Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2014: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Early Fall 2014 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Pattern #1 Cropped Cardigan. This is very pretty and has some interesting detailing. The cropped length won't be for everyone, but it can be lengthened.

Pattern #2, Open Front Cardigan. Another very pretty cardigan with beautiful lacework and careful finishing. I'm not crazy about the way the front edges look so tacked together at the top. I'd be tempted to add three buttons, or button it all the way down.

Pattern #3, Cropped Cardigan. Not too taken with this one. The tri-colour combination (which doesn't work all that well together) and those randomly tacked-on leaves present as gimmicky rather than as integrated design components.

Pattern #4, Herringbone Cardigan. Oooh, love this one, which is elegant and classic. Though I'd ditch the varied length and split hems at the side.

Pattern #5, Waterfall Cardigan. This design looks okay worn fastened shut with a shawl pin in the VK360° video, but as you can see from the photo above, leaving it open is not going to do any woman any favours. Sweaters simply aren't meant to billow around one. I'd pass on this one, because having to wear it pinned shut at all times is too limiting and that back seam does look rather rough.

Pattern #6, Hip-Length Cardigan. Another lovely, classic piece.

Pattern #7, Scoop-Neck Pullover. I like this sweater except for those tacked-on crochet chains. They look too, well, tacked on. I'd knit vertical intarsia chains into this sweater instead.

Pattern #8, Fitted Waistcoat. This item is a beautiful piece of work... but I am having a difficult time imagining too many of the men of my acquaintance wearing it.

Pattern #9 is a tartan bow tie. It's well-designed, but again, not a piece that will appeal to a broad cross-section of men. I'm thinking the hipster or flamboyant types will go for it and carry it off well.

Pattern #10 is another bow tie. I don't like this one as well as the tartan tie — the shape isn't as good.

Pattern #11 is a straight tie. I quite like this item and think many of the men I know would willingly wear it.

Patterns #12-16 are represented in this collection of men's socks. I do like these socks... but for me. I'm not too sure most men would voluntarily wear any of these other than the charcoal and red hound's tooth pair.

Pattern #17, Long-Sleeved Pullover. I was all set to give this one a negative review until I saw the VK360° video, and saw that this sweater hangs very well when it's not being pulled about by its wearer. It must be worn over something else, of course, but this is an effective way to show an underlying pop of colour.

Pattern #18 is a lace vest. It's a solid piece of design with good shaping and an attractive texture.

Pattern #19, Butterfly Lace. This is a good piece too. The lace pattern is something different and the shaping is good. I like that the designer went for a solid sleeve and shoulder. I've yet to see the pair of armpits that cried out for showcasing.

Pattern #20, Graphic Top. Not too taken with this one. It does have a certain appealing sportiness, but it also looks a little shapeless and lumpy.

Pattern #21, Cap Sleeve Top. Oooh, I really like this one, with its clever, fresh use of colour and stripes. It looks like it got where the previous design was trying to go because it has the same sporty appeal as well as some added sophistication and polish.

Pattern #22, Striped Pullover. This is a pretty basic and traditional striped sweater. It's fine, but I would maybe go with a less standard colourway than red, white, and blue to give it a little more interest. And this is quite a beach-y collection of sweaters for an early fall issue.

Pattern #23, Button-Back Sweater. This one is a little different, but in a way that works. Texture and shape are good and the curved pockets and back buttons are an interesting detail. This sweater is comfortable enough to be worn around home and stylish enough to be worn outside the home.

Pattern #24, Dolman Top. This looks... very eighties, both in terms of its mesh and shape. But it's not a bad piece and as long as you don't knit it in some Day-Glo colour, you won't have people asking where you parked your DeLorean.

Pattern #25, Reversible Wrap. Here we have the cover look. I'm not that impressed with it. It looks like it belongs on a couch.

Pattern #26, Cabled V-Neck Pullover. This is a classic piece. The designer has gone a little bolder with the cables than is usual, which was a good call as it gives it a more modern feel.

Pattern #27, Cabled Long Sleeve Turtleneck. Here's the long-sleeved, turtlenecked version of the sweater just above. The designer has added a turtleneck and sleeve cabling that work well with the proportions of the design.

Pattern #28, Garter Stitch Tank. Not liking this one. It has a crude and unfinished look to it.

Pattern #29, Drop Shoulder Pullover. This pullover version of the tank above is a slight improvement. The sleeves seem to balance it out a little and the yarn choice adds a little interest.

Pattern #30, Crew-Neck Pullover. Very much like this one. That centre panel is distinctive and carrying out the panel theme on the sleeves was a sound idea. For a solid tone pullover that can be worn anywhere, this piece has a lot of subtle visual interest.

Pattern #31, Sleeveless Shell. Not as pleased with this one, but I think it's the yarn choice. The stitchwork is getting lost in that slubbed texture yarn. A smooth yarn would have been a better choice.

Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2014 Issue: A Review

Vogue Knitting's Spring/Summer 2014 issue is available. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

A mesh cowl. I'd say this more or less works because the yarn used here is so interesting, but that the yarn itself deserved a better pattern.

Pattern #1, the Scoop-Neck Pullover. This isn't bad. It sits well and has very decent lines except for that shoulder seam halfway down the arm. I can see why this sweater was made that way — because the lace strip across the body would otherwise have been seamed together with stockinette sleeve, which would look awkward — but I'd have solved the problem by extending the drop shoulder into a seamless sleeve with a lace strip running its entire length. Or by leaving off the sleeve entirely and letting the drop shoulder become a cap sleeve.

Pattern #2, Cap Sleeve and Cowl. This top is rather nice if you don't mind figuring out how to wear one without showing visible bra strap in the back. I don't think the cowl (which is fine by itself) adds anything to the design, though.

Pattern #3, Short Sleeve Raglan Tee. This one's okay too, if a touch on the cropped and boxy side. And again the wearer might have issues with bra visibility. One way to solve the problem is by wearing a layer underneath, but who wants to wear layers in hot weather?

Pattern #4, Fitted Cropped Cardi. Not a bad little spencer.

Pattern #5, Fine Mesh Pullover. Basic, wearable mesh pullover with a ballet neckline. My only quibble is that I'd make the sleeves more fitted, because it looks out of place to have them belling out over the cuffs when the rest of the design is so clean-lined.

Pattern #6, Mid-Length Tank-Style Sundress. This is actually a rather nice piece of work. I'd suggest something other than black for a sundress, though, as black doesn't look all that good in the sun.

Pattern #7, Lace Duster. This one is shapeless and unflattering even on the model. It looks like something one of the The Golden Girls would have worn, and while it's possible to reference lines from The Golden Girls to happy effect, trying to dress like them will go over less well.

Pattern #8, Mesh Bomber Jacket. This isn't bad, though I'm not sure I'm sold on the cut-out effect at the bottom.

Pattern #9, Crew-Neck Pullover. This is rather eighties, isn't it? I'm not terribly taken with this, but I must admit it's eye-catching, and I keep thinking that if done in a slightly more summery colourway such as turquoise, green and white, it might look rather sporty and cute.

Pattern #10, Lace Scarf. This is a lovely lace stole, though it might be more wearable if it were made shorter.

Pattern #11, Wing Lace Tunic. This is quite pretty. I'd be inclined to make this a few inches longer and wear it as a dress.

Pattern #12, V-Neck Tee. The lace stitch used here is lovely, but between the horizontal stripes and the slightly boxy, cropped shape, this isn't going to be a flattering item on anyone. I'd be inclined to make this slightly longer and more fitted and to use the yarn employed in the mesh cowl pattern that appears at the beginning of this review.

Patterns #13, #14, and #15. A trio of lace stoles. They are all quite pretty, though the first one with its delicate fan and mesh stitch is definitely the loveliest of the three.

Pattern #16, Macrame Vest. The macrame open work back on this top makes it one of those high-concept knitwear designs that aren't for every woman, or even for more than a low single digit percentage of women, but still could be dramatic and interesting on the right person. But I don't know why the designer saw fit to shape the front in such a roughly obvious way, which really detracts, and leave all those dangling ends at the back, which just looks ridiculous. It's like releasing some showy new luxury car design minus its hubcaps and with matching fuzzy dice dangling from the rearview mirror.

Pattern #17, Sheath Dress. This isn't really working, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to tweak it so it will. I do like the top part, but the skirt portion isn't working out so well. I especially don't like that rough-looking ridge at the waistline. I think what I'd do here is continue the navy and aqua colourblocking throughout the whole length of the dress and just add a border of the electric blue ribbed stitch at the bottom.

Pattern #18, Crew-Neck Pullover. The colour blocking and double line of eyelets add a little interest to a pretty basic piece. Done in your favourite colours, this could be a useful item to throw on over a t-shirt and jeans or to dress up with a coordinating skirt for work.

Pattern #19, High-Low Hem Tee. The colour blocking here isn't bad but the shaping isn't good. I remember reviewing a lot of these "long in back and short in front" mismatched hemline pieces last summer, but haven't seen one for awhile. I was hoping the trend had died a deserved death but here it is again, and with dropped shoulders to boot. Did the mullet hairstyles and oversized sweaters of the eighties teach us nothing? If you want to make this sweater, I would clean up the shaping by raising the dropped shoulders, making a fitted cap sleeve, adding waist shaping, and making back and front hems the same length.

Pattern #20, Mosaic Lace Shell. Here we are with more Golden Girls attire, slightly modernized by omitting the sleeves. Or maybe this is supposed to be a homage to samplers and lace curtains. Either way, it's not exactly working as a piece of apparel for real world purposes. It looks like a home ec project even on a model who's hired for her exceptional abilities to make clothes look good.

Pattern #21, Sculptural Shell. This one isn't bad conceptually, but the execution is a little crude and the result looks rather rough and amateurish. A finer gauge yarn and better finishing details would have helped.

Pattern #22, Patchwork Pullover. Hmm, shaker stitches and a bright colourway that's pure eighties, with nineties-style colour blocking (although of course I realize colour blocking is back). I'd say this needs a more subtle or sophisticated colourway than the one used here to make it look truly current and attractive and less like something off the cover of a remaindered 1990 knitting booklet.

Pattern #23, Hooded Pullover. I actually rather like this one, which has good lines, an interesting texture, and is pretty wearable. The colourway is a little on the dreary side, but that's easy to remedy.

Pattern #24, Hooded Raglan Pullover. This one's rather nice. The lace gives it a suitably pretty, summery look.

Pattern #25, Zip-Front Hooded Vest. Can't say I care much for this one, which is just rather coarse and uninteresting looking.

Pattern #26, Hooded Button-Front Vest. This is much better than the above hooded vest. It's got some visual interest and polish, and you won't get sunburnt through this as you would through all the little mesh holes of the design above.