Interweave Knits Winter 2018: A Review

Interweave Knits has released their Winter 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it!

Anchorage Cardigan. Good texture and shaping in this one.

Clinton Creek Hat. I'm liking the concept of a textured band and a stockinette body in a cap.

Dawson City Pullover. A lovely and classic fair isle yoke pullover.

Eagle Island Cardigan. This is a very attractive example of a Cowichan-style sweater, and it's also quite Dude-esque. I like the combination of gray, black, cream and red, as a nice change from the traditional black, grey, and white, or brown, tan, and white.

Elim Poncho. Some really lovely stitchwork in this one. I'm not as thrilled with the shape of this thing, but then I'm no fan of the poncho in general. It does drape well.

Grand Forks Pullover. Strikingly beautiful.

Grayling Cardigan. Another beautiful fair isle piece. I'm not crazy about the belt, which obscures some of the pretty pattern and does nothing to make the sweater sit attractively. Surely it would be better to shape this sweater at the waist.

Ibex Valley Mittens. Love the pinecone design, and these look super warm and cosy.

Iditarod Pullover. Fabulous cable patterns. I so need a broad-shouldered, hunky boyfriend to knit this for. Interested eligible bachelors are welcome to apply!

Klondike Pullover. Very decent piece with some interesting cable work.

Mount Lorne Pullover. So beautiful! That yoke is really fabulous.

Nome Pullover. The front cabling is good. I'm not crazy about the neckline, which is a bit too low and open for a man's sweater.

Rohn Pullover. Another lovely yoked sweater.

White Mountain Ruana. This has some great texture, but these loose, bulky, baggy numbers never really appeal to me much.

Whitehorse Pullover. Not bad, but I would fix those dropped shoulders. The sleeves look so absurdly short.

Yukon River Stockings. Ah, thigh high stockings for the sensible showgirl who wants to dance the can-can in Whitehorse without developing pneumonia. I kid because I love -- these are well-shaped and beautifully cabled, and they would be a good way to add some extra protection in extremely cold temperatures.

Vogue Knitting Holiday 2017: A Review

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

Pattern #1, Chunky Pullover. This is a very decent-looking bulky weight sweater. I would fix those dropped shoulders though.

Pattern #2, Blanket. Lovely!

Pattern #3, Scandinavian Hat. Cute and wearable with some interesting, intricate stitchwork.

Pattern #4, Fair Isle Band Pullover. A nice-looking piece. I like the neckline.

Pattern #5, Selburose Pullover. The snowflake motifs are quite strikingly attractive against that dark blue, and I like the added pop of colour in the wristband edges.

Pattern #6, Pom Hat. I... don't quite know how this got in this issue. Was it supposed to be filed away with some of the old Vogue Knitting children's patterns from the fifties and did it somehow lose its way?

Pattern #7, Fair Isle Yoke Pullover. Nice. I wasn't quite sure I liked that red zig zag at the top of the sleeves, because it does give the impression that the sleeves are tacked to the body with red yarn, but I think it works and gives the sweater a little extra interest.

Pattern #8, Scandinavian Socks. Oooh, such pretty, smart socks! Favourited for a possible 2018 project plan!

Pattern #9, Zipped Obi. Interesting accessory, and I must admit it adds a bit of style and interest to this plain white shirt and black leather skirt. I don't think I'll be making myself one though, as I am too short through the torso to carry it off and I would present as someone who didn't know what cowls were.

Pattern #10, Modular Obi Belt. Not a bad belt, and it would be easier to wear than the one above because it's so much narrower.

Pattern #11, Fair Isle Obi. This is probably my favourite of the three obis, though I wouldn't make it in these colours. The plum and green are good, but the variegated pink and green is distractingly unattractive against it.

Pattern #12, Lace Pullover. Not bad for a layering piece. This would be one to make in a beautiful mohair or angora.

Pattern #13, Chevron Top. I rather like the look of this one, though I'd wear a thin sleeveless tank top or camisole underneath because I would be terrified that the flap wouldn't stay closed.

Pattern #14, Lace Cardigan. Between its dreary colourway and its baggy, saggy lines, this sweater is essentially depression in knit form.

Pattern #15, Everyday Poncho. Oh dear, this poncho has such an unflattering shape. From the back, this model looks like a blob with hands.

Pattern #16, Curve Cable Pullover. I rather like the concept of this one, but the shaping and proportions feel off, and the back of this sweater has a sad, defeated look, as though it just split up from its long-time companion, the equally morose Pattern #14. I'd change the trajectory of the cable so that it entended to the shoulder and then down the sleeve, and I'd neaten up the shape.

Pattern #17, Textured Pullover. I'm rather impressed by the well-integrated textural effects on this one, and the shaping is good. I would however nix that ridge across the upper bodice and replace it with a band of another stitch, such as the one used on the upper sleeve.

Pattern #18, Shawl Collar Coat. A wearable, simple piece. I'd fix the dropped shoulders.

Pattern #19, Bomber Jacket. This looks too much like a beginner project. It's too simple and unadorned to have any interest or sophistication.

Pattern #20, Adelaide Shawl. This piece has interest and sophistication enough for five items. It's strikingly attractive and I love it.

Pattern #21, Cropped Ruffle Cardi. This looks like a bed jacket from some old 1940s movie. And it really ought to have stayed there. Even this fabulous model, with all her style, can't quite make it look other than silly and fussy.

Pattern #22, Ruffle Sleeve Top. When I was copying all the pictures into this post, I didn't think I was going to like this one, but now that I've come to the point of writing about it and taking a closer look, I am pretty sure I do like it. It strikes me as a contemporary and unfussy take on the ruffled sweater. I won't be making it for me, though, because I'm pretty sure it won't work very well on the well-endowed figure.

Pattern #23, A-Line Pullover. Not bad. The shape is good, and this one would be a good one to showcase some beautiful yarns in your favourite colours.

Pattern #24, Ruffle Yoke Sweater. This is so... 1982. And not in a good way.

Pattern #25, Danish Sontag Shawl. Attractive and timeless.

Love of Knitting Winter 2017: A Review

Love of Knitting has released its Winter 2017 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Bohuslän Sweater. I like this quite a lot on the whole, and find the idea of putting the chevron details in the body of the sweater rather than in the contrast yoke where it would usually be to be interesting and unique, but I would nix the garter stitches from the stitchwork through the body and do it all in stockinette. The garter stitches don't seem to be adding anything, but are rather giving the chevrons a slightly muddled effect.

Clare Pullover. This is rather a nice piece. I'd shorten it, but that's because I don't care for tunic length items, not because there's anything objectively wrong with it.

Cliffs of Moher Vest. Not bad. Something like this can be useful for when a woman's going very casual and just wants a layer to put over a flannel shirt.

Connacht Cowl. Lovely. But then it's hard to go wrong with a cabled cowl.

Furuset Gingerbread People. Cute, but I think I'd tweak the facial expressions somewhat. The pink spot for the cheeks ought to be situated in the cheek area rather than at the ends of the mouth -- unless I've been putting my blusher in the wrong place for the last three decades.

Jagody Mittens. Nice on the whole, but I'd add a bit of cuff trim. The edges look a little unfinished and one of them is rolling up.

Jūratė Cowl. Some nice stitchwork in this.

Kattegat Pullover. Oooh, I like this one. It's so simple and wearable and yet the collar, cuffs and waistband make it so distinctive.

Ruhnu Cropped Pullover. The cropped length will show off whatever cute shirt is worn underneath, as it does on this child model, but it does have a "shrunk in the wash" look.

Sandwick Pullover. I like the overall concept of this and the shaping is good, yet somehow it's not quite pulling together, perhaps because the colours don't seem to work together that well. I think I might do this one in two yarns, rather than three, using a variegated for the main colour and a coordinating solid for the contrast colour and ribbing.

Scalloway Scarf. This is a handsome scarf that'll set off a simple outfit well, as it does here.

Scapa Flow Shawl. I'm not crazy about this one. The texture's good, and I love the yarn used here, but it looks awkward in all three of the professionally styled photos on the pattern's Ravelry page. Wraps this heavy don't tend to sit well.

Sherkin Island Shawl. An attractive, classic wrap.

Skellig Micheal Sweater. Beautiful. How I wish I had enough neck to wear a look like this!

Spitsbergen Cowl. Love the fair isle and the colourway in this, but not those clunky lines of garter stitch just inside the ribbing. They look like the knitter making this temporarily forgot which was the right side of the piece.

Tarfala Valley Shawl. Nice! I love the edging and the fact that the wrong side of this shawl would look nearly as good as the right.

Yell Island Cowl. Another attractive piece with interesting stitchwork.