Knitter's Magazine 120: A Review

Knitter's Magazine has released issue 120. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Bias Blues. This looks more ragged than stylish. It reminds me of the dress Cindarella's woodland friends made for her... after her stepsisters had torn it to pieces.

Taura. Not a bad little vest, though it could do with some waist shaping and perhaps a little more length.

Texture at Play. Interesting texture, and the shaping isn't bad, though again it could do with some waist shaping.

Sunshine at Sea. After staring at this design for some minutes, I surprised myself by liking this one. The unusual yarn choice and stitchwork give it a lot of visual interest, and the cowl neck gives it a certain style. I would make it a bit more flattering and wearable by neatening up the fit a bit, adding waist shaping, and adding more toggles or buttons to the front.

Rustic Zen. Did they take this one off a cattle rustler or sheep stealer? I could imagine people engaged in such lines of work need a lot of freedom of movement, but most contemporary women aren't being pursued by bounty hunters, don't need their clothes to be so loose fitting, and can afford to care about whether a piece is flattering or not. I'd like to see this design translated into a piece with a flattering, wearable shape.

Agate Ripples. Quite like this striped kimono. This could have looked very afghan-ish, but the design combines stripes and ripples so cleverly that it elevates it above couch wear.

Not Quite Nautical. Very much like this African textile-inspired piece too, which is a sharp and striking piece of design.

Carved Kiwi. This is rather a nice textured pullover, but all I can think when I look at this is how much I am lusting after that turquoise-flecked green yarn.

Hatchmarks. Very sharp and sophisticated hat and cowl set.

Peak and Valley Skirt. This piece looks like it came straight off an old landscape couch in someone's musty basement.

Double Take. The colourwork and yarns used here are gorgeous, but I don't know about the shape of this piece. It lies so well, but that bottom edge looks so awkward and abbreviated, as though there should be more of the design. I'd like there to be more of this shawl or scarf.

Shawl Strategy. Very pretty and simple eyelet shawl.

Blue Phoenix. Very attractive, and the description promises that it will lay on the wearer's body much like a cardigan thanks to its shoulder and neck shaping.

Uppercut X2. Nice minimal sort of piece. The tunic length won't be for everyone (i.e., it will work much better on tall women than short ones), but it can be easily shortened if that's what the wearer wishes.

Uppercut X2. This kind of trapeze-shaped knit will look dowdy on most women. Even this model isn't able to carry it off.

Hill Country Cables. I rather like the fleece-backed scarf with pockets, which seems a rather handsome and practical piece to me, but I can't with the boot toppers, much less the little pom poms attached to it.

Woodland Patches. I think I might actually like this one if it were in a decent colourway, but the colour combination they've used here is so searingly awful that it's effectively blinded me to the vest's good qualities.

The Mysterious Case of the Amoebas and the Staircase and Other Knitting Fables

Cybil had always thought that if she were Scheherazade, she would enchant the Shah by mesmerizing him with her knitwear rather than by telling stories.

Marguerite and Barton liked to wear outfits that not only matched each other's but also evoked the brickwork, chrome, and black leather decor of their condo.

Rusty and Henrietta had no qualms about letting the world know about their poultry fetish cosplay.

Geraldine saw herself as an über mother, who knitted her own styling pantsuits and dragged her daughter Jemima to the top of mountaintops to show her what she could achieve while simultaneously looking fabulous. Her friends and family, who had repeatedly tried and failed to convince Geraldine to dial it back a little for pity's sake, had been secretly contributing to a therapy fund for Jemima for years.

Twyla had always had a fondness for the halcyon days of 1980s knitwear, when it was an unwritten rule that one must style one's hair in geometric shapes that coordinated with one's knitwear and jewelry.

Paulette, self-published author of many mystery novels, liked to knit whenever she was having problems with her current manuscript. This was the sweater she had produced while working on The Mysterious Case of the Amoebas and the Staircase, and she hardly knew which creation she was prouder of.

Errol felt one was never too old to enjoy the Harry Potter series. As he liked to explain to others, he still enjoyed it just as much as when he was a kid, but now he'd moved on to doing so in a very adult way -- that is, one with much more depth and nuance.

Alastair decided he need to stop inviting Errol to his backyard crafting cosplay events. Sure, Errol always kept to the letter of Alastair's rule that all guests must show up in costumes they had made themselves, but he always got the tone wrong.

Lena had hoped that wearing what was essentially a crafted lampshade on her head would help make her the life of Alastair's party, but here she was, a painfully shy wallflower yet again.

Melba decided to wear the costume she had created for her role as Nick Bottom in her women's college stage production of Midsummer Night's Dream to Alastair's party.

The History of Guerrilla Knitting: A Video

At the 24th Chaos Communication Congress that took place in Berlin, Germany in 2007, one of the speakers was Rose White, who gave a presentation on the history of guerrilla knitting. I've hesitated to post this video because White isn't the best speaker, and she gets some of her facts wrong (i.e., she claims knitting did not exist before the Renaissance, when knitting is currently believed to date from at least 800 A.D.), but she does have some interesting insights on the evolution of knitting from what she calls "proprietary knitting" to the kind of subversive and democratized knitting common today, and I found the video well worth a listen.

Interweave Knits Gifts 2015: A Review

Interweave Knits has released a special gifts issue in time for us to make things for the upcoming holidays. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Sugar & Spice Hat. Cute and cleverly worked out as to colour and design, if it is more my idea of a hat to wear when one is going out for a beverage and/or baked goods, rather than a hat to sport when one is baking at home.

Felted Entrelac Potholders. These potholders are not bad looking, and rather eye-catching, which is a good thing in an item with a diabolical ability to hide itself away just when one wants it. These could also be made in colours to match your kitchen.

Buck Jacket. This is rather a nice, wearable piece, though it deserved a less blah colourway.

Felted Snowmen Pillows. Way too kitschy and slapped together for my tastes.

Mega Aran Throw. Classic Aran afghan.

Lucky Hearts Pullover. Quite like this beaded child's sweater, which is very wearable and the kind of thing many a little girl would love, but I would leave off the beads that appear on the bottom hem, as they look to be a touch too much to me. I would also neaten up the fit through the bottom. I don't like to put very fitted clothes on a child, but I don't like putting them in things that fit like a tent either.

Bulky Waves Scarf. This is definitely a more attractive and graceful-looking warm piece to pair with a winter coat than the usual bulky knit rectangular scarf.

Sister Legwarmers. The stitchwork is pleasing enough, but I can't say I find such short legwarmers flattering or attractive on even these models' legs.

Sweet Little Cardigan. Pretty and classic child's sweater.

Alpaca Poncho. This isn't an unattractive piece at all, though it does look a little constrictive to wear. But then this woman also puts her books under glass, so perhaps she has some compartmentalization issues.

Compordach Mittens. Nice mittens. I like the idea of using a different colour for the lining. Little hidden touches like that do add something to the pleasure of using an item, even if the wearer is the only one who knows they are there.

Gotland Mittens. Pretty, but I wish they were more shaped. I can see why they aren't though, shaping the wrist would spoil the looks of the pattern.

Appliqué Mittens. I would have taken this idea steps farther by say, making the appliqués more decorative and better coordinated.

Ragg Convertible Mitts. I wish I'd been able to make my father a pair of these mitts back in the day when he was doing construction work and he was wearing a pair of mittens over a pair of gloves and would take the mitts off to do anything that required manual dexterity. Such mitts would perhaps have made his work days easier and they would have matched his socks.

Starflower mittens. So pretty!

Damask Mittens. The child's version is very cute, but the adult version looks a little too unfinished.

Olivia's Journey. Very nice!

Newfoundland Mittens. I get that the index finger makes these mittens more practical, but man do they ever look ridiculous and even a little disturbing.

Madder Mittens. Another very pretty pair of mittens.

Fancy Braid Mitts. Not a bad pair of fingerless mitts.

Trapper's Hat. I am sure this is quite warm and practical, but it does look more than a little silly, like something a hipster mushroom farmer would wear.

Badge Cowl. This is handsome, wearable piece.

Homestead Shawl. This is Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer, but at least she has better taste in knitwear than her husband. This is a rather nice understated piece, and would be a good project for a beginner.

Sampler Stole. When Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer goes out to inoculate the mushroom logs, she likes to throw an afghan on over her coveralls. She was dressing like a couch before it was cool.

Plain & Fancy Hat. Mr. Hipster Mushroom Farmer felt that being a good mushroom farmer meant being one with the mushrooms, which in turn meant dressing like one.

Winter Thyme Cowl. Mr. and Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer were generally mocked and shunned by their neighbours, but a few of them did deign to ask for Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer's lovely cowl pattern.

Lace Ribbon Scarf. I'm not sure I would care to wear this one. It's so literal a rendering of a ribbon that it would make me feel gift-wrapped.

Orchid Scarf. When Mr. and Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer decided to add start growing orchids as well as mushrooms, Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer made a lovely orchid scarf to commemorate the occasion and to help her dress the part. As their neighbours agreed, those hipsters might be unbearably pretentious and have a incomprehensible suspender fetish, but they did usually know their knitwear.

Lace Basket Scarf. This one's a bit rough-looking for my tastes.

Galax Shawl. The lovely shawl that Mrs. Hipster Mushroom Farmer made and donned in an effort to entice the hired man to run away with her and start a new life as owners of an ironic bowling alley.