Monday, January 31, 2011

Vogue Knitting, winter 2010-2011

The cover this time says "FOREVER COZY! 34 CLASSIC KNITS YOU'LL WEAR AGAIN & AGAIN". So we've gone from last issue's glamour to this issue's cozy. I think I have fashion whiplash. I do agree, though, that 'cozy' suits more hand-knitters, and is a more accurate description of the patterns published by

As usual, the articles kick ass. Great stuff, again worth the cost of the magazine. I've actually been saving the last, oh, two years' worth of VK for the articles. I assume the pattern editor and the article editor are two different people? Can we put the article person in charge of patterns? Please? At least for one issue?

ARTICLES:

-Meg Swansen writes about the "Nalgar" sweater, a backward raglan (get it?) that has the shoulder decreasing in the sleeves. Leave it to her and her mother to cook up something so wild, crazy, and workable. Lovely examples shown in stripe/solid stockinette, stranded color, and twined knitting (!). Awesome.

-The technique article is by Nancy Marchant, and covers ALL ALL ALL the needed basics to do her wild and crazy (and genius) form of brioche knitting. FIVE pages of technique, and I'll bet you haven't seen 90% of it before, unless you have her book, "Knitting Brioche". Once you read the article, you'll want the book.

AND a bonus scarf pattern not counted 'officially' in the magazine, which is too bad, 'cause it's a definite pick of the issue.

...and that's about it for cool articles. Everything else is advertising pretending to be articles.

Nicky Epstein phones it in with some I-cord macrame.

Are you kidding me?

PATTERNS:

Section the first, "Winter Wonders". "...celebrate high knitting season with the cream of winter-wardrobe knit couture." First, seriously? SERIOUSLY? Nose in the air, much? Second, if we're gonna be all Vogue and shit, could we PLEASE find something other than beige and tan to knit in winter? THERE IS A WHOLE WORLD OF COLOR OUT THERE, and I can't be the only person on earth who wears bright colors in winter to cheer up and look at something other than white, grey, and BEIGE outside.

1. Man's Cable Turtleneck by Josh Bennett.

Four sizes from 42 to 48 inches/106 to 123 cm. Note to stylist: The 20's Brylcream style hair? Seriously NOT. Otherwise, um, it's a cable-knit. What's the point of putting ribbing on something and then letting the edges curl anyway? Is that a Unique Design Element, or a mistake? If I can't tell which, I lean toward mistake. Husbeast comment (I have debated for three days about including this): "That neck looks like his head's sticking out of someone's butt."


2. Woman's Cabled Top by Josh Bennett.

Three (!) sizes measured by waist circumference, 30 to 44 inches/76 to 111 cm. It is, essentially, a horizontally knit tube with a hole for the neck, seamed at the under arms, and a waist knit on. Sort of a glorified poncho. Not horrible, but not the most flattering thing in the world. The model is working it:
She's doing the Arm Trick (red lines) to draw the eye inward and look more like an hourglass with a waist. But if you follow the yellow lines, you can see it widens the body as a whole. It is what it is; and that's a nice little pullover to keep warm.


3. Reversible Cable Scarf by Josh Bennett.

13x65 inches/33x165 cm. Yup. It's a scarf made with reversible cables. Kudos for making it reversible; scarves with one side looking like ass is a major pet peeve of mine. On the other hand, what does it take to 'design' something like this? Lily Chin's reversible cable book and a couple hours? I'd love to know what the pay scale is on something like this.


4. Man's Fair Isle Cardi by Josh Bennett.

At least they got the OXO pattern = Fair Isle right on this one. Four sizes from 42 to 48 inches/106 to 122 cm. I have a photo of my great-great grandfather wearing a nearly identical outfit. Way to be cutting edge, Vogue Knitting stylist.


5. Fair Isle Yoke Pullover by Josh Bennett.

Six sizes from 33 to 52 inches/84 to 132 cm. And the copy writers drop the ball. "Fair Isle" refers not to stranded color, but a specific style of motifs knit WITH stranded color. The yoke style of this is actually Swedish (invented by Bohus Stickning), and the eight pointed star is NORWEGIAN. A technical note: The gauge is wrong or adjusted badly or accounted for wrong in the yoke. Stranded color ALWAYS knits to a smaller gauge than plain, single colors, when all other factors are the same. That's why the yoke on this looks too tight; it is. Knit the yoke with a larger sized needle, or the solid colored body with a smaller one. And while you're at it, skip the seaming and knit the whole thing in the round, and save yourself a few headaches.


6. Hoodie Jacket by Laura Bryant.

Five sizes from 45 to 59 inches/115 to 151 cm. $265 USD to knit the medium sizes, and the fake fur lining the hood is nylon, so it will do next to nothing to keep you warm. Plus, short sleeves. I've no idea what this is supposed to be, other than a disguised ad for Prism yarns.
Our model is working it to look like she has a waist, with one hip cocked out (green spine line) and the Arm Trick (light blue line). Unfortunately there's still a whole lot of bag under the arms (red circles) so it's not doing much good. Granted, this is a hoodie, so bagginess is probably to be expected, but I just don't get what this is doing in a supposedly high fashion magazine.


7. Cabled Hat by Deborah Newton.

Head circumference 21 inches/33 cm. Yup. That's what it is. ??!?! Hello, hat hair. Hello, glamour.


8. Loop Collar Vest by Lori Steinberg.

Someone killed a poodle, scalped it, and wrapped it around this poor model's neck. Three sizes, from 30 to 38 inches/76 to 97 cm. $120 for the size medium. Price does not include poodle. (I am assuming the yarn company arranged for their yarns to be used. Otherwise... WHY? WHY?!?!)
The model is again doing The Arm Trick to try to look like she has a waist, but it kind of backfires when you can see her hips sticking out behind, thanks to the widening effect of the vest thingie (blue lines and circles). Thanks to the... odd... cut of this thing, the Arm Trick works against her, accentuating her stomach and making her look like she has a gut when I'm betting she doesn't (yellow circle). Oh, and, uh, nice nipples (red circles). Way to accentuate them with the short rows.


9. Pocket Pullover by Helen Sharp.

Six sizes from 33 to 52 inches/83 to 133 cm. Fairly standard shawl-collar pullover, with loose loops of I-cord and some buttons tacked on. They don't look like they'd stay buttoned, and I'm not quite seeing the point, but you can leave them off easily enough. The pocket is too small to be much use in warming your hands and doubles the fabric over your stomach. It could also be left off.


Section two, "The Art of the Cardigan".

10. Draped Cardigan by Norah Gaughan.

Five sizes from 36 to 52 inches/91 to 132 cm. As always, a very nice, very solid design from Norah. There's waist shaping, and everything! The ruffle, with the single color, makes it female without being too fussy, and the ruffle adds a vertical line to the whole thing. But we can still learn from how the model works it:
The green spine line shows how she's got one hip cocked to show a nice waist curve. She's also doing the Arm Trick (blue line) and PULLING DOWN on the hem (red circle) to keep the line smooth.


11. Ribbed Cardigan by John Brinegar.

Four sizes from 41 to 55 inches/104 to 139 cm. $275 USD to knit the next-to-largest size. In chunky alpaca. Heat stroke time. Plus, alpaca has no tensile strength and can't really hold itself up without drooping.
See the yellow circle? That's where the weight of the sleeves is pulling the shoulders apart. The longer you wear it, the more stretched it will get. And it's baggy; see the purple circles? Part of that's fit, but part of it is also the nature of the fabric itself. It just HANGS. The model is doing the hand-on-hip to hold the fabric to her waist, but the fabric still hangs straight down (white line). It also bunches up (white circle).


12. Collared Cardigan by Sharon Sorkin.

Three sizes from 40 to 44 inches/101 to 111 cm. $264 to knit the medium size, in bulky merino wool. In K1P1 rib, in case the bulky yarn wasn't bulky enough; best to bulk it up more with a bulky stitch pattern.
As with the last pattern, you can see how the weight of all that yarn in the sleeves pulls across the shoulders (yellow lines). The bottom hem ruffles out in the back (purple circle), due either to bad fit, no fit (there's no waist shaping), or the fabric itself. The model works it (green spine line) with one hip cocked out, but there's nowhere for all that fabric to go. It humps in on the one side (blue circle) and humps out on the other (blue line), even with a belt on it. (And who wears a ratty old leather belt over a cardigan, with a draped skirt?)


13. Hooded Jacket by Debbie Bliss.

Five sizes from 36 to 54 inches/102 to 137 cm. $240 USD to knit the next-to-largest size. Which isn't THAT bad, considering how much fabric there is in this thing. If you can stand all that garter stitch, it's a really nice, simple cardigan.


14. A-Line Cardigan by Mari Lynn Patrick.

Seven sizes from 35 to 54 inches/89 to 137 cm. There's something wrong with this, I'm just not sure what... I think it's the 'cut' of the whole thing.
You can see from the yellow lines that it just keeps getting wider, the further it goes. Some would argue that's what an A line is, but the purple cardigan above is ALSO an A line, and it DRAPES. So the model tries to fix it (and makes it look worse) by shoving the front together (red circle). NOT the best choice in the magazine.


Section three, "Urban Outfits". Har. Vogue Knitting finally realized they're located in one of the most glamorous cities in the world (particularly for fashion) and WENT OUTSIDE to take some photos! Amazing!

15. Leaf Motif Pullover by Renee Lorion.


Six sizes from 34 to 54 inches/86 to 137 cm. Nowhere have I been able to find a picture of this, whole-body, with nothing in the way. Either it's like this photo with the coat, or else on Vogue 360 they keep cutting between details and never get a big picture of it (plus the person on Vogue 360 this time has the gait of a lame Clydesdale and all that bumping and prancing makes it hard to concentrate). Looking at the schematics, I think the problem - such as it is - is a lack of shaping. Yes, it's supposed to be a tunic, but even they benefit from a waist. It'd be easy to put in, and otherwise it's a fantastic pullover. EVEN IF THE CHART IS ON THE WEB SITE. Feh.


16. Cabled Pullover by Mel Clark.

THREE (AAAAH!) sizes from 34 to 42 inches/86 to 108 cm. (VOGUE YOU ASSHOLES!) Cute asymmetric cable-knit in too few sizes. It's got hems rather than ribbing, which is flattering, and is knit in the round.

You can see, the traveling cables need to be worked carefully so the fabric lays smoothly; I wonder how this one was blocked.

This is a pretty standard modeling pose. Hip cocked dramatically (green spine lines), shoulders turned slightly to make the body look thinner, Arm Trick to visually narrow the waist (red lines).


17. Bulky Pullover by Jacqueline Van Dillen.

Seven sizes from 35 to 53 inches/89 to 134 cm. If you HAVE to make a bulky pullover, this is a nice one. (Except for the neck. What's up with the neck? Was that meant to be folded down? What's wrong with neck ribbing?)
You can see how the textured portion of the sweater emphasizes and narrows the waist. You can also see (purple line) how something's funky on that neck. Does that model look like she has a black eye?


18. Cabled Topper, by Michele Wang.

Six sizes from 41 to 65 inches/105 to 165 cm. Am I the only one bugged by the term 'topper'? Makes me think of something that should be poured on ice cream.
According to the schematic, there are sleeves on this, but reading the pattern, I sure can't find anything that sounds like them in terms of MAKING sleeves. There's no waist shaping. Which mean without a belt to pull in all that fabric (red lines), it would just hang there (yellow lines). Not the most flattering thing ever. The yarn is bulky, knit with cables, so that's quite a lot of fabric to bunch at your waist.


19. Cowl Neck Tunic by Lidia Karabinech.


Five sizes from 34 to 54 inches/86 to 137 cm. Yup. Big butt length. Overgrown collar that's not sure what it's doing. Double-thick cabled fabric. No waist shaping. Knit at your own semi-risk.


20. Belted Tunic Cardi by Mari Lynn Patrick.


Four sizes from 38 to 48 inches/96 to 122 cm. I've got no idea what this is trying to be. It's like they made a list of all the most unflattering things in a cardigan - big butt length, belt that just adds bulk, A line that doesn't drape, baggy short sleeves, pockets at the hips, and knit them into one giant conglomeration of I know not what. Not to mention this:
See the dark red lines? That's where the edge stitches were picked up. See the yellow lines? That's the columns of stitches in the neck. Those triangles of fabric between the red and yellow lines are created with decreasing in the neck band, then some very creative picking-up-of-stitches when the front bands are done. With all the fussing, I don't understand why the front edges curl in like that; maybe they need fussed with some more? Maybe it's a Unique Design Element? Hell, I just don't get 'fashion'. Well, at least it doesn't come in my size. For once big tits come in handy.


Section next, "Fiber Optics." Um, something about black and white and how elegant the absence of color is. Or something. The photo shoot is in what looks like a den or office that hasn't been redecorated since 1973.

21. Two-Color Rib Cardi by Lisa Whiting.


VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR CHARTS
Two sizes (assholes), 35 and 39 inches/90 and 99 cm. 39 inches as the LARGEST size for a CARDIGAN, that is MEANT TO BE WORN OVER OTHER CLOTHES? SERIOUSLY? With all the wast shaping, bust shaping, and sleeve caps, in an actual STITCH PATTERN, I suppose it was too taxing for whoever does the sizes there. Which is too bad; this is a really nice design, with actual shaping. Not that you can tell from the way it's photographed. The color choices kinda suck, too. But in a lighter color, the potential is there.


22. Graphic Wrap by Brandon Mably.

27x52 inches/68x132 cm. It's a lap blanket. With stripes. The only thing graphic is what I said when I saw this.


23. Entrelac Cardigan by Rosemary Drysdale.

Six sizes from 32 to 52 inches/81 to 132 cm. Nice, though all that black and white checkerboard is a little eye-crossing. Maybe in, dare I suggest it, some COLORS? The schematic shows that this is essentially a box; no waist shaping, almost no sleeve shaping. So why does it look too small on the model? What on earth did they do to make it look like that? And WTF is up with that belt?


24. Jumper, by Louisa Harding.

Five sizes that should not exceed that of the average twelve year old; from 35 to 56 inches/89 to 143 cm. A PINAFORE WITH LITTLE HEARTS IS HIGH FASHION? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?


Oh look! Bulky designers section! (Yes, I know how that reads, and I'm leaving it.)

25. Cable Back Cardigan by Tom Scott.

Three sizes from 51 to 58 inches/129 to 148 cm. Shown on the model in size Medium/Large (54in/138cm). The most wearable thing he's published in VK to date. It's oversized chunky, but still. At least it's got sleeves instead of big buttonholes for your arms. Have I ever mentioned, beware anything named chunky when trying to look fashionable? Well, anyway. Have a look:
All that fabric from the oversized torso doesn't know quite where to go. So it hangs in deep ruffles and bags, obscuring the kind of interesting cable on the back. I can't see how this would be flattering, and judging from how VK photographed it, never really showing it, they feel much the same. Still, it'd be warm as heck, and comfortable.


26. Twinkle Coat Dress by, uh, Twinkle.


Three sizes from 35 to 42 inches/89 to 108 cm. If you were to wear this as an actual coat instead of a dress, I think you'd really have a great winter knit. An actual waist, some drape... not bad for super-bulky knit on size 17 needles. $300 USD to knit it. Hahahahaha.


Next section, "Vintage Modern". "Cherry-colored yarns update the look of four designs from our Fifties archives." Shall I translate? Why don't I translate. Look how awesome we are! We avoided paying four designers by pulling stuff out of our archives, and didn't even bother crediting the designers! Another red section; we haven't had one of those SINCE THE LAST ISSUE! And they went SUPER sophisticated and did the photo shoot in a GYM. Nothing says glamour like sweat and the smell of old socks!

27. Tie Front Mystery Garment (it doesn't say).

Five sizes from 32 to 50 inches/81 to 127 cm. This is a classic, and one of the best choices in the magazine. If you fit it JUST right so it hits right at you waist, you'll look magnificent in it. But let's learn something anyway, huh?
See the green spine line on the left? She's got her hip cocked out and her hand there to emphasize her waist. BUT! See on the right? See how the line is straight? That means she's not (particularly) working it, and it still looks very nice. It would look better if she wasn't leaned over so you could see how it drapes when standing normally, but you can see that it's a very pretty pullover. This one's knit with Koigu mori and the medium size is $132 USD. But that's a silk/wool blend and pretty hot, and I'm sure there are other yarns out there of pure wool that knit at seven stitches to the inch/28 stitches to 10 cm.


28. Horizontal Cables Mystery Garment.

Five sizes from 32 to 48 inches/81 to 122 cm. Knit cuff to cuff. Those sorts of things rarely hang in a flattering way. Taking a look at this on VK360, it looks like the cables are pulling in, which means the sweater rides up to just under the boobs. The sleeves probably grow in length when that happens. Fun!


29. Ribbed Pullover.

Five sizes from 32 to 46 inches/81 to 116 cm. Female version of a classic men's sweater. With big patch pockets to double the thick fabric over your hips and stomach. And a trophy. AND BOXING GLOVES? $304 USD to knit a little something to wear with your FREAKING BOXING GLOVES.


30. Ski Sweater.

Six sizes from 32 to 52 inches/81 to 132 cm. Mmm, more patch pockets on the hips, to go with the Sally Jessy Raphael glasses. All that red, none of it matching. Whee!



Section last, "Socks in the City". Welcome to 1998, Vogue Knitting! Thanks for joining us! These are socks. There's not much to say about them. They're socks. Nice socks, with, gasp, a limited size selection.

31. Cabled Knee Socks by Star Athena.

Foot circumference 7 inches/18 cm.


32. Eyelet Socks by Star Athena.

Foot circumference 7 inches/18 cm.


33. Bird Socks by Lisa Whiting.

This says foot circumference is three inches. That's gotta be a typo. These socks are adorable, but I don't think I'd survive the embroidery.


Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go kick my cat.

28 comments:

laurel said...

Thanks for the review!
And tell thine Husbeast that I see his point of view as per sweater neck opinions...

I liked a few things and am waiting to see if my first subscribed issue to VK is this one before I buy it off the stands like a dummy.

Maybe if one added Velcro to the bird socks and made little Velcro backed birdies that one could move around the socks, maybe that would be more fun than embroidering little birds. In other words: I want those socks.

Ginger_nut said...

I think sometimes you are a little blind to the fact that not everyone has your body type. I do know a few people that are rather shapeless (I believe the PC term is "column" as opposed to "hourglass" or "pear") that wouldn't mind making something big butt length. In fact, the only people I see having a problem with big butt length are those who think they already have huge butts.

Also, I think that it may not be the arms stretching out the shoulders on the second sweater - I think it was designed to have negative ease across the shoulder and chest, but fit around the waist. I actually don't mind designs like that as they show off my better assets (ie, boobies) but then cover my mummy tummy. (It makes you chest seem like it is 'busting out' of your sweater, which is sometimes a desirable thing) Things that are fitted and have the same amount of ease across the whole garment can just end up showing off belly rolls. (I'm an Aus 10 / Eu 29 / US 6 - fairly slim, but still self-conscious about the mummy tummy rolls)

Totally agree with you on the bulky alpaca though - wear that more than once and you will end up with the shoulder seams at your elbows.

Holly said...

I love your reviews. Even my toddler looks good with waist shaping. Now excuse me while I go get my stitch dictionary and invent a $300 sack to sell to vogue.

Anonymous said...

As usual, I have been entertained! I do like your colored lines and circles showing what you are talking about. Even though the foot circumference on Star Athena's socks would work for me the calf circumference wouldn't. I do like Norah's contribution.

Anonymous said...

Thank you.

I was looking forward to this as soon as you mentioned it. I'm fairly certain your reviews have helped me understand pictures of patterns.... and therefore saved me money cause I didnt' buy books full of ugly patterns!

I liked the purple hoodie thingy, I'd make an exception for not wearing hoodies if that thing fit... but it's expensive with that much yarn.

The man's sweater? My husband said even Steve Jobs would laugh at who wore that and he likes turtlenecks (otherwise we agree with husbeast).

As always, I enjoyed the commentary too. (The lap blanket IS a lap blanket!)

Anonymous said...

Made me LOL many times and you didn't even mention the hats.

I had to post something the word is:furda

Pam

Simon Belfield said...

Some beautiful knitwear pictures here. I really like them. Thanks for such a comprehensive post of them all.

Lisa said...

I will second Ginger_nut's comment that what you term "big butt length" is actually a very flattering length for some people. I have small boobs (junior's M-L ish, women's small), a thin waist, but a relatively large butt and thighs (junior's 11, women's 6-8). I find sweaters need to end either just below my waist (like the Geodesic Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio) and be worn with a long shirt or it needs to be just past the widest part of my hips - your so-called big butt length. Just above the widest part is the worst.

On the other hand, I completely agree with the rest of your comments. Waist shaping is everyone's friend! Bulky knits are nobody's friend! I have been much happier with my sweaters since I started designing my own in DK weight and thinner. I really wish that more magazines would include fine gauge knits with waist shaping and 0-1" ease. Fine gauge is also better for seamless knitting since you don't need seams to support the weight of bulky yarns, and it's actually not that fiddly to do a close variation on set-in sleeves seamlessly (the shaping is almost identical to a set-in sleeve at the top and then follows raglan shaping at the bottom of the sleeve).

ellen in indy said...

gotta disagree a bit with lisa: some of us don't have waistlines, so shaping calls attention to that rather than a straight sweater that glides over the area and lets the viewer assume that one does have a waist.

what i like about the samurai slicing and dicing of patterns is that it helps me know whether there's even ONE pattern in the mag that might justify buying it. i knit for my 5'2", well-rounded self, but also for a slim, 6' niece and her 5'6," slightly curvy sister and their curvy 5' half-sister and my curvier 5'2" daughter, so it's good to have help deciding what might fit each.

(on the other hand, ALL of them look good in Lia, a free bulky pattern from this fall's Knitty. All that needs adjusting for that is the length of the ribbing, because the cabling is placed for maximum boobage flattery.)

also, the analysis of the "fair isle" yoke that isn't is amusing, and the tip of going down a needle size for the colorwork yoke is helpful. Wish I'd known that before i knit a cardi that i otherwise love, but that's too big across the shoulders. alas, it's been steeked, and there's no way to block out all the extra fullness.

Ginger-nut's right that there are many body types. however, given that 65% of u.s. adults are either overweight or obese, it's useful to have the perspective of those who generally are ignored in vk's choices.

pointing out the costs also is useful. naturally, vk isn't going to bite the hands that feed it by offering alternative yarns. but looking up the specified yarn on ravelry, and then searching for others with those characteristics and lower prices, can make a coveted design more affordable.

(i once scored 20+ balls of takhi torino bulky at $1 apiece in my lys clearance. 16 balls made a wonderful Lia for my 6' niece. her sisters' Lias are being done in cascade 128, scored at a mere 40% off at the same lys.)

Corlis said...

The hat in #7 looks like something the Huns or Mongols wore. Another example of the cyclical nature of fashion.

Emily said...

Re figures: models' bodies are usually long coathangers, minimal shape. One has to figure out for oneself what looks good on one's own body.

I, personally, have issues with the new empire line that seems to be everywhere: I've been pregnant twice already, thank you.

But, as usual, terrific reviews. And I AGREE about those articles!

Louiz said...

Thank you for the thorough review. I just have to say I'm thinking of buying this issue for pattern 24. Not for me, for my 5yo - until you said it's an adult pattern. Might get it and resize it anyhow.

Donna Lee said...

I like the embroidered socks but I don't want to make them.

What's with all the non fitted knits? I don't like all that fabric floating around my body.

And I had one of those "loopy" coats back in the 70's when my mother made me one in light blue acrylic. Yep, and I wore it to Paris ('cause i'm just that fashionable)

Jessica Powers said...

I love your reviews! Vogue Knitting sizes have always pissed me off because they are so limited and odd, and the 'fashion' aspect of it seems to boil down to lots of makeup and weird locations - two things I like because they are silly and amusing while the majority of their patterns are simply ugly and lame. Thanks for not editing out your husbeast's comment - it made my afternoon!

Amy Lane said...

Fabulous, as always... (Your review, and not the clothes...) Those socks are awesome, aren't they? Can you imagine, all that embroidery? I'd kill someone first....

bobbins said...

Love the reviews! Thank you so much for showing us how the models are making the garments look better - when they can.

Galad said...

Another great educational journey through Vogue Knitting. Always learn something new and especially like the photo markings.

I know this takes a tremendous amount of time to prepare but your efforts are appreciated!

Anonymous said...

As usual, loved the Vogue review. Just had to ask, How are you enjoying the snow storms in P-berg?
Have been hating the ones near Philly. lol

Anonymous said...

What's with all the socks being knee high?? Love the reviews!

Deama said...

I really like #13.

I'm not a fan, nor have I ever been, of the extremely large sweater-turned-dress style that's become popular lately. My favorite clothing store has TONS of those, and if you have the ass size I do, it's NOT flattering.

Big girls, please stay away from them.

Some of the knits you have here aren't too bad, but 13 is something I'd definitely wear.


(PS, I miss you way too much to post about here. Let's get together sometime soon, ok?)


Deana :)

Rachel said...

Do you realize how little hand knit designers earn, esp from VK? One thing to rubbish a new album by a band you know are making lots of money, or even a blockbuster movie, but please, leave designers alone. Even when you think you're critiquing the magazine, you're actually shoving it to the designers.
Unlike you, I love #14, Mari Lynn Patrick's cardigan. It's a chic and witty riff on the grandfather cardigan and as such, well worth knitting.

Cath said...

I enjoy the reviews. You missed something that shows up on # 18 green . The start in the directions does not match the picture is plain rib for about 8 rows, the directions start the cable on rows 3 & 5. I liked the idea of that as front & back of a vest and adding sides in stockinette panels.

their start would cause funny waves because of cable pull in.

Liz of Wool Boutique said...

Hilarious, brilliant review. Good to see the revealing model poses too, something to look out for when pattern searching in the future.

Maria said...

Hello,

I have been reading your Vogue Knitting reviews for a while now, about a year. It usually makes or breaks my decision to buy the magazine, so I'll thank you for the collection that I do own.

Even though you shoot down most of the patterns, I tend to buy them anyway. I'll buy a magazine even if there is just one pattern that I love. That is usually all I have time for before the next issue comes out anyway.

I use your reviews to see what you think about the pattern I found particularly appealing. I have a pretty good eye for what looks lovely on me, but you have a better knack for predicting how the garment will hang considering the yarn they use. That allows me to adapt the yarn... because I would never spend the $500 on whatever they use anyway. This is infinitely more important to me than your opinion about how it will look. You have a lot of skill and I wish I had someone like you in my knitting club.

Although I do think I would look nice in the "big butt" length cardigans. I am one of the millions that suffer from no-butt.

Thanks again for your review! Again, the hours are worth it because you provide an amazing service

Solelicious said...

What I love most about Vogue Knitting? Is the handcraft...is just perfect...beautiful designs & perfect handcraft...what a couple. Thnxs 4 sharing. Soledad

Ginny said...

Wicked good sense of humor. Thanks for the enjoyable and educational read.

Ulrike said...

"24. Jumper, by Louisa Harding."

I LOLed when I read your comment, because when I looked at the photo, my first thought was, "Oh, that would look lovely on my 11 year old."

Kayleigh Garner said...

You Are Fantastic. It is completely refreshing to find someone who has my inner voice in a blog.

You have a new fan!