Love of Knitting Winter 2017: A Review

Love of Knitting has released its Winter 2017 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Bohuslän Sweater. I like this quite a lot on the whole, and find the idea of putting the chevron details in the body of the sweater rather than in the contrast yoke where it would usually be to be interesting and unique, but I would nix the garter stitches from the stitchwork through the body and do it all in stockinette. The garter stitches don't seem to be adding anything, but are rather giving the chevrons a slightly muddled effect.

Clare Pullover. This is rather a nice piece. I'd shorten it, but that's because I don't care for tunic length items, not because there's anything objectively wrong with it.

Cliffs of Moher Vest. Not bad. Something like this can be useful for when a woman's going very casual and just wants a layer to put over a flannel shirt.

Connacht Cowl. Lovely. But then it's hard to go wrong with a cabled cowl.

Furuset Gingerbread People. Cute, but I think I'd tweak the facial expressions somewhat. The pink spot for the cheeks ought to be situated in the cheek area rather than at the ends of the mouth -- unless I've been putting my blusher in the wrong place for the last three decades.

Jagody Mittens. Nice on the whole, but I'd add a bit of cuff trim. The edges look a little unfinished and one of them is rolling up.

Jūratė Cowl. Some nice stitchwork in this.

Kattegat Pullover. Oooh, I like this one. It's so simple and wearable and yet the collar, cuffs and waistband make it so distinctive.

Ruhnu Cropped Pullover. The cropped length will show off whatever cute shirt is worn underneath, as it does on this child model, but it does have a "shrunk in the wash" look.

Sandwick Pullover. I like the overall concept of this and the shaping is good, yet somehow it's not quite pulling together, perhaps because the colours don't seem to work together that well. I think I might do this one in two yarns, rather than three, using a variegated for the main colour and a coordinating solid for the contrast colour and ribbing.

Scalloway Scarf. This is a handsome scarf that'll set off a simple outfit well, as it does here.

Scapa Flow Shawl. I'm not crazy about this one. The texture's good, and I love the yarn used here, but it looks awkward in all three of the professionally styled photos on the pattern's Ravelry page. Wraps this heavy don't tend to sit well.

Sherkin Island Shawl. An attractive, classic wrap.

Skellig Micheal Sweater. Beautiful. How I wish I had enough neck to wear a look like this!

Spitsbergen Cowl. Love the fair isle and the colourway in this, but not those clunky lines of garter stitch just inside the ribbing. They look like the knitter making this temporarily forgot which was the right side of the piece.

Tarfala Valley Shawl. Nice! I love the edging and the fact that the wrong side of this shawl would look nearly as good as the right.

Yell Island Cowl. Another attractive piece with interesting stitchwork.

Love of Knitting Fall 2017: A Review

Love of Knitting has released its Fall 2017 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Ashwood Hoodie. Lovely. I like this so much I am thinking of using this pattern to make the brown hoodie I want to make next year (my current brown hoodie being on its last fibres), although I did want a design with a zipper, and I don't know how well a zipper would look in this one. But I'm favouriting it for now anyway.

Bloomsbury Mitts. Nice detailing and shaping on these.

Chequers Brioche Scarf. I'm really liking this one. It's creative, it's attractive, it has style, and it's the kind of thing even the most sartorially unadventurous man wouldn't mind wearing.

Cotswold Capelet. This is rather a cute, fetching little piece, but I can't say I care for that bit of twisted baling wire the designer has used for a front fastener. However, there are lots of clasps out there so you can easily substitute one more to your liking if you also don't happen to like this one.

Delabole Cardigan. This is a nice piece with a good shape and some good detailing, and which I would not wear over a collarless blouse buttoned to the neck. The effect is way too prim.

Guernsey Shawl. What a beautiful piece. The stitchwork is excellent.

High Street Jacket. This isn't bad, but I've seen much more interesting fitted cardigans.

King's Road Cowl. I like this one. It sits well, and that's a beautifully and richly coloured yarn.

Mitre Square Tote. I'm liking this shoulder bag, if not the drab colours it's been done in. The slouchy shape works well at this size and with those handles.

Nottingham Lace Cardigan. Good shaping and some pretty lace detailing.

Red Moss Pullover. Not bad. I think I might go with a variegated yarn for this one. The design has a slight flatness in a solid shade.

River Blackwater Scarf. Love the stitchwork in this one.

Sherwood Forest Pullover. I'm really liking this one. The detailing at the neck, hem, and cuffs is attractive, and the colour palette works together beautifully.

Shetlandesque Stole. Another handsome scarf.

Terrapina Achilles. This is so cute, and it would be fun to pick out a colourway for it.

Thames Path Socks. This is a presentable and practical pair of hiking socks. The ribbed band around the foot is intended to help keep the socks from bunching up inside one's hiking boots.

Tweed Water Vest. This is not a bad piece. The idea of a turtleneck vest is a bit off-beat, but I think it works, and the cabling is beautifully worked out.

Love of Knitting Summer 2017: A Review

Love of Knitting has released its Summer 2017 issue. How about we all, with our own love of knitting, take a look at Interweave's version of it?

Beachy Tote. This bag isn't without a certain sporty appeal, but those stripes are badly connected and the shape is dumpy.

Cuddly Panther. Very cute toy. I do like to see animal toys done with other species than the classic bears and bunnies.

Dakini Sweater. A very wearable simple sweater with some good shaping and a bit of nice detailing.

Damson Plum Cardigan. This is... okay. I don't happen to like cardigans with fronts that don't meet, as they always look too small to me, but if you do like the style, it's a workmanlike example of it.

Dropstitch Stripes Pullover. This isn't so bad a design, but I think this was the wrong yarn choice for this piece. The way those stripes take a downturn at the sleeves is neither attractive nor flattering on either the front or the back of this piece. A non-stripe yarn would go a long way towards erasing the frown lines effect.

Dropstitch Swatch Cloth. Dropstitch can be quite an effective technique, but here it looks like a lot of surprisingly symmetrical runs.

Gallery Pullover. An attractive, simple piece... but I would fix those dropped shoulders.

Hiking Henley. Basic but wearable and useful piece.

Mediterranean Scrub Set. This set includes a facecloth, scrub mitt, and soap sack. The idea seems to be that it could be used as a fancy guest set for the bathroom or at the beach. I suppose it's a nice set for people who like handknitted towelry and loofahs, but it comes across as a little cheesy to my mind. The facecloth supposedly has a "seashell shape", but to me it looks for all the world like a Barbie dress.

Moonlight Poncho. This is a lovely piece of lacework, and though I don't usually like ponchos, this is so light and delicate it comes across less as a poncho than as a shawl that will stay in place.

Mottled Mitts. A very serviceable and well-shaped pair of mitts.

Museum Piece Pullover. Quite like this one, with its beautifully cabled yoke and excellent shaping.

Nurturing Cardigan. I like the combination of the lace pattern in the body and the ribbing on the sleeves and edges, but the dropped shoulders and the open fronts give this an awkward, "doesn't fit right" look.

Pack-me-up Shawl. Not a bad little shawl.

Prairielands Cowl. Quite like this. The unusual and adept colour palette makes it.

Traveler's Arms Wrap. Very nice wrap! Love the stitchwork.

Water Carrier. The yarn is wrong for this, I think. Using a standard knitting yarn makes this water botter carrier look like a toilet paper cozy that recognized times had changed and transitioned into a second career. I'd make this carrier with nylon cord or something of the sort to give it a more athletic/utilitarian look.