Knitty Deep Fall 2015: A Review

Knitty has released its Deep Fall 2015 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Pierrot pullover. Simple but effective design. One could have some fun picking out the colourway for this one.

Sticky Note Pullover. Classic sweater with a bit of a twist. I'd totally make this for my man. If I had one, that is. Since I don't, I guess I'll just have to fall back on making more beautiful things for myself.

Autumn Rain Cardigan. Nicely detailed piece, though the too long and rolling button and button hole band is detracting from the overall look.

Rail Yard Cardigan. A classic and very wearable cardigan. Can't you just imagine how warm and comfortable this would be and how much you'd wear it over the years to come?





Cirriform cardigan. I'm a hard sell on this sort of draped style. It doesn't tend to present that well in real life unless you're in the habit of towing a wind machine around behind you, and it isn't all that flattering. But I must admit this is a good example of the kind. It's got great texture and the back looks very well.

Brick Wall Waterfall Pullover. I was on the fence about the centre cable on this one when I first saw it, but now I think I'm going to come down on the side of approval. This design works aesthetically and is also quite wearable.

Spaziergang mit Emil vest. A design can hardly get any simpler than this halter vest has, but the skillful shaping makes it work and lends it all the style it needs. I would want to go with a more attractive yarn choice, though.





Hopoholic sweater. This isn't appealing much. I can never get past the conviction that clothing ought to either lie smoothly or drape gracefully, rather than flapping and bulging and rucking up. I do quite like the yarn used here.

Caught in the Rigging cape and cowl. Rather a nice, polished pair of pieces, and the idea of making a matching cape and cowl set is really ingenious. The owner of two such pieces will get so much more mileage out of both of them when she has the option of wearing them separately.

Ghost Ranch Scarf. This scarf is woven. I don't weave and I don't know how many of you are weavers, but it is a very pleasing piece of work.

Tartessos shawl. Lovely bit of lacework.






Urban Tribe cowl. Oooh, this one's just plain cool. I love the concept of putting a different pattern on each side of the cowl, which will allow the wearer to change up the look of it. And the design is excellent on both sides.

Serendipia scarf or wrap. Very handsome stitchwork here.

Interlock sock. These are cute. They have a neat retro appeal, as though they are the reincarnation of a vintage sweater vest, and they'll be a great way to use up those odds and ends of fingering yarn.

Floki sock. I'm not liking these much. The texture in the leg is too afghan-like.

Penrose Toes Socks. Very nice! Loving the yarn used here.

Droste effect hat. Nice classic cabled cap. The interlaced horizontal cables are a nice touch.

Candy Kane gloves. Very much like these. They have great detailing and a vintage feel to them.

Resonator gauntlets. Classic cabled mitts.

Strong Arm cushion. In the accompanying description the designer writes that, lacking a boyfriend and with the weather getting colder, she designed and made this cushion so she could have a warm, strong arm around her. It would make me feel like I was in bed with a dismembered Popeye, but to each her own.

The Four Crocheteers and Other Knitting Fables

Edie had expected finishing her new Tutti Frutti top would cheer her up and help her forget that she'd flunked out of beauty school, but it hadn't done the trick.

Carmel felt that the drama of the glorious cascade of yarn attached to her shoulder by way of a brooch more than made up for the fact that she had forgotten to wear her "nice undies" as she had intended.

After her manager strenuously objected to her visible undies as workplace attire, Carmel came up with a new look. People in the marketing department were always told they should be positive, and what could be more positive than an outfit inspired by cheerleading pom poms?

Triplets Bill, Phil, and Dill loved to knit, but they had not spend so much time at the gym honing their physiques only to cover them up with knitwear.

The craft club best known as the Four Crocheteers weren't such gym rats as Bill, Phil, and Dill, and were therefore more inclined to go free form when practicing the needle arts.

By contrast, the knitting club known as the Kneurotic Knitters used their knitting to veil their insecurities. You don't think their ankles look fat in these outfits, do you?

Giselle always reserved one outfit for those days when she felt more than usually Kafakesque. Her Penal Colony outfit was an even more dramatic, fun look than her Metamorphosis outfit, but also more cumbersome.

Verna loved wearing her new sweater design while wearing housework. Being able to use one's sweater as both a duster and a pot scrubber was such a timesaver.

Jackson was positive his new sperm outfit would do wonders for his social life. Chicks dig a man who's able and willing to give them babies, right?

Zed oozed so much cool, he could even wear his new hoodie dress like a boss.

This is Why We Knit: A Video

Very Pink Knits asks knitters of all nationalities and ages why they knit. The answers range from the funny to the pragmatic to the moving.

Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine #15: A Review

Debbie Bliss Magazine has released its fifteenth issue. Let's have a look at the knitted Bliss within, shall we? (Sorry Debbie, I know you've heard that one approximately 3748 times.)

Blanket Scarf. The yarn used here really makes this very simple scarf.

Cabled Armwarmers. Pretty basic, but they'll do. You might want to make them a little more fitted than they are here.

Cabled Turban. Very Sunset Boulevard. This is not a good thing, unless one is actually cast as Norma Desmond in an actual stage production.

Check Sweater. Quite pretty and cosy, but I would neaten up the fit.

Check Sweater with Contrast Sleeve. I'm not liking the fit, the colourway, or the contrast sleeve (which has that "ran out of yarn" look), but I can picture the basic design working if it were better shaped and made in better colours with two matching sleeves.

Checked Zip Jacket. Not a bad concept or shape, but I would definitely change the colourway.

Chunky Garter Stitch Sweater. Pretty colours, but that is one baggy, unflattering shape.

Contrast Sleeve Sweater. It's not a terrible concept, but again the fit is terrible. Even the model looks stunned to find herself wearing this.

Dog's Tooth Check Baseball Jacket. Not bad, but it definitely deserves a better integrated and more sophisticated colourway.

Fringed Sweater. This wouldn't be a bad piece if the shape were neatened up a little, but WHY THE FRINGE. WHY WHY WHY.

Hooded Sweater. Basic but serviceable. I'd run a stripe in the main colour through the contrast colour hem, cuffs, and hood ribbing to make it look a little smarter and more pulled together.

Jacket with Tartan Pockets. I love tartan detailing and want this to work, but it isn't quite. I think I'd make the tartan pockets considerably smaller, and maybe also make the sleeves in tartan.

Lace Cowl. Nice cowl which deserves to be put over an attractive top, as opposed to whatever horror the model is wearing.

Long Line Waistcoat. This is Dr. Zhivago's Lara, looking out the window at post-revolutionary Russia and pining for the day when there'll be decent consumer goods available in Russia again. I am sorry to say it'll be a very long wait and, er, well, you have more pressing concerns, Larochka.

Poncho Wrap. I wish I could see the bottom of this, but it looks well so far as it goes. That is such a beautiful shade of red.

Reindeer Jacket. Cute. Done in the right colours, this could be a nice little Christmas season sweater for the little guy in your life.

Shoulder Cape. This is very "beginner project", with no interesting or attractive details. Even if you are a beginner, you deserve to make something less bland than this.

Striped Sweater. Very presentable and wearable basic design.

Tank Top. This is the outfit Dr. Zhivago's Lara is fond of wearing as she plays her balalaika, sings sad songs about her lost lover and daughter, and awaits Stalin's next purge.

Tartan Detail Sweater. Another tartan design where the proportions aren't working. I like the collar, but all the tartan at the bottom is too heavy an effect. I think what I might do is knit the body in the main colour, and make folding cuffs in tartan.

Triangle Scarf. This is a little over the top. I think I'd knit it in a smaller size, and maybe add a fringe.

Triangular Scarf. This is a nice useful piece that would work over a lot of outfits.

V Neck Tunic. Do not adjust your computer screen... this sweater really is as bad as it looks.

Zipped Sweater. Very nice. I like the touch of contrast colour at the cuffs and inside the collar, and the matching zipper is an excellent finishing touch.