Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Well, it appears that my subscription to Interweave Knits has lapsed, as I see that the fall issue has come out and I didn't get one. So I bought it in the bookstore.
Through the Looking Glass - Sabrina Gschwandtner
All about Althea Merback, who is insane in one of the good ways. She does miniature knits--stuff like little cardigans at 80 stitches to the inch. Speaking as someone who's tried knitting with sewing thread on a pair of pins, she's completely nuts. But she turns out gorgeous art objects.
Knitting Footprints - Linda Cortright
Editorial/thought piece on "organic" yarn--what that means, how it's done, why it's a good idea. The whole organic thing is somewhat of a theme for the issue in general.
Nurture and Nature - Judith Mackenzie McCuin
This issue's yarn overview is of organic yarns. Personally I'm all for the organic production of the fiber--no pesticides on cotton, no antibiotics in the sheep--but once it gets to the dyeing part I don't care. There are only so many shades of sheep.
Twist - Jillian Moreno
It's not garment designers' fault that people won't knit anything for a man unless it's boring. Twist is a sweater vest in a nice oatmeal color, using a silk/cotton blend, with an interesting pattern of stockinette columns on a reverse stockinette background. Still, not the most inspiring garment ever to come down the pike, because heaven forbid a man should wear something striking.
Glorious Tumult: the Kinetic World of Kathryn Alexander - Sarah Swett
Never thought I'd see a designer who was more into color than Kaffe Fassett, but here she is. Also lots and lots of entrelac. The stuff's gorgeous, but I can't picture anyone actually wearing any of it outside a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Exploring Cables - Deborah Newton
All about how to design interesting cables. A useful guide; this column usually is. And to go with the article there's the Hedgerow Coat, which is large and in a lovely shade of red. It's a little bit 70s, mostly because of the collar, but it'd make a fine fall jacket.
Placed Cable Aran - Cathy Payson
A lovely tunic sort of thing in traditional cream worsted wool. The rolled bottom hem and cowl neck make it feel very casual, but the details on the simple cable pattern in the yoke area and the broad rib of the cuffs are very smart and professional.
Dickinson Pullover - Kathy Zimmerman
Cute, but not my favorite thing ever; it's an allover cable pattern in either a very pale mint green or a rather light blue-grey (even professional photographers can have color issues) with a deep V-neck. Nice, kinda sporty, but nothing we haven't seen a hundred times before.
Tangled Yoke Cardigan - Eunny Jang
I have mentioned before that I love Eunny, no? This sort of thing is why. It's heathery grey, nicely fitted, and with a gorgeous celtic-knot-esque pattern running around the yoke. It's fab. And it reminds me I still haven't gotten the yarn to do her Venezia from a few issues ago.
Tyrolean Stockings - Ann Budd
Nice socks with cable patterns. Again, nothing we haven't seen before, but solid design.
Concentric Vest - Teva Durham
This is the first big "ugh" of the issue. It's this shruglike thing, in very bulky yarn and with huge cables on it, and worn with a shirt of almost the same color it looks like the model got left in the damp and mildewed. The cable from the front edges is continuous around the back of the neck, though, which is a nice touch.
Snowball Hat - Katie Himmelberg
OK, starting to get tired of shades of grey and off-white, but the hat's cute. It's nothing special except for the huge pompom on top, which would have to go if I were going to wear it.
Tilted Duster - Norah Gaughan
I'm torn here. It's the cover sweater, a thigh-length jacket in a gorgeous shade of purple, and it's very clearly supposed to look sort of off-center and biased (in the front; the back is perfectly conventional). I just can't decide if I like the overall effect. Also an outdoor jacket ought to close all the way down when required, which this does not.
Minimalist Cardigan - Ruthie Nussbaum
Ah, moss stitch, how you mock us! I adore the look of moss and seed stitches; they have a flatness that, oddly, stockinette does not. But moving the yarn back to front to back to front to back...not so much. But the cardigan, done all in moss, is gorgeous: a lovely red, with non-buttoning fronts and long sleeves that can be easily pushed up to three-quarters. Sleek, elegant, and tailored.
Counterpane Pullover - Pam Allen
This is so close to working. It's a neat plum color, and the idea of the design is interesting: she took a lacy square design, worked from the center out, and used it for the front of the garment (which has a turtleneck, but that's OK; that can be changed). But the way the lace leaves lie makes the model's breasts look out of place and lumpy, and she's a traditional model body type with B-cups maybe; I shudder to think what the thing would do to me. Of course it's also possible it's just that this particular girl looks bad in it, but I'm not going to knit one to find out.
Nomad Hat and Scarf - Kat Coyle
The hat's orange, in stockinette with welts of garter, and ear flaps that basically extend into scarves. A cute and practical idea, though I'm not in love with the color.
Cinnabar Pullover - Kate Gilbert
More nice minimalist red, this time a pullover with a very interesting neck and linen stitch for hems to prevent rolling. Very nice and very well done.
Elfin Hat and Scarf Set - Cathy Carron
I'm starting to get a little peeved with patterns that are pretty much what you can find in a quick Net search for free in this magazine. It's a hat with a tassel on top and a long ribbed brim; this is not original and I could easily just work it out myself if I wanted to.
Leavened Raglan - Carrie Bostick Hoge
Raglan sleeves, alas, are flattering on few people and this one manages to make a professional model look thick in the middle. The stitch pattern (honeycomb brioche) is very neat, but the yarn's awfully bulky and I don't love the color. Also it's one of those sweaters that would be stifling with another layer but, since it's a mohair blend, awfully scratchy without one.
Belle Cardigan - Wenlan Chia
One of the less objectionable designs I've seen from her, but still nothing to write home about. She's managed to tone down her enthusiasm for huge needles enough that you might even get one and a half stitches to the inch, and the silhouette is probably flattering to most with its deep neckline and fitted waist. But it's still nothing I'd knit.
Luna Dress - Katie Himmelberg
This thing has a serious case of split personality. It's long-sleeved and has a neck that vacillates between "turtle" and "cowl", but it's above the knee; the tweedy yarn and ribbed bodice want to be tailored but the length and the weird bulgy-forearm sleeves are going for youthful and funky. This is leaving aside entirely the problem of a knit dress and what happens to the seat when you sit down in it. At least it has set-in sleeves.
Little Red Dress - Cathy Carron
Better, but still kind of eh. This one's also short, but it has short sleeves as well and the skirt is ribbed to help with the droopy-bum issue. The bodice is very nice--what you can see of it around the giant cowl neck, which is distinctly unappealing. But it's a nice color.
Cobblestone Pullover - Jared Flood
Another OK, if sedate, men's sweater. It's a heathery olive-drab sort of color, the whole yoke's in garter, and it's just the thing for men who won't wear colors.
Snowflake Socks - Chrissy Gardiner
In blue and white stranded colorwork using the Scandinavian eight-pointed rose/star/snowflake motif. Quite nice, though it's heartbreaking to put that much effort into something that's going to get worn through like socks.
Sweetheart Vest - Theresa Schabes
Maybe it's the model's hair, maybe it's the color choice, maybe it's the relatively large size of the Fair Isles motif at the bottom, but something about this photo makes me want to put on an eight-track and go to the roller rink.
Composed Mitts - Michelle Rose Orne
I'm not mad about the color scheme on these, but the basic idea is pretty and funky. Lots of colorwork, mostly, and you know I'm a sucker for color.
Mirepoix Bodice - Mary Jane Mucklestone
Aside from the fact that the designer's name sounds like a Harry Potter character (she'd be a plumber's wife, maybe), I rather like this. The ribbed body makes for a nice fit, the sleeves are three-quarter length (which I always love) and the yoke is in a neat Fair Isles pattern in colors that go well with the olive drab of the main body without being dull