Knitscene Summer 2018: A Review

Knitscene has released its Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Paca Bag. This is a nice-looking and well-constructed bag. I like the sturdy handle and the design's fresh take on a Peruvian bag aesthetic -- and check out those cute little alpaca motifs. I'd line it to help it keep its shape. As you can see, the bottom is sagging, and there probably isn't even anything in it.

Accented Socks. A smart-looking pair of socks.

Boardwalk Top. Quite like this one, which is polished, interesting, and wearable.

Coastal Dress. What I initially thought might be a bit of yellow in this dress's design was actually the model's bikini showing through it. This dress will make a cute beach cover-up but might not be so good for street wear due to its translucency. To be fair, the name and the styling indicate it's being positioned exactly that way.

Cube Socks. If Pablo Picasso had been a knitter, he might have knitted some fun socks just like these.

Driftwood Vest. I like the lacework in this piece, but the vest has a skimpy, extraneous look. It's not doing anything at all for the model's cute romper, and I can't quite imagine it adding anything much to any other outfit.

Escape Bag. I like the body of the bag, and I appreciate how well it's been lined and reinforced, but this style of strap, which we saw in the Puget Tote in last week's review of Knit.Wear Spring + Summer 2018, doesn't work with this bag -- the style, colour, and texture of the strap are all at odds with the bag. I can't see tote handles working either, given that drawstring top, so I'd turn this one into a backpack by adding straps and a top flap.

Jigsaw Top. Not bad. I can't help but feel there are better colourways for this top. That's not to say these colours don't work together, because they do, but a more subtle blend of colours could give the design more visual depth.

Pyrra Shawl. I like the combination of a traditional-style lace pattern and a contemporary-style stripe.

Ripple Tank. This isn't bad. I'm not a fan of dropped stitches or mullet hems, but both work fine here given that this tank is being used as a cover-up.

Sandbar Tank. This a fetching little piece. The tasselled ties at the shoulders are a nice touch. It's a young look, but then Knitscene is aimed at a young demographic. The bottom hem is ribbed, so this piece can be worn tucked in or left out.

Sandy Cardigan. This a nice airy cardigan that has a lovely lace pattern and that sits with the grace of a shawl.





Seashell Tank. The lacework on the front of this tank is FABULOUS, but I'm not so crazy about the back. I think I'd omit the lacing (and reshape the back accordingly), finish the back hem with the same edging as the front, and add a picot edging to the neckline and armholes.

Slide Pullover. Fresh and attractive colour blocking. It would be fun to pick out a colourway for this one.

Stacking Scarf. I kind of like the concept of this scarf, but can't help but feel it needed something other than a stretch of plain stockinette in the centre of it.





Tide Pool Top. This halter top design is spare and plain, but then it's supposed to be. It's really a perfect thing of its kind.

Tonquin Top. This is a nice-looking wrap, and it's reversible so the wearer won't have to struggle to keep it right side out.

Waves Tank. Another little beach coverup. I'd do something different with the edging on the neckline and armholes, as the neckline looks unfinished and the picot edging on the armholes looks a bit tatty. A simple rib would be fine. The lace on the hem is pretty.

Windows of Moss Stitch Socks. Quite like these. The moss stitch pattern and the simple contrast stripe and toe are all the detail these socks need, and the yarns chosen for this sample work together so well.

Knitty Spring + Summer 2018: A Review

Knitty has released its Spring + Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Collab. This cowl is so named because it was a collaboration between three of Knitty's technical editors. It has a pretty lace pattern and the gradient colourway is fun (but good luck finding a yarn that's at all similar -- it was hand-dyed and spun by one of the editors who worked on the project).

Charmayne Shawl. A pleasant little shawl.

Arashi. Lovely lacework in this one.

Cliff Walk. I like the contemporary vibe of the stripes in this one, though not the drab colourway.

Legetta Legetto. This is a beautiful piece of work, and it hangs so well.

Marigold. Nice socks. That's an interesting lace pattern.

Escape Reality. These are fun, and they'd be a great way to use up odds and ends of yarn.

Thriambus. Nice cabled ankle socks.

Pip. This item came into being when the designer was asked to design something with a cotton self-striping yarn. She came up with a pattern that is admirably suited for such a yarn, with a horizontally striped yoke and vertically striped body. The shaping is good, and the stitchwork is attractive.

Mila. I think this one would make me feel like I was wearing a beach bag. Maybe I'd like it better if the colour combination was more attractive.

April Showers. I'm not a fan of the open front cardigan -- they always look like they just don't fit, and I don't find it a flattering look -- but that said, this is a cute and well-constructed piece.

Clafoutis. I like the top part of this piece, but find myself unable to like the lower part of it. Those dropped stitch and unseamed panels have a tattered, bedraggled look.

Sea Turtle Stack. These little turtles are unqualifiably cute.

Cast On Spring 2018: A Review

In today's post we're going to have a look at Cast On's Spring 2018 issue.

Baby Bear Sweater. This has some good stitchwork, and I like the contrast buttons. I'd add a garter stitch trim to the hem and cuffs to make it look a little more finished.

Bead Stitch Blouse. Very attractive piece. The shaping is good and the lacy stitchwork is really beautiful.

Delia Baby Dress. This little dress has the look of a late Edwardian ladies dress -- can't you imagine one of the ladies of Downton Abbey wearing something similar? -- and yet it's quite wearable for a toddler of our day. This is so lovely I wish I knew a baby girl to make it for.





Dragon Cape. I think this piece is one I'd enjoy seeing on someone at, say, a fantasy conference as a part of some sort of Game of Thrones cosplay, but it would look odd in real life. The dragon illusion is inventive, and the dragon clasps are fabulous, but the cape has an awkwardly proportioned look, the join between the black yoke and the body of the garment looks rough, and the hem looks unfinished.

Draped Top. Oooh, I rather like this one, which has such great lines and hangs so beautifully. The scalloped hem and ruching at the neckline give it all the detail it needs. It is a little long. I'd be inclined to either shorten it to hip length or go all out and make a dress out of it that can be worn over a chemise-style underlayer.

Drummie Bees and Snowflakes. This isn't a bad pattern, but the gradient colourway isn't quite working.

Fleck Stitched Vest. Useful layering piece.

Illusion Argyle Scarf. This is a fun and contemporary take on the argyle scarf. I'd add a fringe to the ends.

Lace Butterfly Halter. The straps of this look a little too on the thin and insubstantial side for my liking. I'd make them at least a little thicker. They look like I-cord. I'd consider braiding three I-cords together to make the straps, or perhaps crocheting the I-cord into a thicker chain.

Little Dancer Ruched Jumper. I quite like this one, but I can't help feeling it would look better with sleeves in a stockinette and ruched stitch to match the skirt. That's not to say it isn't perfectly wearable and attractive as is, and happily I do know two little girls who are of an age to wear it.

Little Rosebud Aran. I'd fix the awkward-looking dropped shoulders and go with a ribbing at the neckline which, if made deep enough, would also eliminate the problematic cable ends at the centre front.

Mayfair Cardigan. A really lovely piece.

Peek-a-Boo Skirt and Top. This would be a cute little ensemble for a little girl (it is also sized to adult's extra small and small). I'd do it in a fun colour as this one's a little blah.

Physician's Sweater. This design, which incorporates the DNA strand and the caduceus, is elegantly rendered, but I can't help feeling that it's a little too gimmicky to appeal to an actual physician as clothing. As an editor, it amuses me to imagine a version of this sweater with a delete mark on it, but I wouldn't wear it.

Rose Gold Hoodie. This has a rather shapeless, flimsy look.

Springtime Illusion Washcloths. These look a little rough and ready to me, but then I'm a hard sell on knitted dishcloths as I can't bear using them. But I know lots of people do love knitted dishcloths, and as the pattern descriptions says, this would be a good way to practice illusion knitting.

Summer Shoulder Shawl. An attractive little wrap.

Turicum Shawl. This is a fun, contemporary piece.

Two-Color Cable Top. Nice design. I don't happen to think the colours used here does much for it, but it would be fun to come up with one's own colourway for this one.

Whirlwind Barn Quilt Hat. According to the designer of this hat, "[o]ver the past few years, large painted quilt squares have appeared on barns, houses, and commercial buildings in northern Vermont. Barn Quilt Trails are rapidly developing and can now be found in many parts of the country." That does sound like a fun direction for an outdoor art installation, and reminds me of a news item I read some years back in which a woman painted her car to look like a giant crazy quilt using bottles of nail polish. Quilting is such an art that there's certainly no reason why the quilting aesthetic should be confined to just one medium. This hat was inspired by Vermont's quilt square art, and it's an attractive and wearable piece.