Cast On Summer 2018: A Review

Cast On has released their Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Angelic. Love the texture, but that oversized and cropped shape is a difficult one to carry off.

Baby Butterfly Duster. The designer of this piece writes that she created the design because she needed a long cardigan to wear over her sleeveless dresses in summer. It does look like a useful piece, and its good texture and back pleat give it some style.

Bow Knot Pillow. This isn't bad. I think those decorative bows would get on my nerves if I tried to rest my head on this, but realistically this throw pillow is going to be almost entirely decorative. I'd make it in a more interesting yarn.

Camilla. This has beautiful stitchwork. I'd be inclined to scoop the neckline out a little more to rid this top of its slightly prim air.

Chase Cardigan. Pretty basic but quite serviceable and presentable. I'd make this so that the front edges overlap in order to get rid of that gap between them, because gaps between the front edges always make for an awkward, "too small" look.

Comet. Here we have the cover look, and it's a very eye-catching and Art Deco-esque piece.

Drunken Snakes. A classic cable and garter scarf.

Fall Cowlette. This isn't bad. I feel like this project needs a different colour palette, as those twisting leaves look more like shooting flames to me.

Faux Sheepskin Pillow. This is actually a fair rendering of a sheepskin-style cushion. And I can imagine it feeling comfy too, depending on what yarn one chose.

First Saturday (for Daughters). This is not a bad little dress. I would argue that the colour scheme isn't doing it any favours, though, and that the rosebuds on the bodice should be on the front of the dress, not the back.

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First Saturday (for Moms). The lines of this sheath are beautiful, but I'd nix the rosebuds entirely, as they seem too cutesy for a grown woman's dress. If you'd like to ornament this dress, I'd try some sort of duplicate stitch design around the hem and neckline, or doing the dress in a more interesting yarn.

Fishing in France. Here we have another take on the classic Breton sweater. It's not bad.

Honeycomb Pullover. Classic honeycomb design pullover.

Leaves of Cordia. Very attractive pair of socks. And this photo is a welcome burst of colour -- so far this issue has been in subdued tones.

Lorelei Clutch. I like this from the outside, but I wish there were more pictures, as I have questions as to how this clutch is lined and whether it would keep its shape when held as one holds a clutch. If it folds over limply when held vertically or sags out of shape whenever anything is put inside it, it wouldn't work too well as a clutch purse.

Miss Nancy's Necklace. This doesn't look so much like actual jewelry as it looks like an embellishment for a knitted sweater that decided to make a stealth attempt at strangling its wearer.

Summer Lace Boxy Top. Not a bad little top. The wearer will probably want to wear it over another piece, so it's worth thinking about whether she'll want to wear layers in summer weather.

Tea Roses. These are very well-rendered leaves and rosebuds -- I've never seen any I liked better.

Ultra Wide Mock Cable Pullover. Very much like this one, which is truly striking and unique take on a cable front pullover.

West Village Cardigan. Not bad. The stitchwork is interesting. I'd widen the neckline edging and make the front button and buttonholes bands a little narrower.

Zig Zag Redux Socks. A very nice pair of chevron socks.

Pom Pom Quarterly Summer 2018: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly has released its Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Anni. I like the stitchwork, neckline and sleeve edging, and colour palette, but this cropped boxy shape is going to be unflattering on most women.

Bayadere. The combination of three similarly coloured yarns, thin stripes, and garter stitch ridges on stockinette lend this pullover a surprisingly sophisticated and interesting effect.

Deauville. A simple, wearable, and not uninteresting piece for summer. That may sound like damning with faint praise, but it really isn't. It is so useful to have pieces of clothing that are simple enough to go with lots of other pieces, and yet have little details or design twists that keep them from being bland.

Herrera. I love the fantastic curving central stripe on this top, but I don't love the sad sack shape.

Judoka. This little tote bag is so very clever and visually striking. I suppose it wouldn't hold much, being only knitted and unlined, but it's such a treat to look at I almost don't care. And the styling in this photo is incredible, because the bag is the perfect finishing accessory for that supercute striped dress. If a woman passed me on the street in this smashing outfit I couldn't not notice her. I'd sneak at least several looks at her ensemble, and take mental notes.

Leiden. This isn't bad. I like the overall concept, with its Art Deco feel. I liked it better before I took a close look at it, because the stitchwork looks rough in spots.

Macklin. An understated contemporary wrap.

Nasreen. This one's rather fun in terms of its rhythmic visual curves, but this would likely be a difficult shape to carry off.

Riley. Ooh, nice. I like the subtle effect of the two similar shades and the overall design, with the framing effect created by the change of direction in the front panel. My one nitpick is that I'd neaten up the fit a bit, though this slightly oversized fit is fine too.

Tarmac. The combination of a cream and a charcoal yarn combined with a subtly two-toned I-cord trim is visually appealing, but I can't sign off on the shape of this tank top. It's going to look sloppy and unflattering on most women.

Vasarely. Another attractive contemporary-style wrap.

Twist Collective May 2018: A Review

In today's post we're going to have a look at Twist Collective's May issue.

Sway. This unstructured, minimalist piece is not my kind of design, but I have to admit that that it seems to hang fairly well (important, because how much time is the wearer going to spend clutching it about herself?) and that the play of colour is visually interesting.

Gloxinia. A fabulous piece of lacework.

Petrina. A simple summer or layering piece with just enough detail to make it interesting.

Chilston. Another exquisite lace shawl.

Esplanade. This one is fun and smart and sporty, and very wearable.

Montpelier. Another beautiful shawl, with a modern twist in its stripe pattern. I'm not too thrilled with this colour palette (I think it's the yellow, which I'd replace with damn near any other colour), but that's easily corrected.

Prickly Pear. This has an unfinished and ill-fitting look. Finishing the edges would help it sit better at the bottom, and it could probably do with some waist-shaping.

Harlow. I particularly like this one. The stitchwork on the front has an Art Deco-like appeal.

Allium. Not bad. I think this is one I'd do in a more interesting yarn.

MacGregor. Nice piece. I like all the detail around the edges and up the sides. I think I'd fix those dropped shoulders though, which would both make the shoulders more flattering and neaten up the fit a bit.

Delphic Grove. The stitchwork in this wrap is gorgeous, and it drapes beautifully.

Bette. This one's a simple, wearable piece, though I think I'd neaten up the fit a bit. The edgings and the back buttoned style give it a bit of interest.

Talaitha. A fourth beautiful shawl. This one reminds me of an Edwardian chemise, probably because of the combination of white and eyelets.

Sunapee. This well-shaped and nicely detailed, and the split lace sleeves are interesting, though I'm not sure how wearable they'd prove. For me at least -- the one time I made a dress with split cap sleeves, I wound up stitching them together because I couldn't stand them flapping limply about and showing the wrong side of the fabric. These are split on the bottom, don't show their wrong side, and seem to hang pretty well, so I think they are pretty workable.

Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2018: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Spring/Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it. Unfortunately I won't be able to link to the Ravelry page for each design as I normally do, because as of this writing, only two of the patterns have Ravelry pages.

Pattern #1. This has some impressive stitchwork in it, but the lines of it are not all that flattering or practical.

Pattern #2. Some quite distinctive detailing on this. I'm not sure I care for the rolled effect on the armhole though, or the way the v-neck is finished. I'd be inclined to edge them both with garter stitch to match the bottom hem edging.

Pattern #3. A very nice lacy pullover for summer. I'm imagining this one in a selection of bright, fresh colours or pure white, as this dull oatmeal is doing the design no favours.

Pattern #4. This has a slightly askew, frumpy look. Fixing the dropped shoulders might help somewhat.

Pattern #5. The combination of the romantic, almost Edwardian front with the daring bared back really works, and the varied, yet beautifully integrated stitchwork in this is fantastic.

Pattern #6. This isn't bad. The pattern is attractive, and the little scarf effect is an interesting contemporary touch.

Pattern #7. Really eye-catching and attractive play of colour and pattern here. I'd want to keep going and make an afghan of this. Which is not to say, as I sometimes do, that this wrap would look better on a couch. It's so cool it would work both on a person and on a couch.

Pattern #8. A rather clever and sporty tee.

Pattern #9. A simple tank with its interest lying in the fact that it's knitted in a plush yarn. It would look better if it were slightly neater fitting.

Pattern #10. A very simple yet fetching piece.

Pattern #11. I'm not a big fan of the slit sleeve, but I must admit these sit well and it wouldn't be the same piece if the sleeves were made whole. I would make the body a little longer and slightly neater fitting.

Pattern #12, Cable Tank. This is one of those designs that grew on me as I looked at it. I like the laddering at the sides and the simple cable detailing. I suspect most women won't care to wear such a deep neckline, especially when this is a piece that will require a strapless bra, but that's easily corrected.

Pattern #13. Oooh, this shaped ribbed sleeveless dress is simple and flattering and classic. I would totally wear this.

Pattern #14. A well-shaped mesh tunic. Though the "what a bee threw up after overdosing on a lilac bush"-coloured yarn wasn't a particularly happy choice.

Pattern #15. A lovely wrap. The detail on the edging is fantastic.

Pattern #16. Another very attractive wrap.

Pattern #17, Garter and Lace Shawl. And here's the cover item. Such lovely contemporary-style lacework.