My Dragons
Knit on the Net Issue 4 Review
Introducing a new entry into the rotation of regular knitting-mag reviews, it's Knit on the Net Issue 4.
I've never looked at this one before, so it's a totally new experience for me. I'll admit that right off I'm not thrilled by the look of the page, but web design does not necessarily have much to do with the patterns and articles and whatnot, so let's not jump to any conclusions.
Articles
Day in the Life of Purlesque by "the girls of Purlesque": Appears to be a blog entry for a shop in a city not-here, and therefore of little use to me.
I Knit with Gerard Allt: A description of something called "I Knit London". Perhaps I am hopelessly out of touch; is this some sort of organized knitting-in-public thing? If so, I've managed to miss it. I do note with pleasure that the narrator convinced someone that, no, it's not too hard, where "it" in this case was knitting socks. Yay.
Weardowney Knit Couture by an author whose name does not appear: An interview with the authors of a book I've never heard of. I am beginning to think this might be a British publication; anyone know? Anyway, the book could be fabulous or horrid; those are generally the options with tje kind of "designer inspired" stuff it appears to be.
Spinning a Yarn by Lazykate: Looks like nothing so much as a blog entry by someone with a bit more enthusiasm than grasp of writing, and solidifies my suspicion that this isn't an American publication, because not only have I never seen "the Shreddies advert", I haven't the foggiest what "Shreddies" might be. Anyway, I tried to read it and bogged down in the third paragraph when it appeared to have nothing to do with the first two except in that stream-of-consciousness sort of way.
Cornish Organic Wool by Cathy Wright: Article-length ad for a new brand of organic wool. I'm not likely to be able to get it, so onward!
Therapeutic Knitting by Betsan Corkhill: Reasonably scientific, but I seriously question the idea that "everyone" can benefit from knitting. There are some folks who just wouldn't enjoy it no matter how much they tried; it'd be boring or frustrating instead of relaxing.
Jane Brocket - Domestic Artist by an unnamed author: Another interview, this time with the author of The Gentle Art of Domesticity. I haven't read that book, but one gets the idea that it's a sourcebook for how to be a less snobby Martha Stewart. Which is not the worst thing in the world, by any means.
Didn't We Have a Lovely Time by "the knitonthenet team": Seriously, why do people do this? If you're going to tell me about the event I couldn't make it to, why do you think a bunch of pictures is sufficient? Tell me what happened instead.
Patterns
The Little Black Dress by Gudrun Johnston: I would love to say nothing but good things about this pattern, because I think it's interesting and well designed. Unfortunately, it only goes up to a 37" bust, which is a good 5" too small for me to be able to wear if I were inclined to, and I'm not exactly a huge person. Still, a neat idea
The Giles Bag by Just call me Ruby: Bulky wool and a monster cable on a square, with a second cable in a darker color for a shoulder strap. Should be quick to knit if nothing else, and might be nice for those who like the rustic look.
Mimi Cushion by Lazykate: I am at a loss to think of anyone over the age of fourteen who needs this--it's bright pink and has little tendril bits hanging from the sides and a great big flower in the middle. And if the picture's accurate, the listed dimensions are way off.
Denise Denise Scarf by Gavin Crawford: "Take two colors of yarn and knit with all the tips in your Denise interchangeables set until you run out". This is a pattern?
Limulidae Cowl and Hat by Neal Swain: Nice and warm and fuzzy, in a decently solid lace pattern so the wind's not getting in. The edges of the hat, though, look oddly unfinished and I'm not sure why.
Cable Bolero by Jane Waller and Susan Crawford: Adapted from a 1943 pattern, which really shows in the shaping. And really, do grown women need more pink? But the allover cabling is nice. I don't like short sleeves because they make my elbows cold, but that's personal preference.
Talk of the Town by knit-dot-net: Dear heaven, I thought the Eighties were over. It's a sort of sack/tank top thing in a vaugely metallic yarn and guaranteed to flatter precisely no one.
Alice Beanie and Scarf Set by Lazykate: Cute enough hat, though I could do without the flower on the side, and the scarf matches pleasingly.
Love Heart Socks by Just call me Ruby: Socks with a knit-and-purl heart pattern. They're nice enough socks, though I am not thrilled with the yarn used.
Blanche by Just call me Ruby: I am entirely unclear as to whether I like this pattern due to the lack of a decent picture of it. A deep square neck is good, and fitted is good, but I'd like to be able to see her shoulders in a full shot of the thing. And what the heck is it with nice thick woolly sweaters with short sleeves?
Jaffa Cake by Aruba Blue: It would have been nice had I not had to read to the end of the pattern to discover whether this was a bag or a cushion cover, and the color combo is hideously jaundiced. But the design itself is quite well executed and interesting.
Plain and Simple Scarf by Gavin Crawford: This really is a pattern for a garter stitch scarf--the second in this issue, remember, and this one doesn't even have the needle swapping trick. And it's light grey.
Upon reflection, I'm not so sure I'm going to be adding Knit on the Net to the regular rotation after all--there's precisely one pattern in the thing I'd even consider knitting, and it doesn't come in a size anywhere close to useful for me. The entire publication has the feel of something thrown together for fun rather than actually worked on, starting with the amateurish home page and moving on from there. Perhaps it's intended for beginners, which would explain the scarf "patterns", but overall I'm unimpressed.