Creative Knitting has released their Spring 2015 issue just in time for Christmas. Let's have a look at it, shall we?
The Reedy Creek Wrap. Not bad at all. The stitchwork is good and the use of I-cord for trim and ruching is interesting.
Colette Hat and Mittens Set. Cute set.
Breezy Mesh Vest. All I can say is that this looks like an innovative way to carry your shopping bags to the grocery store.
Butterscotch Topping. This is more than a little twee, but then the twee among us need knitting projects and clothes too. I would narrow the shape through the hips by several inches though, because it's too full and flaring for flattery as is.
Lavender Lace. I'm not against the idea of a sheer mohair top on principle (it could be a good layering alternative for those of us who can't be bothered to fuss with a shawl), but I don't care for this one in particular. I'd make such a top seamless and in a relaxed fit rather than as oversized as it is here.
Meshy Tee. Creative Knitting put this one on the cover, and I can't imagine why, as it's one of the worst designs in this issue. The shape of this top would make almost any woman look dumpy and frumpy. Even this professional model isn't quite getting away with it.
Mimosa Pullover. Nice, simple lace top overall, but I'd definitely neaten up the fit.
Spring Rain. This is... okay. It's nothing special design-wise, but it is wearable and attractive enough. I think I'd like it more if it were styled better. I'd put it over a spaghetti-strap tank, because layering it over a long sleeved t-shirt looks silly and dowdy.
Candy Sprinkles. My eyes. Both the colourwork and the stitchwork used here are awful. I can't help but think "Candy Sprinkles" was the marketing team's suggested replacement for this design's actual working name of "Rainbow Brite Vomit".
Cushioned Delight. These garter stitch pillows are as basic as it gets, but they're useable and attractive enough. Use a beautiful, cuddly yarn in your favourite colour for these and you'll enjoy the result quite a lot.
Diagonal Play Mat. I can't imagine a child would actually play on this for very long. Because, you know, small children and babies old enough to crawl tend to move around rather a lot. At any rate it's not a bad simple mat for the laundry room or bathroom. A dollar store grip mat placed underneath should keep it safely in place on a tile or linoleum floor.
Happy Baskets. The suggested use for these is to store yarn or children's toys. I can't think of anything else that would be light enough to not stretch these baskets terribly. I suppose they could work in a craft room, or hung on a towel rack installed on the inside of a closet door in a child's room.
Helical Mat. Nice, simple little mat.
Virgo Cloths. These just look cheesy.
Simply Washcloths. Cute. They really do look like something you'd see at a luxury spa.
Canyon Cowl. Pretty with a certain grace.
Previse Cowl. This looks a little like one of those draftstopping snakes people put across the bottom of doorways came to life and strangled its owner.
Quickie Mesh Cowl. Rather pretty.
Stella Cowl. I think might suggest the use of ribbons rather than the I-cord, which looks a little too coarse. Otherwise it's a pretty design.
Wildling Cowl. Very pretty. The colours are lovely.
2-Hour Tech Tote. Very home ec class. And even in home ec, this would probably only earn a grade of C-.
Happy Essentials. This is rather too cheesy and boho as is, but the colours and stitchwork are interesting and I would like to see them reworked into a better shaped and more carefully finished purse design.
Littleton. Quite like this purse design, though I would use a different yarn for it. This yarn is a little too tutti frutti for any female older than six.
Rhea Capelet. Very pretty!
Shimmered Simplicity. I like this scarf on the whole, but I do very much dislike the crude method used to create the "keyhole". I'd figure out some other less obtrusive method or just make this as a basic scarf.
Synergy. This looks slapped together, like a amateurish scrap yarn project, but it might work better with a more effective colour scheme.
Teasing Texture. Cute, fun scarf for casual wear.
, by Theressa Silver. Hats, as many of you will know, used to be an expected part of every properly attired woman's ensemble. My mother wore hats and gloves routinely as young woman in the late fifties and early sixties, though she was able to lay both aside more and more often as the years passed. She tells me that church was the last bastion of hat-wearing, but during the seventies women gradually ceased to wear hats even there, with the exception of a few die-hard conservatives who went determinedly hatted for the rest of their days. (Grandma Swan, I'm thinking of you.) My mother was not one of those clutching a hat in reactionary, gloved fingers. She says, "I was so glad when they went out. Hats never looked good on me and I don't like them." As far back as my memory goes, my mother has only worn knitted hats in cold weather. Thinking of that, I can't regret that hat wearing is now voluntary. Grace Mirabella, who was editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine from 1971 to 1988, wrote in her memoir In and Out of Vogue that at one point she faced much pressure to feature hats in Vogue and refused to do so, because she was another hat refusenik and felt it would be regressive and not at all in line with her ideal of low-maintenance modern style. I agree with Mirabella's larger point. God knows women are subjected to enough societal pressure when it comes to their appearances as it is. 
