Showing posts with label Vogue Knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vogue Knitting. Show all posts

Monday 27 May 2019

Vogue Knitting Spring & Summer 2019: A Review


Vogue Knitting has released its Spring & Summer 2019 issue, but before we take our look at the designs in it, I'd like to take a moment to note that Vogue Knitting's longtime editor-in-chief Trisha Malcolm is stepping down to move on to a new role at MezCrafts, the parent company of Rowan Yarns. Best wishes to her in her career shift after over twenty years at Vogue Knitting! I know I'll never forget that first time that I saw that someone named Trisha Malcolm had liked something on this blog's Facebook page within the first year of its existence, how I instantly recognized the name but thought it couldn't possibly be *that* Trisha Malcolm, and how I nearly hyperventilated when a click through proved that, yes, it was. Also, it'll be interesting to see whether or how Vogue Knitting changes now that it's to have someone different at the helm.





Pattern #1, Eyelet Shawl. Fit for a bride!





Pattern #2, Lace-Striped Dress. Simple and wearable. I think it was a good call to add the belt to the look, as the waistline looks a little sad and baggy without it.





Pattern #3, Diamond Pattern Tunic. A pretty and airy look. I'd raise the shoulder and play with the length of the sleeve as it looks a little awkward as is, though chances are if the wearer adds a gazebo-sized hat to the look as has been done in this sample shot, no one will notice.





Pattern #4, Crocheted Cover Up. This one is too irretrievably doily-like for me, though I must admit the lines are good and that, as a piece of needlework, it is an accomplishment.





Pattern #5, Lace Hem Mini Dress. This one has a certain boho chic.





Pattern #6, Cropped Eyelet Pullover. The fit of this is just plain awkward -- even this professional model can't make it work, despite her considerable best efforts. One could alter the pattern to have a more flattering fit... or one could just use another knitting pattern. Your call!





Pattern #7, Beaded Shawl. Not a bad little wrap, though there are better yarn and bead choice combinations for it.





Pattern #8, Rose Cardigan. This is a lovely piece with quite a delicate, romantic feel and a certain amount of style, but unfortunately it's reminding me all too vividly of a set of cross stitch rose motif aida cloth placemats I made as a present for my mother when I was 17 and that she then wrecked after a single use by machine washing them even though I had TOLD her they were not machine washable and perhaps you'll all understand if I just move on to the next review without saying more.





Pattern #9, Eyelet Top. Nice little summer top with good lines and good stitchwork.





Pattern #10, Asymmetrical Tank. Sleek and contemporary.





Pattern #11, Patterned Tank. This is quite smart. It's 1930s sportswear meets contemporary shaping, and it's a happy combination.





Pattern #12, Offset V-Neck Top. This one has a relaxed, minimalist elegance to it.





Pattern #13, Drop Stitch Pullover. This has a rather attractive open lace effect, but I can't help wincing at the thought of how it would catch on everything. And I would raise the dropped shoulders.





Pattern #14, Mixed Yoke Pullover. I like everything about this striking fair isle design but the openwork crochet bands, which I'd replace with something solid. As is, the design would require an underlayer, which limits its usefulness for summer wear.





Pattern #15, Boxy Tee. I like this one, with its visible seams and deconstructed vibe. It definitely deserved better than to be paired with a skirt that appears to be sewn from used metallic gift wrap.





Pattern #16, Back-Tied Bubble Top. I very much like this one with its eyelet body, fun striped accent edges, and fetching back tie detail, and it definitely deserves a better colourway.





Pattern #17, Patchwork Yoke Pullover. I like the concept here, which is really quite fresh, but the edges of the front patches are a little too unfinished-looking to really work. I'd edge them in some way.





Pattern #18, Striped Pullover. These mesh pieces always look too much like a mesh shopping bag to me to be really successful as clothing design.





Pattern #19, Tangram-esque Dress. This one elicted an audible "Oooooh!" from me when I first viewed it on Vogue Knitting's website. The lines are good, the design is "you can't miss it" striking, and it's a wearable piece. Can't say that the colourway is doing much for it, but in six months' time the Ravelry member pattern pages for this design will be something worth checking out.





Pattern #20, Eyelet Lace Tunic. This is a pattern from Vogue Knitting's Spring & Summer 1999 issue, and isn't it amazing how contemporary it looks twenty years on? I have this one in my personal knitting library, having bought the issue back in the day, but I've never made it. While it looks great through the yoke, the fit through the body concerns me -- this is a DK weight and that extra material is going to be on the bulky side. However, given that this piece is knitted in the round and has an allover lace pattern, one would be hard pressed to come up with a way to add shaping through the body (it would probably mean moving to a flat knit below the armholes and require side seams, which would be a shame), and would likely end up simply have to embrace its generous lines.





Pattern #21, Garden Flower Yoke Pullover. Very cute!

Friday 15 March 2019

Vogue Knitting Late Winter 2019: A Review


Vogue Knitting has released their Late Winter 2019 issue! Let's have a look at it, shall we?





Pattern #01, Mosaic Hat. Decent-looking hat with a band of mosaic.





Pattern #02, Mosaic Yoke Cardigan. A very polished, attractive piece.





Pattern #03, Mosaic V-Neck Cardigan. This one has some very smart detailing in its mosaic yoke and contrast piping and buttons, though I am not so sure it would hang so well through the body on a non-professional model in real life.





Pattern #04, Wrap. My goodness, this one is unqualifiably fabulous. Design, palette, drape... everything about it is perfect.





Pattern #05, Garter Mosaic Cowl. Handsome! This colour scheme works together so beautifully.





Pattern #06, Circular Wrap. This one is quite an amazing piece of design. I don't think anyone could wear it without comment.





Pattern #07, Beret. Gorgeous, intricate stitchwork.





Pattern #08, Leopard Print Pullover. A good and well-shaped interpretation of the classic leopard-print look.





Pattern #09, Gloriana Cardigan. This one is has a "Queen Elizabeth I goes gothic and then takes a turn as a Klondike dance hall girl" feel to it. It's remarkable as a technical accomplishment, even if I don't know how wearable it is.





Pattern #10, Faerie Shrug. This one's a little twee for my tastes, but there's no denying it's a delicately pretty little confection of an evening wrap.





Pattern #11, Lilian & Rose 3-Piece Set. This one is definitely over the twee line. It looks like a costume from a stage production of Midsummer Night's Dream, in which the actor is about to do a particularly sweaty interpretative "flower dance".





Pattern #12, Boxy Fair Isle Pullover. I'd neaten up the fit on this one, but there's no denying that's a very attractive fair isle pattern.





Pattern #13, Hound's Tooth Cowl. This is a fun update of the classic houndstooth scarf. The addition of the fringe works really well.





Pattern #14, V-Neck Cable Cardigan. Nice use of a honeycomb pattern in what would otherwise be a rather staid cabled cardigan.





Pattern #15, Plaid Pullover. Like the bold, fresh design quite a lot, but there are better colourways for this one.





Pattern #16, Diamond Yoke Pullover. This one is amazingly effective and striking for such a simple pattern.





Pattern #17, Lace Cardigan. I spent several minutes staring at this design while I tried to decide if I liked it or not, but I think I'm going to come down on the "like" side of the question. The texture is nice, the contrast trim and belt give it a polished air, and the folding shawl collar is unusual but interesting, and it seems to sit well.





Pattern #18, Mohair Shawl. This shawl has quite a lot going on in it.... Three different "art" yarns! Glitter! Sequins! Several lace patterns! Bobbles! Garter stripes! And fringe! This could so easily have been a mess, but I actually think it works together pretty well on the whole, probably because its colour palette is limited to a well-integrated pink and gray, and it even has a certain contemporary verve. This is a piece to pair with a simple outfit, as it's a statement in itself.





Pattern #19, Striped Pullover. I'm not a friend of the mullet hem, but in this case I think it works. It's elongated enough that it looks like a design feature rather than a mistake, and the rest of the design has twists and turns (i.e., the back cable detail, the gradient colours, the stripes) that seem to naturally flow into an asymmetrical shape.





Pattern #20, Yoked Pullover. Nice! The pattern is very well worked out, and I'm sure this would look beautiful in a dark, warm colourway too, but what I possibly like best is the contrast of the fresh, bright contrast colours against the white. So summery!





Pattern #21, Lace and Stripe Pullover. Not bad. I'm not a fan of mesh, but I must admit that the combination of the mesh and the bright stripes is a fun summer look.





Pattern #22, Color Block Pullover. I didn't like this one at first glance, but once I'd spent a little more time taking in the details, I realized that it was the colourway I was reacting to, because the design is fine.





Pattern #23, Animal Skin Motif Pullover. This pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Winter 1989/1990 issue. It's a classic shape, the neck sits well, and while animal skin prints and patterns may rise and fall some in terms of popularity/use by designers, it's never really out of style.

Monday 14 January 2019

Vogue Knitting Winter 2018/2019: A Review


Vogue Knitting has released their Winter 2018/2019 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?





Pattern #1, Cabled Poncho. I like this design better than most poncho designs, probably because it has shape and detail and almost passes for a sweater.





Pattern #2, Peplum Pullover. I like the fit and flare -- and the beautiful cables -- of this one.





Pattern #3, Cabled Pullover. Not bad, though I would fix those dropped shoulders.





Pattern #4, Diamond Poncho. A handsome piece. Its diagonal lines give it a certain smartness.





Pattern #5, Cabled Cardigan. Nice detailing on this one, and the shape is good too.





Pattern #6, Cable Front Cardigan. Classic cardigan.





Pattern #7, Argyle Vest. A simple, wearable take on the classic argyle vest.





Pattern #8, Cubix Shawl. This one could be a great stash buster, and it's visually interesting.





Pattern #9, Flicker Poncho. This one is a little too afghan-y for me as to its stitchwork, though I must admit its shape is good and it sits well.





Pattern #10, Brioche Shawl. A rather appealing contemporary wrap.





Pattern #11, Two-Color Pullover. This one's a little rough and ready for my tastes, but I suppose it would be wearable enough if one just fixed the dropped shoulders, and it would be fun to play with the colour choices on this one -- this dull light gray and ivory combination doesn't do much for it.





Pattern #12, Heart Pullover. This one looks like a dog sweater knit large rather than something that really belongs on a grown woman.





Pattern #13, Sleeveless A-line Dress. This one looks like some sort of orphanage uniform cosplay. That's due to the styling, but I don't quite know what could have been done with this piece. It's almost irretrievably sack-like, and making it in plain ivory didn't help.





Pattern #14, Striped Pulled Over & Scarf. I'm digging the concept of a striped sweater with a coordinating colour blocked scarf.





Pattern #15, Oversized Shawl. Not bad, but this is one of those wraps that I can't help but feel would look best left on a couch.





Pattern #16, Winter Lake Stole. Such beautiful lacework.





Pattern #17, Hylla Cardigan. I'm not a fan of the dolman sleeve, but I actually rather like this one. It looks quite good from the back, if not quite as good from the side. I think I'd nix the ridge between the ribbing and the stitch used through the body as it stands out too much and not in a good way.





Pattern #18, Offset Triangle Shawl. Not bad at all. I rather like the unusual colour combination, and the interesting stripes and stitchwork combined with minimal finishing.





Pattern 19, Argyle Turtleneck. Oh, I remember this Adrienne Vittadini design, which originally appeared in Vogue Kniting's Winter 1996/97 issue, a rather battered copy of which sits on my pattern library shelf. It's a smart, wearable piece. I haven't made it yet, but that doesn't mean I won't.





Pattern 20, Striped Jacket. I rather like this one, though the drape front cardigan is ordinarily not my thing. The stripe combination works so beautifully and the design hangs pretty well.