Pom Pom Quarterly Issue 15: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released its Issue 15. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Avalon Ballroom scarf. What absolutely gorgeous stitchwork.

Callas bolero. This is one of those items that doesn't hang well even on a professional model, which augurs poorly for any average woman who tries it on.

Carlu pullover. Strikingly pretty. I rather like the added touch of the buttoned cuffs, especially when they're colour-coordinated to the contrast colour at the neckline.

Cicely pullover. I love the slit neckline and decorative beads on this one, which gives it a slightly dressy evening feel to the design without making it something that can't be worn at any time of day. The length does feel a little off proportionally -- even this model isn't quite working that wide waistband and cropped length. If you don't have a waist you care to show off and/or feel your upper body can't handle the visual foreshortening, I'd make the sweater a little longer and decrease the height of the ribbing by several inches.

Deco City shawl. Nice little wrap with an unusual linear lace pattern. I also admire Pom Pom for committing to the deco theme in the photo shoot (as well as throughout the entire issue). They went to the trouble of finding an art deco-esque couch and styling the model in a very late twenties way.

Hulanicki socks. Nicely and even smartly patterned.

Suffragette hat. This is one of those patterns that didn't quite get where it deserved to go. I quite like the rhythmic effect of the welts that circle this cloche, but the side slit isn't a happy effect. It makes the hat look unfinished, or even as though it burst open, sending flying whatever cool finishing ornament had been added to that side.

Theda cowl. Nice piece on the whole, though that edging does look a little unfinished.

Turnberry pullover. This is one really distinctive and gorgeous piece of stitchwork. I think this one might have supplanted a pattern I had picked out for a cotton sweater I intend to make myself this coming spring. I will be making these sleeves full length though. Those bracelet-length sleeves usually don't look right to me.

Wilding. You know, I'm actually kind of on board with the cut outs (cut the sleeves back to the wrists and give this sweater a better shape and more interesting texture, and it'll be a rather sexy look), but not in combination with the built-in gloves. It makes the sleeves look as though they were trying to make a run for it and pulled a "didn't do it, wasn't there, can't prove a thing, we're really gloves" when someone noticed the bare skin at the top of the arms.

Pom Pom Quarterly Fall 2015: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released its Fall 2015 issue. Let's have a look.

Woodland Tales. Pretty and lacy and well shaped. I love the yarn used here.

Maude pullover. This looks rather heavy, unsurprisingly, as it is both cabled and worsted weight, but then sometimes one does need something super warm. The shaping is pretty good, though the sleeve length looks a little awkward to me.

Abram's Bridge cardigan. Love the stitchwork on the back, but the shaping (especially whatever is going on in the front hem and the dropped shoulders) make it look a bit weird and off-kilter.

North Toque. This is a little too afghan-y for me.

Magdelen stole. Definitely a statement wrap.

Oak Crest cap. Intricately detailed and looks good on.

Jean pullover. Very much like this one, which hits that sweet spot of being wearable, flattering, and polished-looking. Excellent cowl neckline shaping on this piece.

Pianissimo scarf. Very decent ribbed scarf.

Karusellen hat. This one's cute and even manages the no mean feat of being a dog hat that an actual adult can wear.

Hitchcock sweater. Not a bad-looking henley, though I would add waist-shaping to the woman's version.

Pom Pom Quarterly Summer 2014: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released their Summer 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Michelada. Good stitchwork, but this isn't terribly flattering. It looks wider than it is long. Making it a longer length should fix that.

Palila. A shaker-knit, dropped shoulder cardigan. It's unflattering and unattractive, and also looks like something that came out of a recently re-discovered warehouse of remaindered clothing from 1986.

Talavera. Not a bad little lacy sleeveless top, though I might have made the cowl at the neckline a little larger.

Manzanilla. This barely there lacy cowl isn't bad, but I'd like to see it worn doubled. It has that "sad flat tire" look styled this way.

Greco. Boxy, cropped striped top with dropped shoulders and alternating solid and lacy stripes. I'd reshape this to a hip-length, waist shaped, standard shoulder number, keeping the stripes and the style of the sleeves.

Azulejo. Not a bad-looking little clutch.

Alcomar. Lovely piece. The shape is good and the lace pattern on the back is beautiful.

Pomelo. Nice piece! The u-shape stripe pattern is really eye-catching and original, and the shape is good. I'd be lining and reinforcing this piece to keep it from stretching and sagging too much.

Pom Pom Quarterly Spring 2015: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released its Spring 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Vitsippa Hat. Nice work! This design would be effective in any number of colourways.

Tambourine cardigan. This is a nice piece as well, with a certain vintage charm. The cropped length won't work on every woman, but that's easily remedied.

Swedish Pancakes mitts. Attractive and polished. They'd look good in any colourway, but this old rose is very pretty indeed.

Mysa tunic. I'm on the fence about this one. It has a clever construction and some visual interest, but it does come across as a little on the frumpy side. It's not doing this model any favours. I'd consider neatening up the fit a bit.

Mångata pullover. Nice texture and love the striped edgings, but the cropped, boxy shaping of this is going to be hellishly unflattering on most women. I'd do a reshaping and also skip the top stitched triangle at the neck, which looks like an unwise afterthought.

Lysende top. Another one for the "frumpy and dumpy" category. This looks like something one of the Golden Girls would have worn.

Lus top. There isn't a really clear shot of this piece available either in the preview or on Ravelry, but I've got my doubts about how well this sits around the torso. However, it has its good points (i.e., the sleeve detailing, the neckline, the second colour stitch pattern), and, as long as it isn't baggy or boxy or cropped, could be a young, fetching style.

Fika socks. These are on the plain side, but they'll do perfectly well. Not all of us want elaborately detailed socks.

Elske socks. How cute are these? If your answer is something along the lines of "verging on adorable", then you like these socks approximately as much as I do.

Blommande shawl. Pretty little thing, as lace shawls tend to be.

Pom Pom Quarterly Winter 2014: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released a preview of its Winter 2014 issue. Let's have a look at it.

The Fairchild design. Not impressed with this one. That pouch on the front makes the overall shape so unflattering.

The Falling Snow Mitts. I rather like these crocheted mittens. The texture's great and that's an interesting yarn. I would correct the pointy tips though.

The Cidre design. I think this model was styled this way in an attempt to give this item a certain hipster chic, but this model looks for all the world like a university student in the midst of exams, who has thrown on the only relatively clean items she could find on the floor of her dorm room and put her hair any old how before running out to her local coffee shop to fuel up on caffeine, where she promptly ran into that cute boy from her economics class she's had a huge crush on since the first week of term. That's always the way of it, isn't it? Anyway, about the sweater. It has its good points, such as its texture and the way the shaping has become part of the design, but it's too big for this model and that is one depressing colour. Neaten up the fit and knit it in a colour you love, and put it with things that actually go with it, and the wearer won't wind up dying inside when she finds herself standing next to her secret crush at the local coffee shop.

The Into Trees hat pattern. The stitchwork is good, and I admire the way the designer has integrated the earflaps into the design. If this style of hat is not for you, you could omit the ear flaps and the pom poms and have a nice slouchy style cap.

The Sorrel hat. This is the expression the university student had on her face when she ran into the local coffee shop the week after exams wearing a coordinated outfit and a very cute hat and found herself standing next in line to the cute boy from Economics again.

The Aubrietia sweater. Not thrilled with this design, which has a rough, amateurish look to it. A polished, accomplished design needs better shaping, a design concept that is carried steps farther, and a more sophisticated, interesting colourway.

The Brynja cardigan. I think I might make a few tweaks to this one, such as not going with a raglan sleeve, as it cuts into the cabled detail on the front to poor effect, and I think I'd create a cuff that employed some of that cabling instead of going with those ribbed cuffs that don't seem to belong on this sweater.

The Curio Mitts. These are nicely detailed and fit well.

The Trienne Shawl. Now our friend the young university student is trying to attract the boy from Economics class by being all Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the shawl she crocheted back in her gap year, when she was backpacking in the Netherlands and got into doing mushrooms. Honey. One of the cardinal rules of dating is "Don't try too hard," and one of the cardinal rules of crafting is "Anything you craft while high will look terrible, and you won't even know it."