Interweave Knits Summer 2013: A Review

There's been a dearth of new knitting magazine issues for me to review lately, but now the Interweave Knits, Creative Knitting, and Knit n' Style Summer 2013 issues are out. Let's have a look at the Interweave Knits Summer 2013 issue patterns first, shall we?





Quite like the Albers Pullover. It's the classic nautical cotton sweater for summer, but with a bit of a modern twist that makes it a bit distinctive.





Can't say I'm a fan of the Crosstrees Cardigan. The designer tried to add some interesting touches to the basic man's shawl-collared cardigan, but they're just sort of there without really adding anything to the design. They look like the result of a beginning, and frugal, knitter's attempt to piece out not quite enough yarn with a second colour.





The Bowsprit Cardigan is a good design based on a fairly simple innovation and attention to detail: the ribbed stripes transition to stockinette stitch with a row of yarn overs, which give it a lacy effect, the shape of the sweater is good, and the edges are so carefully finished.





The Regatta Tee is not a bad little top, though I can't say I think the reverse seams are working on this design. The pattern description claims it adds "texture to the body", but I think it just makes it look like the top is inside out.





Quite like the interesting back detail and simple, flattering shape of the Admiral's Knot Halter.





The Charleston Tee is a very carefully finished design with its puffed sleeves, picot edgings and waist shaping, but I can't say it's the most interesting one. If you like the shape, this pattern may be a good way to showcase a gorgeous yarn, such as something hand-dyed, that can stand on its own.





On the Harlow Tank, the collar and the ribbed tank underneath it just aren't working together that well; the collar is too much drama on such a simple foundation. It's like putting a dramatic curved marble staircase up to the front door of a three bedroom semi-detached.





Wendy's Pullover is rather a cute little vintage-style design, though this colour combination does look little dreary.





The Colonnade Jacket is a lovely design overall (love the back of the neck and cuff details), but those curling edges from at cuffs and hem are detracting and making it looking unfinished. Such an elegant design calls for careful finishing.





I have no fault to find with the Shetland Skirt design. It's fitted and lies flat through the waist and hips as a knitted skirt should, the shape is good, and the lace gores are lovely. But I am at a loss as to why it was styled so badly. Why on earth was it paired with a baggy tank top layered over another tank top and a chiffon underskirt? Was it the end of a long and exhausting day's shoot, and did the stylist just grab whatever items were lying on the floor of the wardrobe room, throw them at the model and call it a day?





This one's the Nova Cardigan. I'm not a fan of the draped front cardigan, which tend to droop rather than drape. Droopy clothes are never flattering. This design is definitely straying over the border into Droopyville, which is a shame as the lacy back design is pretty good and deserved better.





You won't have any difficulties in getting the White Owl Shawl to sit properly on you, because it is shaped to lie one particular way. I would have wanted the front ends to be a little shorter for practicality and safety's sake, but it is an attractive and dramatic shawl as is.





With mesh sweaters such as the Stonecutter Sweater, I can never can get past the whole sports jersey/shopping bag association, and plain knitted mesh always looks a little crude to me. The shaping is good at least. I do love a ballet neckline.





The Open Eye Tunic is one of those designs I have to struggle to be fair to, because although it is not at all to my personal taste I don't think it is objectively a bad design. Lace side draping can look graceful and dramatic on some women, and this tunic has a good shape and a pretty shell pattern lace design. I like the idea of this tunic worn over a silk or satin underdress the same length as the bottom of the side draping. I will say, though, that the mesh-like stitch used for the side drapes does look really rough.





The Ladder Tank employs another rather rough-looking stitch pattern, and you just know it's going to catch on everything.





The Meadowsweet Hat is a simple, wearable hat.





The Midsummer Aran is really lovely. The shape is great, I love that curved v-neck, and I love the innovative cabled diamond pattern in the front. If you want to use mesh stitch and ladder stitches in a garment, this is how you do it: by employing them sparingly, because they don't seem to work well for a garment design when expected to stand entirely on their own.





Quite like the Fern Tank pattern, with its simple, pretty collar attached to a simple, pretty tank. The back view may need a little work though; the way that collar is rolling or standing away from the body of the tank isn't doing it any favours.





Can't say I think the Hemstich Camisole is a successful design. The shape is going to be just plain unkind to most women's figures, I don't think most women really want to contend with three straps on each shoulder (two from the top, one from your bra) and that front panel looks for all the world like a bib. Moreover, this a summer top knitted in... mohair. This is a top that can look rather fetching on a professionally styled model, but is going to be problematic wearing for many women in every day life.





I actually rather like this Tahiti Dolman. It looks to me like a shawl alternative, an little extra lacy layer to throw on that will stay put. The dolman style sleeves aren't going to be flattering to everyone so make sure you find out whether it suits you before you make one for yourself.





The Sundry Tank doesn't have much to recommend it. The elongated lines and unfinished-looking bottom hem just seem to drag it down, and the dreary colour combination doesn't help. The point at which the straps are connected to the back neckline looks terrible, like it was safety-pinned together. Overall, it's got a homemade and cobbled-together look rather than a handmade look. Given that the photo was also taken against the backdrop of a rustic-looking bedroom, this piece looks like a movie costume for a character called Lurlene, who decides to leave her mountain home to go pursue stardom. She'll get a makeover in Nashville. Sadly for Lurlene, her new look will involve a lot of spangles and fringe and won't be much of an improvement.

Too Cool Stools

If you like the look of knitted furniture, you might like to take a look at the work of Claire-Anne O'Brien, an Irish textile designer who lives and works in London, and whose furniture designs are basically useable knitted sculptures the visual interest of which will outstrip any couch you could possibly buy.




Of course, as an avid knitter, I'm trying to figure out how they could be replicated. I don't think the average hand-knitter could make an exact copy of these pieces at home because they're at least partly machinery made, but you could probably achieve something along these lines with pre-made furniture legs, a sturdy piece of plywood, and padding. Just be prepared to knit many metres of knitted tubes, because it'll take a lot to create that interlaced effect. If it's too complicated and you don't see your way to laying out, say, €480.00 plus shipping for a Claire-Anne O'Brien stool, you could always stick to making a pouf.

Knitting Imitates Life Forms

If the handcrafted bouquets I posted about yesterday weren't realistic enough for your taste, you might like to check out the work of American artist Tatyana Yanishevsky, whose specializes in knitting and crocheting replicas of items from the natural world. The hibiscus above is one of the pieces from her stunning Knit Garden exhibit.





Yanishevsky's other collections are well worth a look too. Above is the "Cavernous Rage" piece from the Rupture collection of exploding anthers. This exploded anther has an inner red and blue glow that can be switched on and off with a pull cord.

Yanashevsky's other collections are the Human exhibit, which features a knitted heart and lungs rigged with a repeat cycle timer that makes them inflate and deflate, and All Hung Up (aquatic life forms) and Spikes and Spheres (what it says on the tin).

Say It With Knitted Flowers

If you're a crafty bride, or love one who appreciates handmade things and could use some help with her wedding preparations, one DIY wedding planning option is to knit bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids instead of buying fresh floral bouquets. It will cost less, and a yarn bouquet is not only guaranteed not to wilt while the bridal pair are pledging their eternal love, but can be kept as long as desired. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but realistically the odds are the bouquet will last longer than the marriage, like a cross-stitch piece I saw at Value Village last year that depicted pink roses and ribbons and blue birds and featured the words, "James and Amy, United in Love, August 16, 2003". Do you suppose James and Amy got tired of the cross-stitch or that they are no longer united in love? The lesson learned here is that cross-stitch projects, like tattoos, should never include names.

Two good sources for patterns are Lesley Stanfield's 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: A Collection of Beautiful Blooms for Embellishing Garments, Accessories, and More and Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers and Crocheted Flowers. The knitted tulips above were made by Ravelry user sehepworth, employing a pattern from Lesley Stanfield's book.





The Stanfield and Epstein books offer patterns for individual flowers, such as this morning glory, lavender, and rose, and some aren't shown with stems. To make a bouquet you'll have to make and attach stems (which is just a matter of running florist's wire into some I-cord) and envision your own arrangement and colourway.





I must admit that when researching this post, the best yarn bouquets I came across were all crocheted. Crochet seems to lend itself to floral designs better than knitting does — the knitted flowers I found tended to look rather lumpy and shapeless. If you crochet at all, you might want to go with a crocheted bouquet, or mix the two techniques, as did the maker of the tulips pictured at the top of this post (the leaves are crocheted). The red crocheted roses above were made by Etsy vendor Suili, the calla lily bouquet was made from a pattern from Epstein's Crocheted Flowers, the crocheted pink rose bouquet is a Red Heart pattern, and the crocheted carnations were made by the blogger at Sue's Favourite Things.

I wouldn't toss such a bouquet to your single female guests, though. Women who don't care one bit about getting married might not be so blasé about the chance to score a handmade floral arrangement, and the resulting melee might be a bit unsightly.

Gran Knits

Gran, from the 1983 British stop motion animated series Gran, invents a new kind of central heating.

Yarn Bowling

Since I began researching and writing for this blog, I've been seeing and reading about yarn bowls, those little slotted ceramic bowls that are designed to hold and dispense your yarn while you knit. Many of those for sale are handmade, and very lovely, desirable objects in their own right, but I doubt I'll ever be buying one for myself. Granted, I haven't tried using one, and perhaps they have attributes I'm not aware of (they're supposed to prevent the ball from tangling and rolling), but I can't see how they'd be practical for me. Most of my knitting is done on the TTC or in bed during my evenings in while I watch TV (I watch TV as an excuse to knit), and in either of those scenarios there's no available surface on which I could safely place a yarn bowl. Yes, my yarn balls do tend to roll onto the floor, but I'd rather pick up a ball of yarn and dust it off than weep bitter tears at the sight of a shattered handmade stoneware bowl... and then pick up the ball of yarn and dust it off. Then there's the fact that those round bowls will only hold a ball of yarn, not an elongated skein, and I don't bother winding new skeins of yarn into balls unless there's some reason it's absolutely necessary.

Ultimately, they're just too frivolous for me, the kind of thing my grandmother, who kept a house and a farm, raised her five children (and a lot of poultry), and knitted many an item during the Depression, all with the aid of a wood-burning stove, oil lamps, an outdoor water pump, and an outhouse, would have called "a pack of silliness". But then let it be said that Grandma Swan never thought it mattered how things looked as long as one was clean, neat, and mended, and was always one to patch the seat of her decades-old housedresses until the end of her days in 1993, so I try not to let her rock-bottom brand of practicality influence me too much. Need is too nebulous a construct to base one's purchasing decision on; I decide whether to buy things based on how much I'll use and enjoy them. So I would buy a yarn bowl if I really thought it would enhance the way I knit, but since it probably won't, I'll have to subvert my handmade stoneware lust into buying some tableware or something.

If you think you're the type of knitter a yarn bowl will work for, let me indulge in a little vicarious stoneware fun by showing you some pretty ones. The whimsical birdie stoneware bowl pictured above is from Uncommon Goods.





It may just be my love of turquoise talking, but this yarn bowl from Etsy vendor OCPottery is a feast for the eyes.





The Mud Place offers yarn bowls with pertinent text incorporated into the design — they also have "Purl" and "Knit" bowls.





If the words in the yarn bowls above are too generic for you, you can have a yarn bowl custom made and ask to have your name incorporated into the design, as Little Wren Pottery does for its customers.





As the owner of a white cat with a yarn fetish, I find this cat yarn bowl from Etsy vendor Heidi very funny if slightly disturbing.