresh, fun, cute look to it, but I think I'd go with another colourway.

Ennui. Some interesting stitchwork and a punchy colourway.

Pyropa. This has an interesting shape that appears to sit well on the wearer, and that is one fabulous gradient colour scheme.

Sandri. Very pretty little lace stole.

Bias Button Cowl. This is okay, though I am uncertain about the buttons. At first sight I thought they should have been omitted, but after more consideration I think they should instead be replaced with buttons that do more for the design. The bias construction combined with the combination of knit and crochet stitches is interesting.

Prettified Thrush. These are handsome, comfortable, and wearable, and who could ask for more in a sock?

Manoa. Another pair of interestingly detailed and handsome socks.

Concello. An attractively simple little cardi.





Sofia. The authors of Go Fug Yourself invented the term "scroll-down fug" to describe an outfit that looks fine above the waist and horrifying below it. I'd say this sweater is a case of "turn around fug" or "180 degree fug", because the back looks fantastic but the front does not. The pockets look shrunken and badly applied -- and also uneven, though that is probably just how the sweater is sitting on the wearer. I'd make the pockets bigger and put one of those cable and lace motifs from the back on them, and I also wouldn't put an extra two decorative buttons on the button band.

Great Gansey. I do like a gansey, and it's nice to see a short-sleeved, ballet-necked version instead of the usual long-sleeved crew-necked pullover.

Juno. Oooh, I love this one, which combines the classic Breton-striped sweater with the traditional round yoke sweater, and has an original and modern-feeling design to boot. It's both visually interesting and original, and very smart. I also love a long cuff, which emphasizes the hands.

Sophistical. Oh dear. This looks drab and stretched out, and those welts on the left side look like a mistake rather than a design feature. This is the kind of sweater one sees in the the kind of romantic comedies in which the heroine spends an inordinate amount of time on her couch, watching TV and eating tuna straight from the can while dressed in a sweater like this, pajama bottoms, and thick work socks.





Town Beach. This is rather cute and sporty. I'm enjoying imagining the different looks it would have in different palettes.

Every Surface Coaster. This is woven, not knitted, and I'm not a weaver, so all I'll say is that this is quite pleasing and I'd love to see it in a throw-size.

Dealán Dé. Very much like this hat. It's a good piece of design with an interesting construction that looks good from all angles, and it is also a fun way to showcase an interesting button. I'd be inclined to pick out my button first and choose my yarn to go with it.

Toketee. A handsome and wearable pair of gloves.

Wristicuffs. A simple, sturdy pair of mitts.

Knitty Spring/Summer 2016: A Review

Knitty has released its Spring/Summer 2016 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Liquid Honey. An attractive piece of work that can be worn either as a shawl or as a scarf.

Gocce Shawl. I'm quite taken with this piece, which is beautiful, original, and visually interesting.

Pinwheel Shawl/Vest. Quite like the lacework in this one, and the beautifully finished edges. The pattern also offers instructions for turning the shawl into a vest with the aid of a shawl pin.

Pincha Shawl. Very pretty! The yarn used here works incredibly well, evoking the veined look of real leaves.

Skyesong Shawl. This is nice enough, but a little too openwork for my tastes. I always imagine pieces like this catching on absolutely everything.

One Skein, One Stick. This is a woven piece, and although I know beans about weaving, I like it. The texture is great.

Inhabit Pullover. In the introduction to this pattern, the designer says she created this piece for those like herself who don't like figure-hugging, close-fitting garments, and that this sweater, which she is modelling herself in the photos, was designed to be lived in. Certainly there's nothing wrong with a loose-fitting garment, and this loose fit does look fine on her as it's not so loose as to be sloppy, but I can't help mentally tweaking it by raising the dropped shoulders.

Bay Laurel Pullover. This looks something that was randomly tacked and slapped together so as to have something, anything, ready for a deadline.

Dubrovnik Cardigan. This one has a nice simplicity and just the right amount of detail.

Mod Waterfall Vest. This piece, which has a crocheted back and a knitted front, is one of those unstructured pieces that I've tried to like but just can't. To me they usually look like something a ragged, slatternly Dickensian character would wear pinned around her while on her way to the work'us.

Stiorra Pullover. Love this one. The lace inset detailing on the back and sleeves is ever so pretty. The pattern is sized for eight years up through adult size 3X.

Mejram. When I first saw this I thought it looked silly, but the more I look at it, the more I think detachable sleeves are an idea that could work on any woman as long as they're on a sweater that otherwise suits her. After all, it has worked in the past. In the early nineteenth century dresses such as this one were often made with detachable sleeves to make it possible for the women they were made for to use them for both day/evening and winter/summer wear.

Eternal Spring Socks. Very pretty socks!

Feel Good Socks. I like these so much I might just have to make some myself, in white. I like perfect little cotten anklet socks like this and I can't seem to find them anymore.

Rectify. And another nicely detailed sock pattern to round out a trio of them.

Knitty Winter 2015: A Review

Knitty has released their Winter 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Tree cowl. This is a rather wearable and fun piece. It's an impressively clever rendering of a fir tree in yarn, without being so obviously a tree that it would make the wearer look silly.

Ribbon Candy scarf. This normally wouldn't be at all my type of thing, but it would be a fun accessory with the right outfit. I don't know quite how the photographer got the scarf to stand sideways on its own like Pippi Longstocking's braids for this photo, but rest assured it doesn't seem to do that of its own accord in real life.

Cache-cache cowl. What a lovely play of colour. This pattern really makes the most of a hand-painted sock yarn.

Willow cowl. Love this one. It reminds me of an Elizabethan neck ruff while being perfectly current and even innovative. It's reversible, will stay in place, and will look good worn either on its own over a simple top, or under a jacket.

Hexadot scarf. This designer accidentally discovered that linen stitch is capable of producing a polka dot design, and used the technique to make a "hexadot" scarf. The result is a good-looking scarf, and a technique I will be keeping in mind for the next time I want a polka dot effect.

Cervus cowl. Another pretty cowl with a lovely play of colour.

Cameo flower shawl. Beautiful.

Mishigos cowl. Not bad. I'm not finding that dirty yellow very attractive, but that's easily corrected, and this piece has texture and good shaping.

Electricity hat. Very pretty hat. This definitely seems to be an issue focused on patterns that are designed to make the most of a hand-painted yarn.

Bimitral hat. Very much like this one, which features bias stripes and can be knitted either as a slouchy tam or a slouchy cap, depending on your preferred degree of slouch.

Attention span hat. Cute and pretty.

Sidekick boot socks. Rather a nice-looking pair of warm winter socks. I appreciate the fact that the designer has reserved the bulky textural stitches for the ankle and kept the feet sleek. This will mean the wearer won't have to stuff her feet in her footwear.

Quinn socks. These socks combine knitted stockinette stitch and crocheted lace to good effect. They're pretty and have an interesting quaint look while being quite wearable.

Kastanienfeuer mittens. These will do, and they are certainly practical and comfortable, but I can't help but wish the designer had gone for fewer cables. This cable design is a little too crowded to be visually pleasing.

Zazie fingerless mitts. The designer of these mitts won nine little balls of yarn in a bingo game and came up with this design as a way to use them all up. This is a design in which the colourway will be important, as the design isn't all that striking. This is actually an alternate pair she made out of some odds and ends of yarn from her stash, and which I preferred to the pair made out of her bingo winnings.

Geldys pullover. This design of this sweater is as simple as it gets. You'll want to choose a really special yarn for this sweater, as a basic design like this depends on the yarn used for visual interest.

Elkko pullover. I think for this one I'd omit the lace work at the neckline, as the stripe pattern doesn't really work with it and is interesting enough on its own. The shaping is very good overall.

Helga pullover. Nicely textured pullover, though I would make it a little longer. This cropped length is a little awkward-looking.






Antipodal lopi pullover. A sweater so attractive it even looks good worn inside out.

Vintage memories pullover. This is a nice design that does have a vintage feel to it while being perfectly in keeping with modern styles. The shaping is good and the motifs are face framing. I'd go with a different colourway for it though, as this colourway is making me hear Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" in my mind.