Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2018: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Spring/Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it. Unfortunately I won't be able to link to the Ravelry page for each design as I normally do, because as of this writing, only two of the patterns have Ravelry pages.

Pattern #1. This has some impressive stitchwork in it, but the lines of it are not all that flattering or practical.

Pattern #2. Some quite distinctive detailing on this. I'm not sure I care for the rolled effect on the armhole though, or the way the v-neck is finished. I'd be inclined to edge them both with garter stitch to match the bottom hem edging.

Pattern #3. A very nice lacy pullover for summer. I'm imagining this one in a selection of bright, fresh colours or pure white, as this dull oatmeal is doing the design no favours.

Pattern #4. This has a slightly askew, frumpy look. Fixing the dropped shoulders might help somewhat.

Pattern #5. The combination of the romantic, almost Edwardian front with the daring bared back really works, and the varied, yet beautifully integrated stitchwork in this is fantastic.

Pattern #6. This isn't bad. The pattern is attractive, and the little scarf effect is an interesting contemporary touch.

Pattern #7. Really eye-catching and attractive play of colour and pattern here. I'd want to keep going and make an afghan of this. Which is not to say, as I sometimes do, that this wrap would look better on a couch. It's so cool it would work both on a person and on a couch.

Pattern #8. A rather clever and sporty tee.

Pattern #9. A simple tank with its interest lying in the fact that it's knitted in a plush yarn. It would look better if it were slightly neater fitting.

Pattern #10. A very simple yet fetching piece.

Pattern #11. I'm not a big fan of the slit sleeve, but I must admit these sit well and it wouldn't be the same piece if the sleeves were made whole. I would make the body a little longer and slightly neater fitting.

Pattern #12, Cable Tank. This is one of those designs that grew on me as I looked at it. I like the laddering at the sides and the simple cable detailing. I suspect most women won't care to wear such a deep neckline, especially when this is a piece that will require a strapless bra, but that's easily corrected.

Pattern #13. Oooh, this shaped ribbed sleeveless dress is simple and flattering and classic. I would totally wear this.

Pattern #14. A well-shaped mesh tunic. Though the "what a bee threw up after overdosing on a lilac bush"-coloured yarn wasn't a particularly happy choice.

Pattern #15. A lovely wrap. The detail on the edging is fantastic.

Pattern #16. Another very attractive wrap.

Pattern #17, Garter and Lace Shawl. And here's the cover item. Such lovely contemporary-style lacework.

Vogue Knitting Late Winter 2018: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Late Winter 2018 issue, and it features actress Krysten Ritter on its cover. Ritter has appeared on the Facebook page for this blog twice previously: when she first took a journalist who was interviewing her yarn shopping with her, and then gave her knitting lesson afterwards; and then when she taught (or made a valiant attempt to teach) Stephen Colbert to knit during an appearance on The Late Show. I already liked Ritter for her appealing screen presence and admired her for her acting, so her evangelical passion for our craft is a delightful bonus. That said, let's have a look at the knitwear she models for us (and in one case, designed herself!), as well as the other designs in this issue, shall we?

Pattern #1, Turtleneck Dress. If you're a depressed and exhausted homeschooling mother of seven whose only social contact with other adults is to call your own mother every night and cry because you can't get your kids to go to bed, this is the look for you.

Pattern #2, Cable Inset Cardigan. The stitchwork in this piece is good, but the overal lines and shaping isn't. This has such a visually dragged-out, bottom-heavy, shapeless look.

Pattern #3, Colorblock Cabled Pullover. Sigh. Vogue Knitting seems to have gone full out frumpy for this issue.

Pattern #4, Cable Pullover. Classic cabled pullover.

Pattern #5, Cabled Pullover. I rather like this one, in which the designer has taken the classic cabled pullover in a slightly different direction by varying the direction of the cables.

Pattern #6, Two-Tier Pullover. The designer of this sweater went for an innovative look by including a cropped top over layer, but I don't think it works. I keep staring at it thinking that there must have been shrinkage or a yarn shortage involved in its construction, and that's never a good reaction to a knitwear design.

Pattern #7, Easy Krysten Sweater. Respect to Krysten Ritter's modelling skills, but I don't really care for her design. I think I'd fix the dropped shoulders, add a little waist-shaping, and be sure to do this sweater in an interesting yarn to give this very basic design the oomph that it will need when Krysten Ritter isn't it.

Pattern #8, Slouchy Raglan. I'd neaten up the fit on this one by quite a lot. The armhole shaping appears to start at the waist level, and even the professional model it's on can't quite carry that off.

Pattern #9, Simple Cardigan. This is another piece that is pure "depressed and exhausted homeschooling mother of seven" style.

Pattern #10, Seed Stitch Pullover. I am not opposed to a seed stitch oversized turtleneck in theory, but the reality is there's oversized that is "a relaxed, comfortable fit", and then there's oversized that "fits like a house and will knock things over every time you turn around". Guess which one this is.

Pattern #11, Pompom Wrap. This is kind of fun in its way, but I can't imagine actually wearing a wrap of this size and bulk. I'd be inclined to make this "wrap" a little larger and then leave it on the couch.

Pattern #12, Big Chill Wrap. This is a beautiful piece of work, and it's supposed to be worn as a wrap, but it would be another piece I would feel belonged on the couch.

Pattern #13, Chunky Cardigan. This thing fits and sits so poorly. I've seen tents I was more tempted to wear.

Pattern #14, Cable Pullover. Another classic cabled pullover, this time in a standard fit.

Pattern #15, Brioche Pullover. This piece is reminding me of Dakota Fanning's fabulous puffed sleeve costume ensembles in the late nineteenth century drama The Alienist, but although it is an interesting and original piece with some fantastic brioche stitchwork, it could stand a few tweaks to make it more flattering. I'd fix the dropped shoulders and make the body a little longer and neater-fitting in order to balance out those leg o' mutton sleeves.

Pattern #16, Chevron Lace Vest. The lacework and the hand-dyed yarn used here are beautiful, but these unstructured trailing pieces basically never appeal to me.

Pattern #17, Feather Cowl. Inventive, whimsical, and wearable.

Pattern #18, Waterfall Shawl. This is another shawl that looks as though it belongs on a couch, and more specifically, on your Great Aunt Myrtle's couch. Doing this piece in a solid colour or at least a less "granny afghan"-like colourway would help, as the lacework is quite attractive.

Pattern #19, Domino Shawl. A attractive, wearable and contemporary wrap that definitely looks as though it belongs on a person.

Pattern #20, Woven Scarf. Nice texture and an interesting construction on this scarf, unsurprisingly, as it was designed by the ever-inventive Nicky Epstein.

Vogue Knitting Winter 2017/2018: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Winter 2017/2018 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Pattern #01, Yoked Pullover. Nice piece. The yoke design makes me think of hieroglyphics. (Also, I just spelled "hieroglyphics" correctly on the first try without any help from spell check or Google.)

Pattern #02, Persian Yoke Pullover. I like this one too. The colourway is vivid and unexpected.

Pattern #03, Cold Shoulder Yoke Pullover. I'm not a big fan of the cut-out effect in clothing, but I think it works here, and the piece has a fun, trendy feel that's balanced with classic shaping.

Pattern #04, Fringed Sleeve Pullover. I like this one on the whole, but I'd neaten up the fit and nix the sleeve fringe, which would drive me stark raving mad. Can you imagine trying to knit or eat a meal or for that matter use the bathroom with those fringes hanging over your hands?

Pattern #05, Reverse Yoke Pullover. This is attractive but I can't get past the feeling that it's on inside out.

Pattern #06, Chevron Pattern Yoke. This is rather pretty. I'd neaten up the fit.

Pattern #07, Modern Icelandic. Love this one, with its sharp, graphic appeal and good shaping.

Pattern #08, Fair Isle Pullover. Vogue Knitting is really going all out on interesting yoke designs in this issue. I like this one too.

Pattern #09, Viking Wrap. As regular readers of this blog will know, I am a hard sell on poncho designs, but I have to admit this one is kind of fantastic. Keeping it short in the front as the designer has done makes it flatteringly sweater-like while the back and sleeves have all the drama of a cape. And then there's the stitchwork and colourway, with the combination of mitred squares and a tartan-like effect created with grays and variegated yarn. If a woman walked by me on the street in this piece, I would definitely turn to look at her, as it is an undeniably and highly accomplished and creative design. Bravo.

Pattern #10, Boxy Crop Sweater. And now we turn from a tour de force of knitwear design to.... this one. This appears to be... a home ec project gone terribly wrong. It fits so poorly through the upper body that the ribbing is all stretched out, and there's an outright hole in the shoulder seam.

Pattern #11, Fitted Dress. This is also a home ec project, but it appears to have been created by Judy Jetson, and she would have gotten at least a B for it.

Pattern #12, Navy and White Pullover. I like this one, which has a smart, wearable look.

Pattern #13, Raglan Turtleneck Sweater. I rather like this one. The use of a larger gauge in the turtleneck and the lower body is a nice touch, and the shaping is good and flattering. This would be a good piece to use to showcase a bulky variegated yarn that you love.

Pattern #14, Brioche Rib Cowl. Smart and polished.

Pattern #15, Slouchy Pullover. This one's too baggy and dropped shouldered for my liking. Kudos to the Vogue Knitting stylist who put this look together, though. Adding a simple silk scarf made this look chic.

Pattern #16, Indigo and Ivory Boxes Ruana. I have the feeling that this is a vest that missed its calling in life and that should have become a scarf, or maybe a floor mat.

Pattern #17, Welts Pullover. Nice stitchwork in this one, but I would fix those dropped shoulders.

Pattern #18, Open Cable Cowl. Nice. I'm imagining it in a variety of beautiful variegated yarns.

Pattern #19, Mohair Cardigan. This has a sad-stretched out, look like a thrift store piece that's living in the forlorn hope that it'll get one more chance at a good home rather than wind up in a landfill.

Pattern #20, Sand Waves Poncho. This seems to be the issue where Vogue Knitting offers us poncho patterns I can't refuse. This one drapes so well, and the stitchwork is gorgeous.