My Dragons
Knitty Winter 2007 Review
I wish knitting magazines came out more often. I suppose monthly is too much to wish for, but a girl can dream. Anyway, less than a week into the appropriate month, Knitty Winter 07 is up!
Articles
Frankenknits by Kristi Porter: I think we have determined that Porter and I just don't share much in the way of our tastes in clothes, which is fine. She still gives neat ideas for techniques and demonstrates how thoroughly the look of an item can be changed--and, more importantly, that you shouldn't be afraid to change it. That being the case, future Knitty reviews are just going to note whether or not Frankenknits appears unless there's something truly spectacular in it.
Knit Like a Man by David Demchuk: A rather mouth-watering "Christmas list". I really hope the poor man's family isn't actually that bad--of course it's a joke, but even the watered-down version of what's in the article makes me wince. So David, I hope you have a good holiday...whether you get what's on your list or not.
Mindful Knitting by Tara Jon Manning: Look, guys, I like to knit, and I find it relaxing, and the process of design is fun no matter what you're designing. But I really hope that this article isn't taking the place of another pattern or two. I mean no offense to Manning, who wrote a nice piece, but I don't knit for philosophy.
Techniques with Theresa by Theresa Vinson Stenerson: This issue's installment is about cables and how to do them, and as always is an excellent grounding in the basics.
Bacardi, Hold the Lime by Barbara Gregory: The designer of the Bacardi cardigan from No Sheep for You talks about how to alter a set of colors, with ~8 fully worked-out examples. I'm taking it with a grain of salt because I don't like Bacardi's original color choices, but the examples make me like it better and the basic technique she's giving is solid.
Turkish Delight by Katie Howell: "How I went to a foreign country, encountered an initially standoffish native thereof, and bonded over knitting despite not sharing a language." I am reasonably certain I've heard this story before. This is another case of a well-written piece on a theme that I've seen so many times I could tell it myself.
More Dyeing with Food Color by Allena Jackson: Awe-inspiringly thorough piece on how to get the color you want with non-toxic food dyes, with a special digression into the difficulties of purple.
Color Combining 101: Ramblings of a Color Glutton by Lynne Vogel: Being something of a color glutton myself, I read this one even though it's a KnittySpin article. It turned out to contain nothing of use to me, as I don't spin (and I'm not learning, do you hear me? I'm not!).
Patterns
Ice Queen by Rosemary Hill: The very first pattern, and I am in love. I mean, I'm actually contemplating using Kidsilk Haze, and from the stories one hears about it that's not something to do lightly. Of course there are other laceweights available. I'll have to look around. I like the grey one better; it looks more wintry.
Quant by Star Athena: The headband is kind of neat: large-gauge entrelac in nice bright colors. I'm especially intrigued by the fact that, in all the picture, I spotted exactly one place where it was clear that more than one of the varigated colors of the yarn was in a single square, and suspect some yarn manipulation to have made it happen. That being said, I think the designer's name is self-chosen and therefore not what Liam and I refer to as "Your Honor, the defense rests". (Prime example: Moxie Crimefighter Gilette, daughter of the speaking half of Penn & Teller)
Three Tams by Angela Sixian Wu: I was much more interested in these before I realized they got their nifty colors from a strand of (varigated) Noro Silk Garden. I've never met a Noro yarn I liked the feel of, and the mere fact of being Noro would make it hard as hell to match the colors. Since the colors are what I like, oh well.
Tudora by Cheryl Marling: I guess it's less likely to get lost or tangled in something than a traditional scarf, and I like the red, but I really can't see putting wool up against my throat like that. Scratchy. Also, I dislike the asymmetry which the author views as a feature; it makes it look like it's not wrapped right.
Halcyon by Jeni Chase: This is a little wide for the kind of scarf you usually see people wearing with their dress-up clothes, and a little narrow for a stole, and having the red ribbon threaded through doesn't suit the rest of the look. That said, it's a nice lace pattern for a scarf if you're so inclined.
Justify by Lynne Vogel: The pattern which goes with this month's KnittySpin, which means I couldn't reproduce it even if I were inclined to, and I'm not. The colors are lovely, but a little muddied by their spinning and I don't like the overall design, which is an interesting idea that doesn't hold up well in execution.
Dahlia by Mary Weaver: Cute top, with a neckline very much like the sweater I'm currently wearing and short puffed sleeves, but who let the model wear it over a long-sleeved tee with a round neck? Anyway, I don't know as I'd knit it, but it's cute..without the lime-green ribbon.
Aoife by Axelle de Sauveterre: Aside from the fact that it doesn't appear to fit the woman who's wearing it, this is OK if not exactly high on my hit list. Off-white is a risky color choice, but if this is meant to be a jacket to take out on nights when it's cold and bare shoulders are bad, it's not going to get too grimed up. The only thing I really hate is the huge bell cuffs on the sleeves. I'd extend the plain stockinette and then use the neat cable band for the cuff instead.
Abotanicity by Cassie Rovitti: I really want to like this, but I just don't. Something about the combination of the dull color, the subtle-but-perceptible horizontal stripes, and the shaping makes me think it wants to be on one of Charlie's Angels. It'd certainly make anyone bigger than a B-cup look rather monumental.
Stardust by Turit Wilroy: I search in vain for any mention of beads or sequins in the materials list, so I conclude the yarn just does that on its own. I'd really have to see it in real life to make up my mind; my first impression is "silver lamé", and when you spent as much time in show choirs and teen singing groups as I did that's a phrase to raise goosebumps with. But it's a nice coverup for slinky dresses at winter parties, and who knows? The yarn might be lovely in person.
Laughing Carrots by SaRi: A lovely kids' cardigan with a nifty Walker-derived pattern in the cabling on the yoke. Nice to see a children's pattern--not that Knitty is generally short on them, except in the sense that all knitting publications focus heavily on adult women.
Gloves Can Be Deceiving by Sarah Sutherland: I'm not sure what's supposed to be deceiving, except insofar as the construction appears to be a BSJ-esque exercise in origami. Other than that, they're gloves and the yarn color makes my eyes bleed.
Fair Isle Rapids by Kieran Foley: The color choice really reminds me of the Samurai Knitter's "what not to do" example, but the technique looks fascinating. If I wanted a scarf. But the principles would no doubt transfer.
Matrix by Kerry Palm: Nice heavy stranded-color mittens. I don't care for the two shades of orange color scheme, but that's simple to modify. Hope you live somewhere cold, though.
Entangled by Stephanie Shiman: I have a truly unreasonable love for this bag, but fortunately I'm never gonna knit it because a big bag like that just isn't my style. But I love plant-inspired motifs, and they're all over this. Love.
Square Cake by Jairlyn Mason: Cute little bag, neat construction, but who the heck knits an evening bag? It might work nicely as a wrist distaff, though.
Lighthouse Gansey Socks by Anne Hanson: Socks using traditional gansey patterning, which works out nicely by putting the blank lower bit on the foot. A neat idea.
Chevrolace Socls by Heidi M Scheppmann: Look, don't get me wrong, socks are cool, but I do get tired of patterns for them. There are only so many ways to incorporate lace into the cuff of a sock, and most of them are indistinguishable from each other when worn.
Azure Socks by Deb Barnhill: More socks, this time blue with a "whale-tail" cable motif.
SlipperySocks by Olivia M: These socks are in an eye-watering pink through yellow varigated that succeeds in almost entirely obliterating the rather interesting cable motif.
Toirneach by Aislinn M Charlton-Dennis: Lots of designers whose names begin with A in this issue. Anyway, they're kilt hose, which are...socks. But I love the calf shaping, and one doesn't see a lot of knee-high patterns floating around.
Toasty Topper by Alexis Riggs: A cute hat/scarf all-in-one combo for a small child. Nicely done. Now just tie the mittens to it and he'll never get cold!
Cables + Bits by Sarah Wilson: A dog sweater, which excuses the name. It only covers the animal's front legs and "shoulder" area--it is essentially a shrug for dogs--so I don't know how effective it'd be in really cold climes or for really cold-prone dogs, but it's cute.
Sally the Eco Fairy by Jennie Eveleigh Lamond: An adorable doll, all done in eco-friendly cotton in natural, undyed colors. Not many rag dolls have thumbs, I'm impressed.
Doddy by Carol Feller: A squishy knitted "ball", actually a dodecahedron, made of several different versions of knitted pentagons sewn together. Do it in a durable yarn and your kids will love it.
Kitty by Judt Head: It's a handpuppet. I admire what she did with it, though given the limitations of the medium I'd have believed her if she'd named it "Ratty" or "Ferrety" too.
Jeanie by Keri Williams: This is a fabulously interesting technique, dropping stitches around cables to make a lacy cable, something I'd never have thought possible. That said, I don't like the wrap she made out of it. But the technique I must learn.