Bergère de France Fils d'exception 20 modèles femme: A Review

Bergère de France has released an issue entitled "Fils d'exception 20 modèles femme", or in my best English translation thereof, "Exceptional Yarn: 20 Patterns for Women". Let's have a look at these twenty patterns rendered in exceptional yarn, shall we?

Pattern 01. Classic cabled pullover, knitted in silk.

Pattern 02. Pullover in a lattice-like lace pattern. Nice looking piece.

Pattern 03. Very attractive piece. The lace work across the shoulders and sleeves really sets what would otherwise be a dead simple cardigan apart.

Pattern 04. A tee with a placket. A very simple but very flattering, wearable, useful piece.

Pattern 05. This cabled cardigan is really chic, like the Chanel jacket of cabled sweaters. The slightly cropped length would be difficult for some to carry off, but could always be lengthened a bit.

Pattern 06. Classic cabled hat and scarf set.

Pattern 07. I'm pretty sure this drape front cardigan would look draggled and sad on anyone but a French model.

Pattern 08. Pourquoi the black stripe with the pointless buttons on it, Bergère de France? It's not adding anything. This sweater did need some more detail, but not that particular one.

Pattern 09. Only the French could make cables look chic. The ballet neckline and the full-fashioned sleeves take this piece to the right level for pairing it with a classic pencil skirt and leather handbag.

Pattern 10. Beautiful colour and pattern, but I would be inclined to let my couch wear this piece instead of me.

Pattern 11. If this piece were more fitted, it might work, but as it is it's making even the model look like a bloated loaf of bread.

Pattern 12. Another smart little jacket, with some really exceptional stitchwork.

Pattern 13. Loving the stitchwork here. This looks like the ultimate in cozy sweaters.

Pattern 14. What a gorgeous scarf. That floral pattern is just amazing.

Pattern 15. I'm on the fence about this one. It's not the kind of thing that appeals to me normally, but it definitely has a certain drama and style, and someone tall who wore it with a fitted skirt or trousers could probably carry it off. It definitely could have used a finishing detail at the neck, and by finishing detail I don't mean that off-centre tie, which looks like an end that should have been darned in.

Pattern 16. A slightly too simple wrap sweater. I'd add a picot edging to the neckline, sleeves, and bottom hem.

Pattern 17. Can't say I care much for this scarf. The very elongated stitchwork looks off-scale. Styling a heavy winter scarf with a summer dress didn't help.

Pattern 18. A wrap with a shawl-collar. I can't think of anything positive to say about this awkward and unflattering piece except that one would always know when it was right side up.

Pattern 19. I wish I could see this one better, but what I can see isn't too impressive. The collar is sad-looking, the sleeves have an unfortunate bell shape and stretched-out look, and the whole thing looks awkward, bulky, and unflattering.

Pattern 20. Cute and nicely polished little capelet. The ruffled edging adds a lot.

An Interview With Kaffe Fassett

In this 35 minute interview, Kaffe Fassett talks about how he became a knitwear designer in the 1960s and muses about the appeal of knitting.

The Crochet Crusades and Other Knitting Fables

Sometimes when Ali got stuck for a design concept, she gave her cat a bunch of yarn to play with and hair sprayed the result.

Frederica saw no reason why she shouldn't embrace her love of classic Chanel styles and patchwork quilts at the same time.

Troy, a museum curator, made a sort of hobby of creating historical textile pieces for the alternate universe he had created in his mind. He felt that his concept of armour for the Crochet Crusades was likely to prove his masterpiece.

Isabelle, a busy woman, saved time by simultaneously rehearsing for her dance recitals and knitting Christmas presents.

Brook had finally realized his vision of the perfect rave outfit, but felt it was all for nothing because he couldn't get his right sock to stay up.

Raoul's sperm sweater was one of the most acclaimed entries in the Male Pride Fashion Show.

When Timothea's design class instructor criticized her designs for being "too tube-like" and "structurally lacking", Timothea dutifully added curves and structure to her next design, only to receive a bewildering and terse "see me after class" comment from the instructor.

Rex was very proud of his new swim sweater, though he thought he could have done better at coordinating it with his Speedos. However, he reminded himself, with the right hair, one can get away with such minor sartorial missteps.

When Phillipa decided she'd missed her true calling of becoming a dental hygienist but wanted to finish out her last year of design school for the sake of finishing what she'd started, she decided that, rather than design a year-end project from scratch, she could just get creative with whatever swatches and half-finished projects she had lying around her dorm room.

There comes a point in many a model's life at which the model realizes that no amount of money makes it worth appearing in public in bizarre crap, and when Sullivan found himself on a runway in fishnet stockings and a sweater made out of steering wheel covers while being half-blinded by camera flashes, he realized he'd zoomed right past that point.

Creative Knitting Autumn 2015: A Review

Creative Knitting has released their Autumn 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Zig Your Zag Hats & Mitts. The hat is super cute, but I can't say I care for that (slipped stitch?) effect used in the mitts. I'd just use the stripe pattern used in the hat.

Cable & Rib Romper. Nice texture!

Morning Glory Hoodie. A little too plain and undistinguished for my liking.

Baby blanket. Looks soft and cushy.

Sweetly Stripes sweater. Cute, and a great way to use up those odds and ends of yarn.

Woodland Sprite. I've seen better-shaped knit dolls, but this is cute and looks cuddly and any small child would be glad to have it.

Knitted from the inside out afghan. Eyecatching and attractive, with an interesting construction.

Mix and Match Charity Hat. Very simple, but then it's designed specifically to be used for charitable efforts, and it's just as well to keep such an item simple and useful so the knitter can concentrate on volume.

Chain Link Tee. This design is very seventies-era homemaker magazine. No, that's not a good thing.

Fallingwater sweater. Not a bad piece. I'd make the shoulders a little narrower and the piece a bit shorter.

Outerbanks tank. Not bad on the whole. I rather like the vertical lines and the stitchwork. I think I'm even on board with the pieced hem effect in front, but I see a mullet hem in the back, and I definitely can't go for that.

Cable and Lattice sweater. Nice stitchwork and the shaping is okay. Those short sleeves look awkward to me, but that's easily corrected if you feel the same.

Painted Desert Design. Neither attractive nor flattering. Those raised ridges look just plain lumpy.

San Francisco Blues. Rather pretty. I don't think I'd layer a long sleeved t-shirt underneath it. This looks like a summery piece to me.

Boneset Vest. Rather pretty stitchwork, and the style is serviceable enough.

Briarcliff. Not a bad piece. The stripes are very well-designed and this drapes quite well. I would fix the dropped shoulder, though.

Crossing Paths. Classic celtic knot with ribs design. For the woman's version, I'd fix the dropped shoulders, add waist shaping, and neaten up the fit a bit.

Falling Leaves. Quite a pretty and striking design. I'm imagining this done in cream and variegated green yarns.

Hudson Valley Tunic. Asymmetrical graphic designs should be actually designed, not merely mismatched. This presents like a slapdash project made by someone who simply couldn't be bothered matching the patterns at the seams.

Pine Meadow jacket. Cute little jacket, and the intricate pattern on the body gets even more beautiful the longer I look at it.

Sleepy Hollow shawl. Nicely textured wrap.

Warwick Clochet & Mitts. Polished-looking hat and mitts.