I received my swap from Germany today too; Gudrun has been a very generous and crafty lady. I got some Lindt Chocolate in I think vanilla and summer berries (not sure it's all in German), some lovely Czech glass buttons, a necklace that she made herself which is very nice, a fulled bag that she also made which is lovely and a skein of hand-dyed sock yarn in my favourite colours!
Review of Interweave Knits Fall 2010
I'm not going to put photo's on here as I'm sure they'll be on Interweave's website, but I thought I'd go through it and say what I think of the various patterns.
Brattleboro Hat: this pattern is actually from a new book called New England Knits. It's a simple hat and rather nice, but could do with being a little lower over the ears; I know mine would get cold and after all the main purpose of hats of this type is to keep your head and ears warm.
Alpen Socken: A pretty sock with a twisted stitch pattern, I do like this, but there are other twisted stitch patterns out there in the sock field that make me drool.
The Proverbial Cap: This is more like it for length, it's basically a beanie with some twisted stitchwork on it, I probably won't make it but it's a nice hat.
Barvarian Tulip Mittens: Nice enough, but not really inspiring to me atm, once again twisted stitches are on the back and it does have a decent length in cuff which is nice to see. I'm into colourwork and true cables atm though so it's not pushing my buttons.
Lietmotif Cardigan: Is a horizontal knit from a centre back provisional cast on, I like the fit but it wouldn't be warm enough with no overlap on the front here in NZ come Autumn. Would look nice for summer though.
Hawthorn Pullover: I can see this one in handspun, it's all cables and a slim fit which is nice. Not sure about the boat neck, I can feel the breeze sneaking down there already and I'm not even wearing it!
Plein Air Tote: What were they thinking? It looks like she took the couch squab cushion cover and stuck handles on it; it's so deep that her keys will never be found again so she can't ever put it back where it belongs (on the couch). Knit some of these if your couch cushions need recovering, it would look fantastic there; as a bag? Um, NO!
The Point Gammon Pullover: This is for a man and I have to say it's a good jersey for a bloke. Lots of cables with some interest in the middle panel but not frilly at all. This would also look good in handspun and I could see my husband in it in a rather larger size. That guy is skinny!
Inversion Gansey: I love this, lace, fitted just a couple of things I'd change. The sleeve length; 3/4 sleeves are a pain and possibly take the neckline in a bit on the shoulders, I'd feel like it was falling down all the time as it's a touch too wide.
Cloisonne Jacket: Very sweet, love the colourwork on it and the lace at the bottom is a nice touch. I can see me making this in handspun again, though probably not in the colours they've used; brown is not really me. Funnily enough the 3/4 sleeves I think work on this, but would be better a touch longer so they don't end so close to the hem of the main body.
Leyfi Pullover: Another one that's worth making, lace and shaping make for a very flattering jersey. They've knitted this with a strand of Cashmere laceweight held with a Merino singles yarn so would be very luxurious too.
Running Stitch Skirt: Nice enough I guess, but pretty basic. If I'm going to be knitting a skirt I want something with a bit more oomph. I won't be knitting this one.
Pizzicato Scarf: It looks like a fishermans rib scarf to me, doesn't do anything for me at all.
Sea and Sky Shrug: This is beautiful, would be fantastic in handspun yarn. Nice ruffled edge is feminine without being over the top; would be great for those autumn outdoor weddings. I'm going to queue this one.
Breacan Swing Coat: Nice shape, but I don't really like the oversized plaid in large yarn; if you're not as skinny as the model you'll look like car upholstery. Knit plain or possibly with a colour that blends rather than shouts it would be rather nice though.
George St Pullover and Cowl: I like the look of this one, nice and simple, but with interest in the yarn overs. It needs to be longer in both body and sleeves and then it would be almost perfect.
Family Pillows: I'm not a pillow girl but I quite like the bolster style one, the others are a bit too bold for me.
Slanting Plaid Stole: This I'd knit, it looks simple, but effective. Would be lovely and warm and very versatile. I think the finished look would be all in the yarn choice; something with a little sparkle or sheen for evening, the alpaca used makes me think of reading in front of the fire at home.
Elementary Vest: Nice shape, love the colourwork and I think if a touch longer this would be the perfect vest; going into my queue.
Peavey Jacket: Can't see any man I know wearing this, just looks sloppy to me. Just cos I like colourwork doesn't make me like this.
Chiral Cardigan: I like this, the assymetrical neckline and closure looks nice; I think I'd go with different buttons though, flowers are just too little girl for my taste. I can see this one working for handspun yarn too.
Williamsburg Cardigan: This doesn't fit very well, makes her look like she's big in the hips and it just hangs. They do call it oversize and it has some nice features but not wearable IMO for anyone who wants to look shapely.
Tamarix Quilt: I'm not a baby blanket knitter, but this is cute; it makes me think of pieced quilts and I think if I was going to knit a baby blanket this would be it.
Hoarfrost Mobius: Very pretty, but unfortunately I've never seen stainless steel/wool blend yarn here so I think I'll just admire from afar.
Arching Cables Jacket: To me the porportions on this are wrong, I think the waist fastening needs to be lower making the body longer and the sleeve length is wrong too; not sure but I think it needs to be a lot longer. Not planning on making this one I'm afraid.
I guess that's my review done, some nice items, some not so nice ones but overall not as good as some of their older magazines. Mind you most mags seem to go through a phase of not being so good before they come back really well, so here's hoping they'll do their comeback soon.
2 comments:
My mag finally arrived this morning so I flicked through it as I read your blog post. I enjoyed your review! In fact, I actually agree with you a lot of the time - why do so many of the necklines, at the moment, seem to be so wide? Brrrr! Makes for rather a lot of alterations if one wants to make the garment. The male model was rather skinny, too, probably why the Peavey Jacket was so large on him. (Why did they have two such similar jackets by two different designers? why not one suitable for both men and women?) Overall I thought there were some things in the mag with potential but I'm not sure if I will end up making anything yet - I really am slow at knitting anything large!
Rachelle, your knitting is awesome !! Love the bug socks.
The swap from Germany is lovely, what fantastic things you've been sent.
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