Friday 20 June 2014

Creative Knitting Autumn 2014: A Review


Creative Knitting is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the release of their Autumn 2014 issue. Congratulations to CK, and let's have a look at the patterns in this issue.





The Alabaster Cardigan. Quite like this one, but then I have a weakness for this sort of warm, comfortable, textured cardigan. There's a certain casual elegance to them.





The Argentine Cowled Tee. I'd like this one if it weren't for that drapery hanging randomly off the front. It looks like some sort of dressing room mishap.





The Hinterland pullover. I don't usually care for the mullet hem, but I actually kind of like this one. Because it and the black panels are the only distinctive touches on this otherwise basic sweater and they work together, it has a certain smartness.





The Ocher Shell. I do like this one, which has both a good shape and eye-catching stitchwork, though the colourway isn't appealing. An attractive solid tone yarn would be a better choice here, because the design is so interesting on its own.





Simply Cozy Sweater. This is dead simple, but the woman who owns this sweater will probably get more use out of it than she would out of three or four fashion editorial-type designs combined. For very basic designs like this, go with a really beautiful yarn in a luscious colour. It'll elevate the resulting sweater into something special.





Trio of Cables pullover. I like this one on the whole, but my one quibble is that the edgings used here at neck, hem and sleeve aren't quite working. They make the sweater look unfinished. I'd maybe work up some sort of lace pattern similar to that used within the cable motifs to use instead.





The Uncommon Cabled Cardigan. I'm wishing we had a full frontal view of this cardigan, because I don't feel I can really be sure it looks good until I've seen one. It might look gracefully draped, or it might look sad and bedraggled. The yarn used here is a lovely colour and looks soft and delightful.





The Balla Vest. Not liking this much. It's square and bulky in a way that is going to do most women no favours.





The Bobble Fun Scarf. Good texture in this piece.





Double Triple Cowl. This one's fine when worn doubled around the neck instead of worn single as it is here, where it looks like a sad flat tire.





Levin Cowl. This also looks nice when worn doubled around the neck.





The Serendipitous Stripes pullover is the cover design from the very first issue of Creative Knitting. It is an appealing piece and an easy, flattering way to wear horizontal stripes.





The Sestina Tunic. This design looks less than half-baked and that dreary yarn choice is not helping. This would not be flattering on most women.





The Sugar Maple Hat is quite cute.





The Vortex Necklace. Not too impressed with this one. The shape is good but rendering it in yarn makes it look too clunky and more like a bit of sweater appliqué on the run than a piece of jewelry.





The Fabiola Cowl. I very much like this cowl, which is pretty and simple and wearable. I wouldn't make it in green or red, though, as that might occasion some Christmas tree skirt jokes.





The Loughmore Cardigan. This one's lovely. The shape is good, the collar sits well, and I like the use of the graphic style cables instead of a more traditional curved cable design, which gives it a welcome modern twist.





The Lyrical Lace cardigan. Quite like this one too. That lace block pattern is actually something quite fresh. I don't recall ever seeing anything just like it.





The Windsor Cardigan is the cover look from this issue, and I think deservedly so. It's very pretty and graceful and yet so wearable.





The Outland Throw. I don't care for this one. I can't see a coherent design in this picture of it, and I don't like the colours.





Wheatland Basket. Cute baskets.





Wyoming Set. These are a little too 4-H beginner knitting project for me.





The Arvada Cardigan. This is very pretty. I love the colours and the shape is rather stylish.





Eme's Dress. This screams "I just wanted to use up some scrap yarn any old how". Scrap yarn projects are not supposed to look like scrap yarn projects. This would be cute in a more unified colour scheme.





Irresistably Darling Cardigan. This is VERY cute, fresh, bright, and pretty. This designer knows how to work with colour, because all those different colours work together so well and the design is so integrated.





A collection of five baby hats. I don't like the purple ruffled one at top right, because the ruffle is just too exaggerated and overscale, but the rest are cute. These are projects you can use some scrap yarn for.

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