Vogue Knitting Holiday 2014: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released their Holiday 2014 preview! Let's have a look at VK's idea of festive knitwear, shall we?

Pattern #1, Black Lace Shawl with Pearl Beads. This is... nice enough. It's hard to go wrong with a lace shawl, but I'm not all that taken with the change of direction in the lace stripes. The pearl beads are a nice touch and look very elegant against the black lace.

Pattern #2, Beaded Scoop-Neck Tee. This is definitely an original take on the horizontal stripe sweater, and it's kind of cool, if probably not for the well-endowed woman, because that narrow band of beading will not sit well on bosom of size. And do not adjust your knitting, as it is supposed to look this way, but I can't help staring at this design and waiting for it to come into focus.

Pattern #3, Lace Pullover. This top is quite striking (the lacework is gorgeous and the black trim on the white makes for a stand-out look) but it is wretchedly unflattering even on this professional model. If you want to make this, I'd suggest you make it in a standard fit, ditch the mullet hem, and add waist shaping.

Pattern #4, Directional Tunic Top. I'm surprised to find myself writing this, because I'm a hard sell on this sort of modern, conceptual design, but I love this. It's a very dramatic and lovely and even quite wearable as it's well shaped and would suit most women.

Pattern #5, Lacy Batwing Pullover. This top is very 1930s in style, which normally I would love, but this isn't doing it for me. I think the problem lies partly in the colourway, which isn't quite working, and partly in the shape. Replace the dull gold yarn used here with, say, a silvery gray, and neaten the shape up a little, and this top should look much smarter.

Pattern #6, Bow Cardi. Totally cute, with excellent shaping and texture.

Pattern #7, Double Seed Stitch Pullover. This one was the cover look, and I don't know why, because it looks like a beginner project from Knit Simple's back files.

Pattern #8, Shawl-Collar Jacket. Great texture, and an elegantly relaxed look. I would want to scale down the size a little. There's relaxed fit, and then there's sloppy, and this is on the borderline.

Pattern #9, Cropped Moto Jacket. I think this pattern was stuck to the back of Pattern #7 when it was retrieved from Knit Simple's files.

Pattern #10 Oversized Turtleneck Pullover. Another simple one, but this one looks luxuriously comfortable and pretty. It's the yarn choice that makes it.

Pattern #11, Cabled Coat. Don't much care for this one. It lacks the shaping and details that would make it look like a coat and instead looks like a sweater made by someone who got too into binge-watching The Good Wife to remember to measure the length from cast on edge to the armholes.

Pattern #12, Ribbed Sleeve Pullover. This looks like something slapped together out of pieces left over from other projects.

Pattern #13, Belted Cardigan. Now this is more like my idea of a knitted coat. Great texture, good shaping, and the belt is the perfect finishing touch.

Pattern #14, Cable and Garter scarf. Not taken with this one, which looks like it was begun by a beginner, taken over by a well-meaning experienced knitter, and then finished by the beginner. The combination of garter and cable stitch just isn't integrated. Gorgeous yarn though — it looks luscious.

Pattern #15, Textured Tote. Lovely classic tote bag, but I would nix the pom poms.

Pattern #16, Hooded Waistcoat. This has some good points, but I am really hating the cutaway shaping, which is too costumey a detail for a hoodie. I'd knit this to be the same length back and front. And be warned, this is a sweater that will hug the wearer's every curve, so it'll pay to do something advance thinking about whether the wearer will want her curves to be hugged. (By a sweater, that is. Other types of hugs may be quite welcome.)

Pattern #17, Hat. Pretty hat. Rest assured, however, that matching one's eyeshadow to one's hat is optional.

Pattern #18, Cable-edged Vest. Nice little vest. I'd want the zipper to zip more of the front however, as this very abbreviated one looks a little silly.

Pattern #19, Faux Fur-Edged Cowl. I like the concept of a faux fur edged cowl, but I don't like this one, as the fur here looks a little on the skimpy and ratty side. Beautiful cabled work here, but I'd edge this one with a fringe or a picot edge or something similar in the main colour yarn.

Pattern #20, Cable and Chevron Top. Nice top, but I would neaten up the fit a bit.

Pattern #21, Fair Isle Cardigan. Love this one. The fresh, bright colours used and the hearts in the fair isle yoke make this an appealing new take on a classic style.

Pattern #22, Fair Isle Poncho. Quite like this shoulder cape. It's neater and smarter looking than most examples of this style.

Pattern #23, Modern Fair Isle Raglan. Very pretty. And you can have fun playing with the colour combinations for this one.

Pattern #24, Icelandic-Style Pullover. Another nice pattern. And I think there are better colourways for it, though admittedly this one is quite Icelandic.

Pattern #25, Sideways Turtleneck. This is another interesting, modern take on the fair isle. I'm finding the colour scheme a little retina scarring, but of course you can knit this sweater in any colours you want.

Pattern #26, Fair Isle Stole with Pom Poms. Not a bad design at all, but I'd nix the pom poms and instead finish this item with a simple fringe. I'm not anti-pom pom, but I do think they have their place, and that's usually not on anyone over 25.

Pattern #27, Brioche Lace Stole. Absolutely gorgeous lacework here, though I can't say I care much for the yarn employed to make this item.

Pattern #28, Winter Whimsy Cap. Cute cap. Bobbles are a grown-up's alternative to the pom pom.

Vogue Knitting Fall 2014: A Review

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

Pattern #1, Hooded Cabled Scarf. This hooded scarf is shaped in such a way that it can also be worn as a shawl. Very clever and useful design with a timeless appeal in its cabled texture.

Pattern #2, Bateau-Neck Pullover. Classic cabled sweater. The cropped sleeve and hem length won't be for everyone, but can be lengthened.

Pattern #3, Deep V-Neck Cardigan. I quite like this one, which is one of those "classic with a twist" designs that appeal to me most. It's a take on the traditional cabled cardigan that catches the eye. The lines are good and face-framing. I even like the dropped shoulders, which are necessary here given the combined width of the neck and the ribbing around the neckline.

Pattern #4, Close-fitting Pullover. Another cabled pullover. The overall look is quite traditional, but there are some interesting components in this design, such as the laddered central panel and the textured stitch (which looks like some kind of double moss stitch) used for the sleeves.

Pattern #5, Long Cabled Coat. This piece has a certain suggestion of Renaissance fashion about it, with the corded effect at the shoulders and the combination of a high collar and cut-away neckline. It would be a little costume for me, but I can see it looking very stylish on the right person.

Pattern #6, Cabled Shell with Arm Warmers. This cabled tank is a nice classic piece, and the arm warmers are fine in their way, but wearing them as a set looks a little silly. Is Vogue Knitting going to present us with a matching shorts and legwarmers set next?

Pattern #7, Funnel-Neck Turtleneck. This is the cover design. The cables on this piece are interesting, but this isn't a terribly flattering item. I'd raise those dropped shoulders and neaten up the fit somewhat.

Pattern #8, Fretwork Pullover. Quite like this one. Those openwork cables are an interesting effect.

Pattern #9, Cabled Scarf. This is an okay piece. You may find it a little on the unwieldy side size-wise, but if you do, you can always cut it down in size.

Pattern #10, Cropped Cabled Pullover. This is really quite a beautifully detailed piece, though that cropped length is definitely not for everyone. I'd suggest lengthening it, but at first glance that twisted cabled detail in the center of the front looks like a hand from below desperately grasping a rope, and I'm kind of afraid of what making the sweater another six inches or so longer would reveal.

Pattern #11, Dolman Pullover. This look is maybe a little too Flashdance for me.

Pattern #11, Dolman Pullover. The less open neckline makes this a little less Flashdance, but it's still too much like a plain baggy sweatshirt for me. Like the variation on this design that preceded it, it's neither an interesting nor a flattering pattern.

Pattern #12, Hat. Nice little chevron cap.

Pattern #13, Mesh Sweater and Ribbed Scarf. I rather like this one. There's something pleasing about the layered texture of this mesh, and the plain solid scarf makes a nice contrast to it.

Pattern #14, Cowl. The scale of this cowl looks a little on the large side, but you can always downsize it, and the colours and texture are good.

Pattern #15, Long Vest. I don't know about this one. I can see it looking quite stylish on a clotheshorse type, but I think on most women it would look a bit much, and I want to scale it down somewhat and chop that back mullet hem to a length that's equal to the front hem.

Pattern #16, Colorblocked Poncho. At first glance I didn't like this, but now I think it's growing on me. It's got a certain modern appeal. I can't help but feel it needs some better detailing at the neck, though, and I would definitely fix the mullet hem. Why the mullet hem, designers? Do you think we otherwise won't be able to tell the front of our clothes from the back?

Pattern #17, Capelet. I like the idea of gathering a capelet in front, but I don't like this particular execution of it, which looks a little rough compared to the rest of this otherwise polished, textured piece.

Pattern #18, Intarsia Crew-Neck Pullover. Not sure I get the point of this one, with its somewhat pointless abstract design and random lines of hairy yarn. I keep thinking I'm watching a polar bear eat a seal, or looking at a knitted replica of early cave paintings.

Pattern #19, V-Neck Cardigan. This one's just dowdy. Even the model can't lend it any style.

Pattern #20, Hudson's Bay Pullover and Shawl. This set is, of course, based on the iconic Hudson's Bay striped wool blanket. It might be Canadian bias on my part, but I very much like these two pieces, which are an excellent knitted rendering of Hudson's Bay Company trademark stripes and work well in their own right. You could do these pieces in other colours and they would still work beautifully. HBC really ought to get this designer under contract if they haven't already.

Pattern #21, Zipper Embroidered Cardigan. Nice piece with a good shape and interesting detail. I think there are better colourways for the embroidery down the front, but it'll be easy to find them.

Pattern #22, Vibrant Colorwork Pullover. Very much like this one. The colourway is amazingly well worked out, and the design is fun in an adult way.

Pattern #23, Raglan Pullover. I think this one is Morticia Addams's idea of a Christmas sweater. I tease because I love — I actually do like this sweater, with its quite original and striking detailing (fab idea to embroider around that yoke!), and you could remove any lingering "Morticia at Christmas" associations I may have just saddled you with by doing it in another colourway.

Pattern #24, Duster Coat. Really nice piece. The shaping is great, and the bouclé collar, cuffs and hemline are excellent. I'd go with something other than the southwestern-style pattern at the hem and cuffs, but that's a personal preference, because it does work very well as is.

Pattern #25, Cocoon Coat. The details here are great (i.e., the collar, intarsia, and pockets) but the overall shape is frumpy. I'd shorten this to regular sweater length and neaten up the fit.

Pattern #26, Short-Sleeve Top. Something about this isn't working, and I can't quite figure out what. I think it might be the colourway, which isn't pulling together properly. I'd do this one in black, charcoal and light gray, white, and one vivid cool colour, such as red or magenta.