Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2019: A Review

Vogue Knitting has released its Early Fall 2019 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Pattern #01, V-Neck Tunic. This oversized Shaker knit vest is taking me back to circa 1986, when items like this were very in style. Except back then it would have been made in some bright colour: aqua, hot pink, or electric blue.

Pattern #02, Geometric Pullover. Nice shaping and design. It would be fun to pick out a colourway for this one.

Pattern #03, Yoked Pullover. Love this one, which has great shaping and a striking and attractive yoke design.

Pattern #04, V-Neck Vest. Nice shaping and stitchwork in this one, but I'm not sure I'm on board with the yarn choice, or with the pairing of this vest with the rest of the model's look, great as that dress and jewelry would be on its own.

Pattern #05, V-Neck Cardigan. I like the lines of v-shaped contrast stitches on this one. To a casual glance, it has the look of single large stitches, which is rather meta.

Pattern #06, Cropped Cardigan. A cute cropped cardigan for those who can pull off a cropped length. If you (or the intended wearer) can't, well, it can always be lengthened.

Pattern #07, Gradient Cardigan. This one, which is knit of two strands of laceweight, turns three colours of yarn into a perfect gradient colourway by combining two strands of the adjoining colours to create a bridging colour. It's a great technique to use if you can't find a satisfactory gradient colourway -- they can be hard to put together.

Pattern #08, Multipatterned Cardigan. I'm not crazy about this one, but I think the problem is mostly the "sunburned taco" colourway. I have a bit of a weakness for these "sampler" type designs, which are such a great chance to flex one's knitting muscles.

Pattern #09, Chevron Cardigan. Classic, wearable cardigan with some nice stitchwork.

Pattern #10, Cropped Cardigan. The only thing I don't like about this one is the cropped shaped (admittedly, I'm biased, as I cannot wear cropped tops of any sort). Otherwise it's lovely, with such a polished, crisp look, and the stitchwork is fantastic.

Pattern #11, Fair Isle Yoke Pullover. I like the concept of embroidering designs from the yoke on the body of a sweater, but I'm not convinced that the particular yoke and embroidered devices employed here work well together.

Pattern #12, Lace Scarf. What a lovely piece of work.

Pattern #13, Textured Wrap. Great texture and a very handsome look overall.

Pattern #14, Gradient Wrap. Another beautiful wrap. This one was done with a single variegated yarn.

Pattern #15, Lace Wrap. Simple and pretty.

Pattern #16, Brioche Cowl. This one's so striking you could build an entire outfit around it.

Pattern #17, Two-Tone Pullover. This is a Kaffe Fassett design, and as hesitant as I am to critique a Fassett design (I mean, who do I think I am, really?), I can't sign off on those choppy-looking sleeves. I'd cast on extra stitches when I got to the armholes and knit the sleeves of a piece with the body, eliminating both the dropped shoulder seam and the checkerboard pattern.

Pattern #18, Amber Leafy Coat. Wow, this is simply a fabulous piece of design. I can't help feeling I'd like to change the shape since the A-line silhouette is not my friend, but there are those rare designs that shouldn't be altered, and this is one of them.

Pattern #19, Cliffs of Moher Sweater. My goodness, you couldn't not notice this one if you saw it on anyone. The combination of Celtic designs and texture and a rainbow yoke is fun and fresh and lovely. And wonder of wonders, this pattern is available for free!

Pattern #20, Celtic Flame Coat. This is another amazing piece of design. The Ravelry pattern page for this pattern describes it as "show stopping" and I don't disagree. But I think if I were making it I might be inclined to skip the stripes and the gradient colours and make the coat in a solid colour with a contrast Celtic device colour. Just the stitchwork and the Celtic designs are enough to carry this piece. And this pattern is available for free!

Pattern #21, Colorwork Vest. This is one from the archives, a Kaffe Fassett design from the Vogue Knitting Holiday 1986 issue. Even with all the fashion fluctuations of the last 33 years, I don't believe there's been a year since this was published that it wouldn't have been wearable just as it is.

Knitscene Fall 2019: A Review

Knitscene has published its Fall 2019 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Lido Hat. Classic cabled cap.

Alongshore Cardigan. This is less a cardigan than it is an afghan with sleeves.

Bay Mitts. These may look simple, but they have some nice stitchwork to them.

Ebb Tide Mitts. Nice cabled mitts, and that is one pretty yarn.

Flood Tide Wrap. A lovely, classic wrap.

Backbarrier Wrap. I like the scales effect of the cables, and the variegated yarn, which both give this cabled wrap a contemporary feel.

Riprap Top. The lace pattern is pretty, but I'd make this one fit like a vest rather than like a sandwich board.

Bass Strait Cowl. A fitting counterpart to the matching mitts above.

Changing Tides Cowl. A very attractive cowl.

Billowing Stole. Another handsome wrap.

Perfect Storm Pullover. Not bad. The shaping is good and the details are interesting.

Backshore Pullover. A nice piece. This would be a fun one to pick out a colourway for.

Undulating Cowl. Pretty. I like the gradient blue waves against the white.

Riverside Pullover. Nice piece. The shaping is good, the cabled body is a nice change from the usual stockinette, and the fair isle yoke has a fresh, contemporary feel.

Lagoon Shawl. I like the combination of stitchwork and accent border colours.

Catch the Wave Hat. Not bad. Interesting combination of stranded and mosaic knitting.

Deep Sea Wrap. Can't say this appeals -- it has a thrift shop afghan vibe -- but I think that might mostly be the unfortunate colourway. I can see this working in a colouway that doesn't involve this particular brown variegated yarn, for which I cannot think of a single non-scatalogical simile.

Cast On Summer 2019: A Review

Cast On has released its Summer 2019 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Ant Egg Dishcloth. I hate using knitted dishcloths (I find them unwieldy and they get so gross and gunky compared to a j-cloth, which can be rinsed clean), and don't particularly like the idea of associating insect eggs with my dishcloths, but this designer has tried something new with this project and the other two dishcloth patterns in this issue by experimenting with a hemp yarn rather than using the usual cotton yarn. She writes that she is a convert, that the hemp dishcloths "dry quickly and scrub dishes surprisingly well, and our prototype has not developed an odor. They would also be very effective for exfoliating!" If you like knitted dishcloths (and many people do), it may be worth trying a hemp yarn next time you're making some.

Barely There Chevron Scarf. That's an attractive lace pattern, though I can't say I think this colour scheme is doing the design justice.

Basketweave Headband. If this were hot pink and teal, it would look like something that is straight out of an 80s-era exercise video, and that should remain there.

Bobbles, Bobbles, Bobbles. Adorable!

Brereton Shawl. I like the contemporary vibe of this one.

Cable Column Pullover. The stitchwork is attractive, and the shaping is good, but it is always a bit of drawback to have to wear an underlayer with a sweater, as one would need to do with this one.

Clara's Wee Jacket. This jacket is so carefully shaped and finished, and the simple embroidered dragonflies are a nice touch.

Cowl With a Twist. This isn't a bad design at all, but it looks inside-out to me, and it's making me twitchy.

Crossover Hemp Top. This isn't terrible, but I would make it in a more interesting yarn, which is to say any other yarn but this one.

Easton Tunic. I am here for the combination of brioche, the Art Deco style detail, and this yarn.

Fibonacci Striped Sweater. This is a strikingly unusual colourway, and it works amazingly well, especially when combined with the saddle shoulder construction.

Fisherman's Rib Stadium Scarf. A simple and classic stadium scarf.

Gazley Circle. Not bad. The play of colour and the honeycomb-like stitchwork work together well.

Grace. I rather like this colourblocked dress, and want to see it in a fun colourway.

Hemp Summer Skirt. Here we have the boring crossover vest from earlier in this review paired with a skirt that reminds me of a forties-era lampshade. Though there isn't anything objectively wrong with either the vest or the skirt design, I'm not sure these two pieces do anything for each other -- they don't seem to belong together stylistically -- and I definitely wouldn't do either of them in the sample colourway.

Mitts With a Twist. Here we have the mitts version of the cowl above. Still not bad design-wise, still looks inside out, and still making me twitch.





Monaghan. I'm generally an easy sell on a Celtic cable design, and this cardigan is so wearable and attractive.

Rainstorm. Simple brioche scarf with a touch of colourblocking. It works.

Saffron and Curry Garter Step Dishcloth. The saffron and curry colour combination is giving me mild retina burn, but I do like the stitch used here.

Shifting Ribs Pullover. Not bad. I like the idea of using stripes in the centre to transition between the two blocks of colour.

Staghorn Vest. Here we have the cover design, and it was good choice for it, because both shaping and stitchwork are excellent and the result is lovely, especially in this robin's egg blue.

Summer Harvest Placemat and Trivet. I'm finding these quite appealing in a homey, crafty way, and am imagining them on a sunlit breakfast table with coordinating stoneware mugs and dishes.

Twisted Blocks Dishcloth. I like the stitch in this one.

Up and Down Cable Socks. A very attractive pair of socks, and I love the interlocking cable pattern used in it.

Waffle Check Socks. I like the sporty, groovy look of these, with their fun combination of the check pattern and striped gussets.