Knit Simple Winter 2015: A Review

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





A selection of fairly traditional afghan patterns. Any one of these would be quite attractive and serviceable if done in a beautiful yarn. My favourite is probably the ripple stitch afghan.

This coat would ordinarily not be in my wheelhouse at all, but I like it. There's something so rhythmic and pleasing about the colour blocking that even the dropped shoulders work. The design has both a sharp graphic appeal and elegantly relaxed lines (love the collar). The one tweak I might make is to do something different with the buttons, such as adding more.

While this poncho has clearly been shaped with some care and has some good points, it's still too big and shapeless to flatter its wearer.

So blah. This is like oatmeal with nothing but oatmeal in it.

The contrast colour pocket lining and button band are supposed to be design touches but they make the sweater look poorly made and unfinished. This design needed to be taken several steps further.

These mittens would be cute on a five-year-old.

These mittens need some detailing. Any detailing. Well, maybe not a single big heart on the back of each mitten.

The striped version isn't bad. A grown woman could wear these without feeling like she might have to hand over her adult card.

Okay.

Presentable.

Not a bad pattern, though that thumb does appear to be weirdly larger than necessary.

These look more than a little roughly designed to me.

Classic cabled mittens with a good shape.

These look weirdly disjointed and disproportionate, as though the cuffs and the hands don't belong together.

I like the hat and the cowl, but not together. The change of direction in stripes is making me all twitchy.

This looks too slapped together. And too Charlie Brown.

Good stitchwork and yarn combination.

These pom pom boot toppers would be kind of cute on a kid, but they will also get incredibly filthy very quickly.

Okay. Just okay.

This looks like a child whose parents got behindhand on the laundry and sent her off the school in the Christmas tree skirt.

Rather an effective combination of stripes and mosaic stitches.

Quite liking these pillows. They have a very modern, graphic appeal.

Too afghan-like. If your couch can look better in something than you can, it's probably best to let the couch have it.

This is... okay. I'd like to see it in a more sophisticated colourway.

Love this afghan.

Big needle knit cowls can look good with the right outfit, but they really aren't my style or my kind of knitting. This one looks as though Vickie Howell stuck her head through a cat-created tangle of yarn.