Knitter's Magazine 116: A Review

Knitter's Magazine has released Issue 116. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

The Morphing Cables vest. This is a nice piece overall (it's hard to go wrong with classic cables), but I do have reservations about those open lower front edges. That fashion of not only leaving them open but having them sheer away from each other is never very flattering and tends to make a garment look like it's too small.

The Gutsy Grape jacket. This is not a bad piece. It is a bit bulky but the overall lines are good. I'd run the buttons all the way to the bottom for the reasons mentioned in my review of the piece just above this one.

The Alita Dress and Bolero. Oooh, love this set. The lines are good, the stitchwork is good, and the idea of making a coordinated dress and bolero set like this is an inspired one, as boleros work best over a dress. I'm gnashing my teeth that I don't have the right figure for these two pieces.

The Chocolate Ribbons hat, cowl and fingerless glove set. The cowl and the gloves are pretty good, but the hat has a rather odd shape to it.

The Hey Sport cardigan. Nice classic, wearable piece with good lines.

The Well-Grounded cowl and mitts set. I'm going to give a qualified approval of this set — qualified because I'd like to see how that cowl looks when worn as a cowl usually is, i.e., hanging down in front rather than being used by the wearer to play peek-a-boo. I do like the stranded colourwork effect.

The Power of 2 cardigan. This is quite a smart, eye-catching piece. The horizontal stripes around the waist isn't all that flattering, so this may not be the right piece for a wearer who doesn't care to emphasize her waist/hip area.

Three-to-One Windows hat and mittens set. I do have reservations about the deep brim on the cap, but that's easily changed and this is undeniably a really pretty set. The pattern and the colours used here work beautifully together. It does remind me a little of that open arches set piece from the opening sequence of The Muppet Show, but then that's a good thing.

The Layer Me Jacket. I'm not all that taken with the stitchwork and colourwork used on the body of this jacket, but the overall shape and particularly of that notched collar is excellent. I'd be inclined to knit this jacket up using the shaping from this pattern and using a colour chart from any other pattern that especially pleased me.

The Tempting Twists Coat. Lovely, classic piece overall, though I must admit that slightly asymmetrical collar bugs me a little. It looks like a mistake.

The Strategic Strands pullover. Not too impressed with this one. The front placket and the collar sit so poorly that the design looks rough and amateurish.

The Empire Shawl. Very pretty piece. The yarn used here is lovely.

The Rasta Braids top. This is quite a cute little piece. I'd be inclined to ditch the stripes and go with a beautiful solid or subtly flecked colour. This little cardi has plenty of visual interest in its lines and stitchwork and the stripes feel like overkill.

The Jazzed cardigan. I very much like this design overall, but I would totally knit this in another colourway. That candy floss pink and blue combo would be pretty difficult for an adult to carry off.

The Artist Smock. This one is too busy and boho for my tastes. It's not going to be all that flattering either. It might work on a artsy type, but I think even then I'd say that there are better uses for the lovely silk yarn used to make this item.

The Enchanted Cables cardigan is a beautifully detailed piece.

The Oh! Jackie suit. This hasn't been at all a bad issue, but it does not end well. From the unflattering lines to the mottled-looking yarn to the tacky and tattered-looking edging, this pattern is uniformly bad. The pattern description says, "The clever loop stitch at the borders adds a designer touch much like what Coco would have used", but I think Coco wouldn't have used this border and would have fired anyone else who did. All I can say is that at least this is an aptly named design. If your friend Jackie came toward you wearing this, you would almost certainly say, "Oh! Jackie."