Noro Magazine Issue 4: A Review

As of today's review post, I'm adding a new magazine to the roster of knitting magazines that I review, Noro Magazine. It's a fairly new publication that has only reached its fourth issue. I ought to have been reviewing it from the very beginning as it launched after this blog did, but although I was dimly aware of it I never got around to looking into doing so until recently. Incidentally, if there is a knitting magazine out there that you would like me to start reviewing, feel free to post a comment or send me an email suggesting I do so. Just keep in mind that the proposed magazine will need to offer online preview pictures of its patterns if I'm to review them. There are several knitting magazines that I can't review for this reason, and I recently had to stop reviewing the former Knit n' Style because when it restyled itself as Knit Style it ceased to publish a full set of preview photos online.

Now, to the review of Noro Magazine. As you might expect from a knitting magazine produced by a yarn company, the focus is on showcasing (and, er, selling) the yarn rather than on design, and given that rich colours are Noro's trademark, we're looking at a photo shoot characterized by colour and what I can only call a "high street boho" kind of styling.

This is the Teardrop Vest. This is rather bulky and shapeless and would look kitschy and odd on most women.

The Cold Shoulder Pullover. I actually kind of like the shoulder cut-outs here — they give an otherwise standard shoulder a bit of sass — but the pattern combined with the colour combination is a little too afghan-like. I'd make this sweater in another yarn that didn't have that striped effect.

The Drop Shoulder Tee. This piece is on the bulky and shapeless side as well, but I suppose, like the Teardrop Vest above, it could work on the right woman, such as an art teacher whose clothes are more about colour and concept than about style or practicality. And there's nothing wrong with that — people who dress that way are always fun to have around because they're so visually interesting.

The Double Eyelet Tee. This is an adequate little summer top. The shaping could be a little better, but it has a fun, fresh look to it.

The A-Line Tunic. This is one of those designs that grew on me as I studied it. The shape is good and I especially like the shoulders of this tunic. I'd put it over a coordinating sheath though, rather than a shirt and trousers.

The Waterfall Vest. The stripes and stitchwork on this piece are very pretty, but this is going to be one difficult item for any woman who isn't a professional model to carry off. I'd take that yarn and pattern and shape them into a more conventional, wearable piece.

The Dragonscale and Cable Capelet. Very pretty and wearable capelet.

The Cabled Hooded Shrug. I think you'd have to be very young and cute to carry off that pixie hood. But I can see it working on the right person, though there definitely is a "Little Red Riding Hood took an acid trip to Grandmother's house" joke in there somewhere.

The Multi-Texture Cowl Neck Poncho. I must admit I like this much better than I ever thought I'd like a poncho. The colours and texture are pretty and this is a piece that will turn a t-shirt and jeans into an outfit.

The Open-Front Poncho. This is an interesting and original redesign of the poncho. And I like it — it's got a clean, contemporary shape, it will stay in place and allow the wearer to still use her arms, and the colours are very attractive.

The Flower Lace Scarf looks like something Little Red Riding Hood will see draped over the back of the toilet when she takes her acid trip to Granny's house.

The Lacy Scarf. I... don't mind this. It has a cohesion that the Flower Lace Scarf lacks, at any rate. I can see this looking quite pretty when worn with a coordinating simple summer dress.

Appliqued Tote. Please don't ruin a simple, classic bag by stitching crocheted crap all over it.

The Racer Track Bank. This looks like a mesh shopping bag with flotsam and jetsam randomly sewn around the neckline.

NEXT.

The Garter Stitch Jacket. This is really a lovely piece. The shape is so polished and the design so visually striking. One couldn't not notice this coat.

The Chevron Cowl. This is pretty, but it does look more like a swatch of afghan has been randomly tacked around this model's neck than like a professionally designed and shaped cowl.

The Feather and Fan Lace Shrug. I like the relaxed lines and rich colours of this shrug.

Feather and Fan Lace Blanket. This isn't bad. It's granny afghan-like, but the colours of the Noro are more sophisticated and subtly blended than the usual afghan of this type, which makes it look like it came from a new generation of granny afghans. This granny travels the world and wears jeans and turquoise and silver jewelry rather than watching The Price is Right and fussing over her ferns from her rocker.

The Asymmetric Shawl is lovely in an offbeat, interesting way.

Drop-Shoulder Pullover. This is a little too afghan-like. Better shaping would help this piece a lot.

The Oak Leaf Lace Socks. Interesting lacework.

The Faux Cable Socks. Classic stitchwork and very pretty colour striping.

The Spiral Lace Socks. Great texture.

Lattice Cable Socs. Love the stitchwork here, and the colours are so pretty.

The Eyelet Beanie. This is cute, but I'd recommend that older wearers consider omitting the flower.

Reversible Cowl. I very much like this one. The colour and texture combination is perfect.

The Mesh Wristers. These are... okay. I think the yarn choice isn't working terribly well here, because it's making these fingerless gloves look randomly striped and unfinished. A more definitely marked pattern of colour would have been a better choice for this very simple pattern.

The Lacy Wrap. This looks more like a Slice O'Afghan than like something one is supposed to actually wear.

The Mesh and Bobble Cowl is very pretty and fun in a way that one needn't be a teenager to wear.

The Entrelac Watch Cap. This looks a little weird, like knitting is growing out of the top of the hat.

Hyacinth Wrap. You can borrow clothes from your partner and make them look chic (hey, Chanel even did it), but you should not borrow wearing apparel from your couch.

The Bucket-Style Tote. I've seen better knitted bags, but this one is definitely acceptable. It has a good shape and I like that they've used a commercially made strap, which really elevates the tote and gives it a bit of style.

Paying Tribute to the Royal Family of Knitting

The British Royals have long been associated with knitting. As I've written before, Queen Victoria had a huge impact on the craft's popularity because her own love of knitting turned what had until her reign been a folk craft for the working class into an domestic art that every properly brought up Victorian girl was taught as a matter of course. In the twenties, then Prince of Wales Edward sported fair isle sweaters, which turned a relatively obscure regional craft into a must-have collegiate and sportswear style in the twenties and then into a classic knitwear staple they've been ever since. During World War II, then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret set a royal example when they were photographed knitting for the war effort. More recently, when the Duchess of Cambridge was expecting Prince George, she caused a minor uproar on knitting media by casually mentioning to someone she was trying to learn to knit in order to make some things for her baby. So it's only fitting that the patron family of knitting should be paid tribute... in knitting. Fiona Goble has published a book on how to created a knitted recreation of William and Kate's wedding, and there's even video of all these knitted characters and corgis in action.

And then there's a gem of a book called Royal Knits: Designer Knitting for the Monarchy and Monarchists, by Nicolette McGuire. Published in 1987, it is now out of print, though with some determined effort you may be able to track down a secondhand copy. The cover, as shown above, depicts one of its patterns, a knitted replica of the Royal Navy uniform that is customarily worn by the Windsor men at royal weddings.

If you have a corgi or similarly small dog ruling over your household, you can give it the royal treatment by knitting it a cushion, a collar, a coat, and set of wellies.

If you think corgis are cute but can't bear the thought of having to listen to them yap, these corgi slippers may be for you.

You can also raise your self-esteem by creating your own set of crown jewels.

Alternatively, you can elevate the seat of power in your home by turning it into a truly royal throne. Presumably you can reverse the way the feet face depending on whether your household is a kingdom or a queendom.

This book also includes patterns for a one-piece twinset and pearls; orb egg cosies, crown egg Cosies, napkin rings, bacon, egg and sausage, oven mitt; a shooting jerkin and game bag; a dress sporran, fish sporran, and camouflage sporran; a tiara and Order of the Garter, a flying jacket, flying scarf with a smile, and flying helmet; a mess jacket and commander's jacket; and Gordon Highlanders Hat, and a Trooping the Colour Hat.

After all, when we knitters pay tribute to the British Royals, we need not be too reverential about it.

Knitter's Magazine 115: A Review

Knitter's Magazine has released issue K115. Let's have a look at it.

This is the Sand Dollar Shift. It's not bad. The asymmetrical tunic length isn't going to be for every woman and will probably look best on tall women, but it would be easy to make this either shorter or longer so it can be worn as a dress. This piece would make a good beach cover-up.

The City Girl design. This is... okay. It is eye-catching, and the use of appliquéd elastic braid is an original touch. I think there could be more interesting colourways for it.

The Dangerous Curves design. This looks like something some biker's overly attached girlfriend whipped up to match the paint job on his Harley, only to have her plan fall flat when he took one look at her, gulped, and roared off out of her life. It's the pastel yellow that's actually the problem here, I think. A bold design like this called for strong colours.

The Entrelac Blue jacket is a very cute little number. It has a good shape and nice detailing.

The Indigo Incline design is a decent piece of work. I think I would be more enthusiastic if it were the sort of thing I could wear myself. This is for the small-breasted woman, because that stockinette band slanting across the front needs to lie flat.

The Ridgeline Cowl. I like the rainbow brioche texture of this, but I wish it had gotten the design it deserved. These pieces look like swatches stitched hastily together.

The Shirttails design. Very pretty and quite wearable little camisole.

The Intentional Ikat shawl has a really exceptional gradient colour effect. It takes a very accomplished designer to make a garter stitch project look this sophisticated.

The Tranquil Tunic and Cowl is a nice set. The sweater looks very pretty on its own (love the lace stitch), and the cowl really looks quite convincingly like an attached cowl neckline.

The Sandy Circle capelet is quite an attractive and useful little piece.

The Trails and Tracks tunic is another one of those pieces that will look best on tall women, though it could also be worn as (or lengthened into) a dress for shorter women. And it's not bad, though I definitely would not use this yarn, which more than borders on "ugly afghan" territory.

The Network sweater is another take on the classic navy and white stripe sweater for summer. It's got a few interesting touches in its open texture and varying stripe widths. I'd raise the dropped shoulders though.

The Catalina Crew. Very pretty lacy summer top. The sleeve length is a difficult one to wear, but it's easily shortened or lengthened.

Upstairs and Down. Really not liking this scarf, which looks too heavy and unwieldy to be worn to advantage. What you're looking at here is a thwarted afghan.

The Lanes and Lines dress. I think this design would look better as a sweater. This isn't a bad graphic pattern, but it is one that is best in smaller doses.

The Mulberry Lanes sleeveless tunic. Those heavy horizontal lines around the hips and midsection are not going to be one bit flattering. As you can see, this piece doesn't seem to be working very well even on this professional model. She's got her arm barred across it, and it's been shot from a side angle. It's never a good shot when the model and photographer have to resort to such maneuvers to make a piece look good.