Knitter's Magazine 125: A Review

Today's post is a review of Knitter's Magazine 125, and it is with great regret that I say it is also the last Knitter's Magazine issue I will review. The Knitting Universe has announced that they are discontinuing the magazine in order to focus on their website, STITCHES expos and camps, and the occasional book. I may, of course, be reviewing some of these books, but I am sorry that Knitter's Magazine will not longer be in production. People sometimes ask me what my favourite knitting magazine is, and the answer is that I don't have a favourite, but that some of the magazine titles I review have their stand-out qualities. Knitter's Magazine consistently offered some of the most visually and technically interesting patterns I reviewed, and I always looked forward to reviewing it. Their patterns may not always have gotten glowing reviews from me, and sometimes went too far in the direction of "interesting" until they looked like the kind of get-ups your flakey art school teacher always wore, but they were never run-of-the-mill boring or basic, and at their best they could be runway-level innovative and eye-catching. I think I might do a tribute post featuring a selection of Knitter's Magazine's best designs within the next month or so. But for now, let's have a look at this last issue.

Evergreen Do hat and cowl. Fairly standard, but the buttons and the oversized texture give it some interest.

Éclair capelet. I think I might like this one better if it were in a different colourway. The combination of the checkered entrelac effect and a near retina-searing colourway is a bit much.

Berry Patch. I'm liking this more as a piece of knitting (so many visually interesting details!) than as a garment, because this piece would be difficult for any non-professional model to carry off.

Band Jacket. Not liking this one much. All those lines give this cardigan a choppy, fussy effect.

Heather Mist. The texture and shaping of this is decent, but I think I'd do this one in a bolder, more interesting yarn choice to help counterbalance the slightly prim feel of it.

Rising Tides. The blurb for this one says, "Our cover scarf looks like a complicated stripe, intarsia, or woven design but is the result of short-rows repeating across the length of the piece, creating undulating waves of color. Garter stitch and a long-color-repeat yarn marry beautifully." I have to agree. This is a fine piece.

Pewter Vines. A very pretty camisole.

Dentil Work. If you want to do this one in three colours, I'd recommend that you go with a colour palette that wasn't inspired by Neapolitan ice cream, as otherwise you might as well just do it in one attractive yarn.

Boyfriend Brioche. I like the general effect of this one, but not the sloppy shape and sizing. Neaten that up and this would be an interesting and eye-catching piece.

Sea Grass & Saffron. This is quite a cool piece. The shape, the texture and the colourway are all impressively attractive and interesting.

Side-Winding Cables. This one's a bit bulky-looking for my tastes, but it's wearable and nice-looking enough.

Blue Ridge. Interesting texture, good shaping, and it hangs well.

Tilt, Turn & Tie. This is one of those items that deserved better styling. It's an interesting, well-shaped piece, but here it blends into a blah, monochrome outfit.

Nacre. This one employs a beautiful yarn and some great stitchwork, but the frumpy shaping ruins the total effect.

Chevron Sheath. This is a well-shaped dress, and the texture's good, but that yarn looks simply grimy through the midsection.

Ropes & Rails. A classic crew-neck pullover with a cable pattern that's just that little bit different from any cabled sweater you've seen before.

Earn Your Stripes. The colourway has a muddy look, the styling is unfortunate (the model looks trussed up), and technically speaking the shawl isn't anything special.

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.