Cast On Winter 2016: A Review

Cast On has released its Winter 2016 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Arctic Cowl and Muff. These are okay as separately items, but as a set they seem a little much, as though the maker knitted two tubes and put them wherever they fit.

Aviemore Hat. An attractive classic cap.

Beaded Buttoned Bracelet. This is pretty in its way, but jewelry made out of yarn never looks like jewelry to me.

Chunky Checkerboard Scarf. I'd skip the pockets on this, which make it look a little too much like those pocket things some people hang on their couches and armchairs.

Commence. I'm quite liking this one, which between its excellent stitchwork and shaping has more than a little style to it. I love the collar especially.

Fingerslip. These mittens have an unobtrusive covered slit on the palm side that will enable its wearers to slip their fingers out of the mitten in order to manage any fine motor tasks that come their way. It's a practical idea, and the mittens are attractive and absent the clunkiness that so many mittens with fold-back tops have.

Herringbone Mitts. Very much like these, which are smart and fun and very carefully finished.

High Flight Redux. Not bad. The yoke seems rather visually heavy and dominant, but that may just be the picture's angle.

Icy Pink Vest. Classic cabled vest. I'd make this either in a light coloured cotton to be worn by itself in the summer, or in a darker, richer-toned wool for winter.

Jessica's Boyfriend Sweater. This is rather well-shaped, but I have my concerns about how flattering this length would be when it's a slim-fit piece. I'd make it a standard length.

Kendall's Sweater. Nice texture. I'd go with a beautiful or interesting yarn for this one.

Lilacs and Clemantis. This is a beautiful piece of design, but I do have my reservations about how it sits -- it's flaring out stiffly at the bottom. I think I'd add fasteners (buttons or clasps) all the way down the front to help this vest keep its shape.

Norwegian Legwarmers. Very pretty. I find myself wishing I'd had a pair like these circa 1985. I'd have been the envy of the schoolyard.

Patrician Cardigan. Oooh, how beautiful and elegant, and that yarn looks simply luscious. Good shaping, lovely lacy ruffle detailing, and the cardigan drapes so well.

Ship Side Chevron Shawl. This one is so striking as to be rather dramatic. Fantastic stitchwork.

Untwined Socks. A fun mix of patterns which works well on such a small scale.

Wilshire Boulevard Wrap. Another lovely and polished wrap. The stitchwork is really impressive.

Knitty Winter 2016: A Review

Knitty has released its Winter 2016/2017 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Duvet mittens. Very pretty. I do love an intricately patterned mitten.

Fiddlers Three. These would be practical for anyone who has violin-playing or other fine motor manual work to do outdoors in cold weather, but they are a little too rough-and-ready-looking for my tastes.

Anqut shawl. This piece has perfectly integrated stitchwork, colourwork, and shaping, and the result is strikingly lovely.

Farrand. The stitchwork makes these a bit afghan-y for my liking, but then I'm never quite fair to crochet. It would be fun to play with the colourway on these.

Erin Goes to College. I'm quite liking the combination of the heavy yarn and rib pattern and the shaping and cable detail. This looks very warm and serviceable, yet polished.

Snowberry wrap. I'm less enthusiastic about this one. Those pom poms look like cotton balls that happened to somehow catch on the wrap during a trip to the bathroom, and there's not much else to the design.

Obliqua. Oooh, this is so fresh and fun and a great way to make the most of a handpainted yarn. The texture and fringe have enough interest that they would look good in a more muted colourway as well.

Lil Austin's Blanket. Polished-looking garter stitch designs like this are relatively uncommon. This blanket is attractive and interesting, but technically so simple that a beginner knitter could make it.

Ashwood tunic. Some really beautiful cablework here, and the shaping is good over all. I would add some edgings to those sleeves, though, as they look unfinished as is.

Liberty pullover. A good, wearable piece of work.

Colorado. I like the colourblocking and the stitchwork on this, but am not crazy about the shaping. I'd make the v-neck much less open (less wide at the shoulders and less deep at the front) and raise the colour change line on the sleeves at least somewhat to nix the dropped shoulder effect.

Crockerdile. This crocodile sweater is rather fun and inventive. I'd be much more inclined to make it for a child than an adult, but then I'm dead inside.

Cooped Up pullover. This one is cute in an adult-appropriate way. The chicken motif makes me smile, and the neutral palette and Lopi yarn upgrade the look.

Variations on Chart 429. Very much like this one, and would wear it myself. The intricate patterns are so visually interesting and satisfying.

The Werewolf of Westport. This one looks a bit too much like a random scrap yarn project for my liking. Perhaps it could made to look less so by using a more unified colour scheme.

Rock Creek Canyon. This is a nicely designed hat, though I'd go with another colour scheme. I do like the effect of a bright fair isle strip set against a marbled main colour.

Pantashrooms. Hoo boy. These mushroom pantalettes remind me of that Six Feet Under episode in which teenaged Claire makes her mother Ruth a pair of ball-fringed culottes while on a mushroom high, only to be tortured by the sight of them during her 'shroom hangover the next morning, because Ruth is so thrilled to have gotten any demonstration of affection from her normally disaffected daughter that she happily and proudly wore the culottes. I suppose these pantalettes would also be the perfect thing to make or wear on one's next magic mushroom trip.

Toilet Paper Toilet Paper Cozy. This is not, as you might have thought, knitted toilet paper, but rather a cosy that is designed to look like a roll of knitted toilet paper when put over a roll of actual toilet paper. I must admit this is funny, and rather meta in the style of Seinfeld's classic coffee table book about coffee tables. If I saw this in a friend's house, I'd laugh, but I wouldn't use it in mine as I'd be afraid someone might use it in an unironical way by mistake.

Vogue Knitting Winter 2016/2017 Issue: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Winter 2016/2017 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Pattern #1. Some beautiful stitchwork on this, and good shaping. I'm not usually a fan of asymmetry, but this one's got a certain balance and restraint to it that makes it effective.

Pattern #2. Some beautiful stitchwork in this one as well, but the hourglass effect is too exaggerated and the neckline isn't flattering -- or even comfortable-looking.

Pattern #3. I would have made this a touch neater-fitting.

Pattern #4. I would make this one a lot neater fitting, as it's more than a little tent-like.

Pattern #5. Some quite effective use of cable here.

Pattern #6. Nice piece, though I think the two cables could have been better handled at the top, where they merge into the collar.

Pattern #7. Oooh, this one is beautifully flattering and elegantly relaxed, and looks delightful to wear.

Pattern #8. This one looks like it was designed by four different people. Who were all drunk. It's a mishmash of yarn shades and flourishes that don't work together. And for some reason it's the cover design, though it's the worst design in the whole issue.

Pattern #9. This one will see its wearer all the way through her pregnancies and make a wonderful pup tent for her children to play in.

Pattern #10. This sweater is quite dramatic and even flattering here, though I have my suspicions that the model's thumb deserves most of the credit for the way the right side is conforming to the line of the model's upper body and that this sweater might not look nearly so good in real life. I do love the chevron pattern and the colour blocking and think they should have gotten some better shaping.

Pattern #11. Not bad. This is the kind of sporty, casual sweater one can wear with track pants.

Pattern #12. The modern fair isle pattern is rather striking, but I would make this piece in a relaxed fit rather than huge.

Pattern #13. I think I would have gone with two different contrast colours for the lines rather than just one. Using the main colour makes the effect a bit wonky, visually.

Pattern #14. I like the pattern overall, but my goodness is this piece enormous. Are oversized sweaters and tops back, and am I going to sound increasingly shrill and out of touch on this topic for the next little while?

Pattern #15. Very pretty. I'm liking the houndstooth pattern, the colours, and the shaping overall.

Pattern #16. Not a bad little wrap, but I don't think this colourway does much for it.

Pattern #17. I like this one the whole, but I'm scheming to get rid of those unsightly sleeve and shoulder seams. I think I would have designed this sweater to be knitted from the top down so that it would be seamless, though one would probably not be able to get a v-neck working that way. Also, this sweater deserved a better colour scheme.

Pattern #18. A very contemporary and attractive take on the argyle pattern.

Pattern #19. Love this hat. Both the pattern and the colour palette are perfection.

Pattern #20. A lovely cowl. The non-traditional colour combination serves the classic fair isle pattern well.

Pattern #21. A classic if rather basic cowl, with pockets that someone has inexplicably chosen to line with pieces of a granny apron. This pattern needed something, but it wasn't that.

Pattern #22. This is an inventive and contemporary piece, but I'd put it on a couch rather than on my back.