Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 53: A Review, Part 1

So it's time again to review Rowan's latest semi-annual issue. If it seems like just a few weeks ago that you read my review of Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 52, it was. This is what I get for procrastinating on a review.

But let's have a look at the first twenty of the thirty-seven patterns in Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 53. Part 2 of my review of this issue will be posted tomorrow.

I had to tilt my laptop screen back so I could actually see the sweater in this photo. The white background, pale model, and pale colours made it look more than a little bleached out. The pattern is called "Vanilla" so I suppose the tone of the photo could be some sort of oblique reference, but I doubt it. However, I do like this cardigan sweater. Good use of colour blocking and the striped trim sets it off. It's a beginner project that looks finished and well-designed.

This pullover works. Striking and inventive graphic design, classic fit.

This wrap is one of those pieces I have to try to put my personal preferences aside to try to review fairly, because my first instinct was to snipe that it looked like one of those crocheted ripple-pattern afghans, which isn't fair. This shawl has a sharp, graphic design and drapes well. If you have a modern dress sense and would wear a wrap, go for it.

This top is crocheted, and it's not bad, but it is a very open openwork stitch. You'll probably need to wear something underneath it, and you may not want to do that in summer.

Let's see, a pullover with a stringy front panel that will necessitate the wearing of something underneath, unflattering dropped shoulders and a slight boxiness of shape, and a sleeve-length that matches exactly with and extends the hipline. I'll pass, thanks.

In 1957 dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor stood stock still in total silence on a bare stage for four minutes. Critic Louis Horst subsequently ran a review in Dance Observer that consisted of nine inches of white space. I feel like doing something similar here, because I can barely see the sweater in this pale photo. However, I won't, as I do like the sweater. It has such an interesting construction. It'll be figure-hugging, so make sure you've got the confidence to feel comfortable in it.

Nice cardigan, but do be warned it's not for every figure. You'll need to be small or flat-chested and to have a waistline you don't mind emphasizing for it to be flattering.

I'm a little divided on this lace pullover. It is very oversized, which normally I condemn, but it's also of a delicate and intricate openwork stitch and lightweight enough to not bulk up the wearer. Who would still probably need to have a model's figure to carry it off. And she'll also have to wear a camisole or something underneath. It's a garment that is, while not a failure of design, of very limited wearability.

This striped pullover is definitely an item you'll be able to throw on with a pair of jeans and just feel happy and relaxed in. It has a good, flattering shape and you can have some fun figuring out your own colourway for it. You might even use three colours instead of two, i.e., black and gray for the body and wide stripes of gray with narrow stripes of red for the arms. I find the two blues used here to be a little lacking in imagination and verve.

A very simple, cropped, openwork top. There's nothing wrong with it and it would probably make a handy coverup for the beach, but you'll probably want to wear a layer under it.

Let's see, dropped shoulders, boxy shape, cropped length, horizontal stripes. This pullover has it all. And by "all", I mean, "all the characteristics that can detract from your appearance individually, but when combined will conspire to make you look the worst you've ever looked in a sweater". And wait, there's more! The transparent interstices between the stripes and the off-the-shoulder neckline that will constantly gape at the front and slip off your shoulders will also help rid you of any vestige of dignity. It's a lot to ask of any knitting pattern, but this one is does it all by a mile and still gets aided along its way by the stylist, who paired it with a baggy drawstring jumpsuit. This is a Murphy's law design.

This generic pullover isn't a bad thing of its kind, though I would fix the dropped shoulders, make the sleeves the right length, and add a little waist shaping.

This beaded pullover is pretty, but I would make it the right length. Cropped tops just aren't flattering on anyone. Oh sure, if you've got a model's figure, you can get away with it, but even then wouldn't you rather wear clothes that work in your favour rather than act as a litmus test of your looks? Also, be aware that you'll need to wear something under this item.

The cabled detail on this sweater is sewn on after you've finished knitting it. And it's not unattractive or ineffective, but it does look a little like the result of a drunken collision with some sailboat rigging. If you make this sweater for yourself, be prepared for some America's Cup and/yacht club/sailor jokes, some of which occur to me immediately.

I actually quite like this striped cardigan. Striped sweaters can look juvenile or beginner-ish, but the variation of the stripe width and the sophisticated colourway elevate this to a polished, adult look. I would fix the dropped shoulders and make it waist-length rather than cropped, however.

This striped man's pullover isn't bad, though to me there's something a little discordant about the stripe pattern.

This striped sleeveless top looks like a late-sixties or early-seventies pattern that doesn't quite work as a contemporary piece. The shape isn't flattering and the stripes aren't going to help in that department either.

The pattern on the front of this man's polo sweater is eye-catching and innovative, but the neckline and collar, which are probably supposed to be innovative as well, just look as though the designer couldn't decide which neckline to use, put both on to see how they looked, and then never got around to removing one. I'd make this item with either the v-neck or a regular polo collar and placket, not with both. The pattern on the front automatically makes this sweater really striking and any crazy detailing is just going to put it over the top.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a pattern almost exactly like this in some eighties-era knitting pattern pamphlet. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. If you want to make this colour-blocked vest, which admittedly isn't a bad shape or badly constructed, I'd recommend making it in a different colourway altogether. These candied/dayglo type colours are just too random and dated-looking to be really attractive.

This Kaffe Fassett top is actually really cute and playful.

Look for Part 2 of the Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine issue 53 review tomorrow!

Update: You can view Part 2 here.

Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine 52: A Review, Part 2

Here's the second half of the patterns from Rowan's issue 52. I posted part 1 of the review yesterday.

This pullover isn't bad. It's not going to be the most flattering item, but it looks warm and cozy and has a very attractive, interesting texture.

I'm loving the scalloped textural effect and the contrasting linear texture of the cuffs and hem. I am not loving the exaggerated neck, which most women can't wear (even the model doesn't have quite enough neck for it), or the dropped shoulders, which don't flatter anyone. But if your skills are up to the task of knitting this sweater, they're up to the task of fixing both those things.

The description for this pullover mentions that it has a "cropped front". That and the way the front hem is curved down towards the side seams leaves me fearful that there's a much longer back hem involved. I suppose the designer thought there had to be something innovative about a pattern with a look that's been standard since at least the 1950s in order for it to sell, but I don't know why this particular innovation had to be the one chosen.

I think this scarf might be the only beginner-level project I've seen among the Rowan issue 52 patterns thus far — most are for the intermediate or the experienced. And the scarf is okay, but do be sure you're prepared to wear an enormous, bulky scarf before you commit to this project.

This cardigan design comes across as less than successful, but I'm not sure why. I think it's that the stripes should really have a sharp, graphic look, but just look rather muddled. The shawl collar doesn't sit well, either.

This pullover is one of those sweater patterns that you think you've seen a number of times before, in knitting pattern booklets dating back as far as the 1950s, but then you remember that there's a reason sweaters like this have been worn by so many women for so long.

I just don't understand how anyone could think the dropped shoulders work on this pullover. It drags the eye downwards and makes the arms look stumpy. If I were making this sweater, which is otherwise quite attractive with its bobbles and contrasting bands of colour that work well together, I would make it with standard fitting shoulders and also use a different colour on the neckline, cuffs and hem. That's a dreary-looking yarn to use on a combination that otherwise pops. That is, for a Rowan sweater the colour combination pops. Rowan seems to be all about muted, understated shades and after reviewing forty or so patterns in grays, blues, lavenders and taupes, I'm getting a little starved for the sight of something brighter.

This sweater is the male version of one shown earlier in this post. I liked the woman's version and I like the man's, although.... again with the dropped shoulders. I know men like to look like they have big shoulders, but this sweater would look so much neater and more polished with a standard-fitting shoulder.

It's a relief to me, after nit-picking my way through nearly forty patterns so far, to be able to say I quite like this pullover. Most men would happily wear this sweater.

A... tartan cape. I don't hate it, probably because I have a weakness for tartan, but I don't know too many women who would actually want to wear it either. It looks like the kind of apparel that belongs on a woman "of a certain age" who takes her little dog with her everywhere she goes, wears several pounds of elaborate silver and semi-precious jewelry, knows a lot about poetry and the Elizabethan drama, just got back from a marvellous trip to Monterrey, and has a tendency to declaim rather than speak.

This vest is easily my favourite out of the patterns in this issue, probably because of the colour scheme. I'm always a sucker for fair isle, and I love seeing it done in non-traditional colours. I'm not sure I'd pair it with tartan velvet hotpants, though.

This is one of those patterns that had me squinting at the picturing and saying, out loud, "What the hell?!" These felted slippers are described as fair isle in the pattern description, but you'd never know it. I'm not sure I see the value of going to all the effort of knitting these in a fair isle pattern if you're going to felt them (or maybe just plan to use a fuzzy yarn? they may not be all felted), because the pattern just winds up blurred. And I don't really see any appeal in these slippers, except that they're probably warm and hard-wearing.

These socks are quite nice, or maybe they just seem so in comparison to the slippers just upthread. They're subtly patterned, which is nice if, like me, you don't care for loud socks.

This throw is nice, if a little busy. Just remember it won't be a reversible throw and will have to be kept right side up.

I like this men's vest. It's something quite different, but in such a subtle way that doesn't look at all odd.

I like this fair isle cardigan overall, but man, the way the front openings are sitting are really detracting. I hope this isn't one of those cardigan sweaters that have left the top and bottom segments without fastenings.

Oooh, pretty! I like this embroidered fair isle cardigan nearly as much as the fair isle vest. I'll even give it a pass for the angled, buttonless bottom front, because this sweater is so waistcoat-y it works on this item.

A beautiful pullover. Why did Rowan save all the best patterns for one streak near the end?

I want to like this pullover, which is interesting and distinctive and well-constructed (all the Rowan patterns in this issue are, except that one beginner project), but something about it isn't quite working. Maybe it's just the colour combination.

Not crazy about this man's tartan pullover. Both the colourway and the pattern are going to be too bold to suit most men. Dial one of them back and it would probably work.

Nice classic bobbled cardigan. I can't help but get unduly excited that the buttons go all the way to the bottom hem. I've definitely seen my fill of that trend of leaving the bottom four inches buttonless.

Oooh, I like this men's pullover. It's classic Celtic knot, but strikingly graphic at the same time.

I like this wrap, but only theoretically. The theory being that it would only be worn while sitting on a couch and when feeling chilly.

This one is really something quite different: intarsia Celtic medallions scattered over a subtle stripe. I don't know why the designer chose this colourway, though. It's so dreary, and this is a design that would really stand out if done in colours with a little more vigor. I'm not talking shocking pink and orange here, people, but even... navy, gray and white. Or anything but mustard and whatever those other colours are.

Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine 52: A Review, Part 1

Rowan publishes a magazine twice a year, and each magazine has over 50 patterns in it. I don't think many people who are reading this blog will want to read a post containing over fifty pattern reviews in one sitting, and God knows I don't want to write one. This means I'll be splitting my Rowan pattern reviews into at least two parts.

So let's have a look at the first half of Rowan's Issue No. 52. Amazingly, a number of these patterns are available as a free download to registered users of Rowan's website.

I know I've complained before about the lack of imagination in men's knitwear, but I'm not sure we need to change that by coming up with the kind of thing Cliff Huxtable would wear to teach his kids Important Life Lessons in some highly contrived way. If you want to make this argyle and fair isle cardigan for a man (and you aren't the man), make sure you get his approval before you get started.

This cabled pullover is a classic, but make sure you're prepared to live with the way it will bulk you up. This model is probably very tall and slim, and it's doing her no favours. Also make sure you get the sleeves the right length.

This appears to be the female version of the argyle and fair isle cardigan that appears above. It is working better in terms of visual pattern than the man's version, probably because it's far less busy, and I like the touch of an extra colour at wrist and hem. However, the shape of this sweater is terribly unflattering, even on a professional model. If you like the concept of this sweater, I'd recommend that you take the colourwork and recreate it in a standard-fitting cardigan.

I know the use of a different cable pattern and a wide ribbed band used on the one side of this cardigan are supposed to look designed and edgy, but they just look mismatched. Also, the early nineties-like boxy, cropped shape of this cardigan is not going to flatter many women. There's a reason that shape hasn't been back in since the nineties.

And speaking of trends that shouldn't come back, here's a pair of fair isle legwarmers. My advice concerning these is that you don't knit them in this colour scheme (did the sample knitter make them in the dark?), and that you only wear them for occasions on which you actually need to keep your legs warm, such as when cross-country skiing.

I feel like I need more information before I can pass judgment on this sweater, such what it looks like when it isn't bunched up in front, or whether it will button up properly in front when it isn't too small. There doesn't appear to be any buttons on the cardigan fronts at the bottom. I've seen this style on sweaters lately, where the bottom three inches or so of the cardigan fronts shear away from each other at the bottom instead of continuing to button all the way down, and it's not a design touch that works all that well. It just makes the cardigan look like it's too small to button properly.

This felted bag is nice looking, though I think I'd find the shape a little bulgy and awkward. This may just be personal preference though; lots of women do carry this style of bag.

This is another item I'm going to have to classify as "not going to be flattering". You're going to have to keep this sweater belted or it's going to sag open in a very unattractive way. And Rowan, what's with the dropped shoulders? I'm five women's sweater patterns into this issue, and this is the fourth with dropped shoulders. It's just not a flattering look on any woman, and it tends to look sloppy.

I'm just not crazy about the colour-blocking detail on this otherwise nice sweater at all. It looks too much like a bib. I'd extend the colour blocked section all the way down the front, and keep the difference between the two yarns subtle.

I genuinely like both the colour and the style of this fair isle cardigan. It's certainly nothing new, but it's the kind of sweater almost any traditional/preppy-type man could wear if it was done in a well-chosen blend of his favourite colours.

This pullover is, of course, a Kaffe Fassett. I think I'd know a Kaffe Fassett design if I met it in the dark. The umpteen colours are the first giveaway of course, and the painterly rather than graphic feel to the design. The interwoven ribbons at the bottom and above the cuff are a recurring motif of Fassett's. That said, I've made his designs a few times and I always end up simplifying them to preserve my sanity and save money on the project. In this one I'd skip the interwoven ribbons and just use the flag motif, and just use maybe four or five colours in the flag pattern instead of however many he has used here.

This throw is another Kaffe Fassett design, and looking at it I find myself thinking that, as varied as his sweater patterns are, perhaps he has been restraining himself in terms of his sweater designs after all. I'd love to know how many times this pattern gets made — my guess is, "not many". Besides the fact that it would take you a year or more to knit, it's so busy and modern a piece that you'd need one of those spare, modern-style décors to put it in, and people who decorate that way don't tend to knit much.

I'm not liking this short-sleeved pullover. It's too eighties in a way that just looks dated to me, and I don't care for the colour scheme. Making this sweater in harmonizing shades of the same colour would improve it a lot.

I thought I was going to like this tank top, and then I got a closer look. I think it's the colour scheme that's so unappealing, because that tan and gray are a dreary combination. Otherwise it's not a bad design at all, and likely to be a useful, flattering piece for many women.

The description for this shawl says it's a beginner pattern. It certainly is. It looks for all the world like a nondescript piece of first knitting stapled together and thrown over the model's head. If you're a beginner knitter, take a pass on this pattern and keep looking for piece you can really be proud of when you've put all that work into it. Astoundingly, this was NOT one of the free download patterns while the Kaffe Fassett patterns were. Don't ask me — I just post about the things that knitting magazines do.

The colour block design on this sweater is beautifully done (this is one of those sweaters that many knitters who make it won't want to use any other yarn or shades but the ones specified by the designer), but dislike the fit. Sloppy, oversized sweaters just don't flatter anyone. I'm not sure that the longer back hem adds anything at all. If you want to make this sweater, make it in a easy and loose but not sloppy fit, without the dropped shoulders and longer back hem. It'll do a lot more for the woman who wears it.

I wouldn't normally have included a sweater as generic as this, but I did want to point out the things that set this sweater apart: the texture, raglan sleeves, funnel neck, and easy but not sloppy fit. The care that's been taken in construction gives this basic design a very finished look. Knit this sweater in your favourite colour and you'll get more wear and real pleasure out of it than three or four intricately patterned and eye-catching sweaters.

This little cardigan is one of those sweaters that look so cute on the model that many women would be enticed into making it for themselves. And it is a cute pattern with a well-designed collar and interesting texture, but beware. This cardigan is a cropped, boxy shape, which is not going to be flattering on most women, and the elbow-length sleeves will draw the eye to the wearer's midsection — do you want people looking at your midsection? If you want to make this pattern, you may want to make it in a longer, slightly more fitted, shaped style, and to choose a different sleeve-length.

Really cute popcorn mini-cardigan. Mini-cardigans are not for everyone, but then no design is.

I actually quite like this dress. When considering whether to make it, do keep in mind that the length of your neck and the sweater's neck must correlate (so shorten it if your neck is short). Also this mesh pattern will make it necessary for you to wear something under this dress — see how the model's skin is showing at her shoulders? If the idea of wearing a second layer under a wool dress makes you want to faint, just substitute the mesh for another, more opaque stitch.

Hooo boy. A boxy mini-cardigan that's going to make your arms look they're encased in upholstered Slinkys. It's fun in its way, but it's not going to becoming to most women. Notice how this model is having to adopt a rather tortured pose to make the sweater hang in a way that's at all attractive.

Another nice if rather generic turtleneck sweater. I don't know why Rowan's designers are throwing principles of fit and flattery to the wind when it comes to the more innovative patterns.

I don't think I need to warn you about what this sweater will do to your figure given what it's doing to this poor model's.

Nice detail on this cardigan, and I like it that the designer tried to do something different with the neckline, but I have serious reservations about how this going to work on most women's figures, i.e., anyone without very small and widely spaced breasts. Because you know, most of us sport some curves on our chests that these sweater fronts are going to detour around and it's not going to be pretty. This model is either flat or small-breasted as most models are, and underneath her sweater her upper body appears to be upholstered in such a way to suppress what she does have. Rowan, show me this cardigan working on a woman, B-cup or larger, who's just wearing a t-shirt underneath this sweater, and I might be able to give it a more enthusiastic appraisal.

There's a sweater further up in this post that looks a good bit like this one: a textured turtleneck in two shades of gray with colour blocking detail. Rowan really should have gone with two different colourways to make them look more distinctive. But about this sweater. This colour blocking may not look so much like a bib, which is an improvement, but it still isn't quite working. Colour blocking should look intentional and not like you ran short of yarn in the right colour. I'd have thrown in some more colour blocking, such as doing the cuffs in the darker gray, or maybe doing bands on the sleeves or something.

I like this pullover on the whole (and especially love the lattice pattern), though I do have my concerns about the neck. It appears to be stuffed full of a scarf, which makes me suspicious of how it sits when there's just a man's neck in it. My guess is "limply".

Why does Rowan have such a fetish for longer back hems? Is it supposed to echo the too long sleeves or something? I can't see the attraction at all. It just looks stretched out. If you want to make this pullover (which has some good points, such as the overall texture and raglan stockinette stitch detailing), I recommend you make it with a straight hem, and sleeves that fit.

Nice socks. Though I wish I could see what the feet look like.

The random colour blocking common in the men's patterns has now popped up in the women's sweaters. It's not working here either. It just looks too random to start knitting with another colour in the middle of a cable pattern. If you want to make this pattern, I'd skip the colour block detail and also fix the dropped shoulders.

Quite nice. Lots of men would quite happily wear this sweater.


Look for part two of the Rowan's Issue 52 pattern review tomorrow.

Update: You can see part two of this review here.