Knit.Purl Fall/Winter 2015: A Review

Knit.Purl has released its Fall/Winter 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Kringla Hat. Pretty basic. You could find many similar hat patterns on Ravelry.

Beaded Ski Cardigan. Another pattern that would have many a counterpart on Ravelry. The designer has tried to spice up a lovely but very traditional pattern by adding some random beads to the yoke, but I can't say they're really adding anything or that they even look as though they belong. Not every piece of clothing should get blinged up.

One Month Sweater. This pattern is a little more original. It is knitted with two strands of yarn: one of white cotton and one of charcoal wool. The result does look cushy and stretchy.

Tweed Scarf Jacket. This looks like some sort of post-modern take on the swallowtail coat, designed to be worn in an alt theatre production of Thackeray's Vanity Fair that involves a lot of cross dressing. And it might play well on Becky Sharp in that context (she is, after all, a character who loves getting away with things), but in real life it's going to look silly.

Soundcheck Scarf. Run of the mill large gauge cowl.

Big Twill Vest. This is a bit on the bulky side and could do with a bit of waist shaping, but I kind of like both it on the whole, and the concept of wearing a bulky knit vest over a finer knit sweater.





Garter Rectangular Jacket. I'm a hard sell on this sort of unstructured, drapey style of knitwear, which tends to look shapeless and dowdy, but the colourway on the front and sleeves is so fantastic it's almost selling me on this one.

Houndstooth Cardigan. Quite like this one, which has a nice "retro men's wear translated into women's wear" look to it.

Skinny Pop Pullover. Simple but effective.

Okemo Pullover. I like this mosaic knitted design too, though I would add a waistband of the charcoal to it as the bottom of the bodice looks a little unfinished as is.

Shredded Cowl. Pretty little accessory. The lovely handpainted yarn used here is what makes it.

Santa Fe Tunic. The lacework front and back panels are really pretty, but the sleeves don't seem to jive with it and that cowl neck looks a bit like a deflated tire.

Painted Pullover. Gorgeous yarn, but the oversized and shapeless shape is seriously unflattering to even this carefully styled and posed professional model.

Terra Garter Raglan. Unflattering and unfinished looking.

Earthen Pullover. I'd like to take the cowl neck, which is the only part of this design that's really working, and put it on the Santa Fe Tunic above.

Desert Night Cowl. This piece looks like it began life as an intended slipper and was repurposed into a cowl after the gauge proved to be off by a country mile.

Sedona Sweater. This a very decent piece of design on the whole, but that back seam is rather unsightly.

Quick Wind Pullover. Rather a nice piece. I was going to claim it was unflattering, but I think if any part of this outfit is letting this model down, it's those trousers, which need to be killed with fire.

Palm Springs Pullover. Nicely detailed and shaped.

DotDotDot Cowl. Oh, I love this one. It's very cute and fun in an adult way. One needn't be under 25 to carry this one off.

Dark Rainbow Sweater. Love this one too. It's really eye catching and visually distinctive, plus it's something nearly any woman would find totally wearable.

Progressive Pullover. This is both original and very pretty. I do love a well-done gradient effect.

Eight Leg Reunion: An animated short

In Eight Leg Reunion, an animated short from KnitBits, the helpless body of an octopus gets its legs and joyfully submerges itself below the waves for the first time.

Vogue Knitting Fall 2015: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Fall 2015 issue. Let's have a look at what's currently en vogue, shall we?

Pattern # 1, Cabled Wrap. We begin this issue with a selection of teal-coloured designs, which (being that teal/turquoise is my favourite colour family) I applaud. This a good-looking wrap. The shape gives it a contemporary appeal. I do question how it's going to stay in place, but then I suppose that's where a shawl pin comes in handy.

Pattern #2, Raglan Pullover. A lovely classic with some fantastic distinctive detailing.

Pattern #3, Scoop-Neck Pullover. This isn't a bad design aesthetically speaking, but it will bulk up the wearer's figure.

Pattern #4, Travelling Cable Mitts. Very pretty and well-shaped.

Pattern #5, Seamless Cap. Nice cap. I like the way the cables from the ribbing have been integrated into the design.

Pattern #6, V-Neck Vest. This one made me decide that I really ought to have a classic cabled vest in a beautiful shade of teal in my wardrobe.

Pattern #7, Simple Pullover. Uninteresting and unflattering.

Pattern #8, Open Cardigan. Quite liking this one, which looks like the perfect thing to keep at the office for those chillier than expected days.

Pattern #9, Arrowhead Top. Interesting contemporary piece that's also really versatile. This one will look good with jeans or a wool skirt.

Pattern #10, Ribbed Vest. Er. Are we looking at the right side of this?

Pattern #11, Ribbed Turtleneck Cowl. Simple and wearable little topper.

Pattern #12, Cocoon Vest. This isn't a bad-looking piece, but it's going to ride up maddeningly every time the woman who wears it raises her arms at all. She'll wind up looking like a woman who was trying on something in a shop change room, got stuck with it half-off and half-on and, in her search for a sales associate who would help her out of her jam, accidentally wandered out on the street

Pattern #13, Striped Raglan Pullover. I'd want to neaten up the shaping of this, but it's pretty and pleasing enough.

Pattern #14, V-Neck Pullover. This looks like a scrap yarn sweater that the knitter made up as she or he went along, all the more so because the stripe across the front is being pulled out of shape by the ribbing at the neck. The yarns chosen for this piece do work together quite well, so there's that.

Pattern #15, Crew-Neck Pullover. This is very "eighties-era yarn company knitting pattern freebie pamphlet".

Pattern #16, Open-Front Cardigan. This is very "seventies-era Carly Simon concert wear".

Pattern #17, Waterfall Cardigan. This is very "upcycled thrift shop bathrobe".

Pattern #18, Colorblock Pullover. This is very "little-used Sesame Street character named C. Squared who is obsessed with pointing out the difference between squares and rectangles to children".

Pattern #19, Fair Isle Toque. Nice classic cap.

Pattern #20, Fringed Vest. For those days when you can't decide between business-like houndstooth or sherpa-style fringes and shapelessness.

Pattern #21, Graphic Sweater. How sharp is this terrific little piece?

Pattern #22, Round-Neck Sweater. I'm not really buying the visible colour changes as part of the design in this one. It just looks amateurish.

Pattern #23, Textured Pullover. This looks pretty good here, though I'm not crazy about the full side view aspect of it (shown in the other picture Vogue Knitting has of it on the preview page). The tapering side inserts don't look all that well-shaped.

Pattern #24, Kimono-Style Pullover. I just can't get on board with house-sized sweaters. They don't look good on anyone, even professional models.

Pattern #25, Winged Triangle Shawl. This is very Games of Thrones in the best possible way, i.e., in a cool emblematic way, not in a medieval-style brutality and misogyny way.

Pattern #26, Segmented Shawl. I'm finding this one has such visual buzz that it's bothering my eyes. The lace part of the shawl looks great, but the chain-stitched style panels are too over the top.

Pattern #27, Semi-Circular Knit Shawl. I've finding this one a little busy side too, though at least I can look straight at it without my eyes twitching. I'm not saying it's a bad design, mind you. It has a certain architectural appeal. As a matter of fact it looks so like a belfry in the black side version (shown on the right) that I keep expecting to see bats come flying out from under it.

Pattern #28, Double Knit Beanie. Cleverly designed reversible number.