Showing posts with label Creative Knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Knitting. Show all posts

Monday 13 February 2017

Creative Knitting Spring 2017: A Review


Creative Knitting has released its Spring 2017 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?





Calypso Cowlette. Not a bad piece at all. It has a certain casual chicness.





Lace Sampler. This one has an unfortunate heavy, poncho-like feel.





On the Fringes. Those fringes would drive me insane, but of course they could always be shortened.





Tipsoo Cowl. Another pretty, casual little accessory.





All Tied Up. The high-riding tie is unusual but I can't say it's unattractive or unflattering. This piece could have done with a more interesting yarn.





It's All About the Back. This is rather fetching, though it does look a bit baggy through the body.





Serendipity Shawl. This is rather pretty. I love the sandstone-like colours.





Sheer Comfort. This one has a "I'm wearing my shopping bags to the grocery store in order to keep my hands free" look.





Smoky Mountain Scarf. Not a bad-looking scarf, but I'm not crazy about the slits. They look like a mistake.





Balasana Bolster. This is okay, but perhaps a tad phallic for my liking. But then that may be a selling point for you. I don't know your Freudian symbol comfort level.





Om Ah Hum Pillow. Simple and pleasant-looking enough. I think it might need a more interesting yarn.





Serenity Cushion. This is... okay. I'd use a more interesting colour combination for this one.





Shavasana. An attractive simple throw for a beginner.





Eyelet Lace Raglan Cardigan. Standard lacy summer cardigan. The instructions for this one offers six lace patterns and a pullover option so that you can tweak the pattern to your liking.





Lace Tee. This design, like the previous one, can be done in one of six optional lace patterns and made as a tee or a tank, and again like the previous pattern, is standard knitting pattern fare. There were patterns just like this one in knitting and women's magazines twenty-five years ago. It's okay, but I'd go for something a little more interesting and stylish, myself.





Girder. The lace is nice, but I am not liking that big seam down the middle. It really detracts.





Hint of Spring. I rather like this one, though I'm not crazy about mesh. It always has such an air of sports jerseys or shopping bags to me that it never seems to belong in street clothes, and you can get weird sunburns through it. I think what I'd do is replace the mesh with some other kind of lacework.





Keystone. A very attractive lace shawl.





Tacoma Shrug. The lacework is beautiful, and the drape is great, but man, that shape is baggy.





Blankie for Baby. Some nice stitchwork in this one.





Sublime Spa Set. Not a bad little baby shower gift for someone who just needs to whip up something quickly. It's cute and useful. Though I think I'd do something more interesting with the bag, such as knitting it in one colour and doing a duplicate stitch teddy bear or cat some such on it. Those stripes have a "I'm just trying to use up some odds and ends" look.

Friday 7 October 2016

Creative Knitting Winter 2016: A Review


Creative Knitting has released its Winter 2016 issue. Let's have a look at it.





Cannon Hill Cardi. Wearable and fairly attractive.





Kaihora Cowl. A beautifully polished piece. Love the sophisticated stitchwork.





Anatolia Mittens. I like the Turkish-inspired design on the back, but the simple stripes don't quite measure up to it.





Have It Your Way Fingerless Mitts. Fun and wearable.





Ravenna Tam. A handsome classic.





Slouchy Cable Cloche. This looks disproportionately large and chunky.





Bobbles & Cables Pullover. This sweater will be mighty heavy to wear, but sometimes one does want a sweater that's as warm as an oven, and there's no denying the texture is impressive.





Simply Stripes & Cables Poncho. I'm not sure those stripes and cables are playing well together. The shape is good.





Swingy Cable Sampler Pullover. This is another heavy but beautifully textured piece. I wish I could see the whole thing as the description says it's A-line, and though the description also claims that A-line is flattering on all body types, I can tell you from painful personal experience that this is not true.





Uncommon Cables. Not thrilled with the concept of openwork stitches between the cables of this warm sweater, which seems tantamount to designing a parka with deliberate gaps in the seams.





Curvy Cabled Throw. An attractive piece with a southwestern-style colour palette, though I do wish the burnt orange border had been continued up the sides of the piece.





Funky Chunky Throw. This one would feel quite luxuriously snuggly and be a nice statement piece in a rustic-style or clean-lined contemporary decor.





Gold & Silver Medallions Afghan. This is well designed, but I'd be going with practically any other colourway than this one, and very possibly just doing it in a single colour.





The Magic of Reversible Cables. Very nice. It's reversible, which is a good choice for a cabled scarf, and I love the mulberry colour.





Around Town Cardigan. A practical, wearable, and attractive jacket.





Cabled Panel Sweater. A well-shaped, polished piece that can be dressed up or down.





Just Like Daddy Cabled Cardi. This looks maybe a bit cumbersomely bulky for an active small child (and aren't almost all small healthy children active), but it is cute and classic.





Marant Coat. There's a relaxed fit, and then there's fits like a house, and I'm afraid this falls into the latter category. Even for a coat, this is just too heavy and unflattering.

Monday 20 June 2016

Creative Knitting Autumn 2016: A Review


The Autumn 2016 issue of Creative Knitting is out! Let's have a look at it.





Ingot pullover. Simple but very effective, and it would be fun to play with the colourway.





Inverted V top. This is an innovative, contemporary look (and this piece also can be worn with the simple buttoned back at the front), but also one that is hard to wear. Cropped-length pieces always add several extra visual lines to a woman's body, and it's not flattering. If you love this piece, I'd suggest wearing it over a dress with no front seamlines, or at most an empire waistline that will be hidden under the knitted piece.





Morecambe Bay Cardi. A "garter stitch hooded jacket with random blocks of colour" sounds like one of those half-assed design concepts that Bergère de France is constantly serving up half-baked, but this designer took that simple idea and turned it into a polished and wearable piece of contemporary design.





Ready for the Weekend pullover. This colour blocking doesn't quite work. It has a certain unfortunate "half a pinafore" look, and I keep wondering where the skirt went.





Ulverston Color-Block Scarf, Hat & Mitts. I rather like the hat and the mitts, but the garter stitch scarf has an undesirable "beginner project" effect.





Undulating Waves wrap. A more interesting colour choice would do a lot for this piece.





Cables & Cords pullover. The shaping is good, and the laced effect is rather eye-catching. I'd be inclined to replace the I-cord in this one with a length of ribbon, which would lighten up the look.





Intertwined Elegance cardigan. This one has potential, but it needed a little more work. The gaps between the buttons aren't a happy effect, and the bottom hem look unfinished.





Origami Wrap. This isn't bad. It has a certain flair and could have a nice effect when worn over a simple outfit.





Woodland Slouch. This has a cute shape and nice texture.





Coronado Cardi. This reasonably well-shaped classic jacket deserved a more attractive yarn.





Gaines Poncho. Love the painterly colours used here, but the shape and finishing details aren't quite there.





Hint of the Highlands. This is attractive enough, but I find myself thinking how much better it would look in a more interesting palette.





Kaleidoscope Pullover. This is the sort of innovative art piece that would work better as an afghan. On an actual human being, it's both unflattering and gives one the look of a poorly adjusted TV set.





Stranded & Striped Cardigan. The design is really quite lovely... and I'm imagining it in pretty much every other colourway than this one.





Terranova pullover. This looks like mésalliance of components that were originally created for at least three different sweaters.





Twisted-Float Cowl. I could see this working as a cute little accessory, though again it needs a different colourway.