Love of Knitting Fall 2016: A Review

Love of Knitting has released their Fall 2016 issue! Let's have a look at it.

Autumn Leaves Cardigan. The leaf detail is pleasing, but I don't like the way this cardigan lies in front.

Embossed Leaves. Very nice! The leaves are so simple and spare a detail and yet so effective, and they frame the wearer's face so well.

Leaf & Seed Hat. Rather a nice little cap.

Leafy Path Pullover. Very much like this one. That leafy panel and matching collar are so distinctive and the textured stitch works so well with them.

Parallelogram Wrap. Very well-shaped and textured.

Orbit Pullover. Excellent shaping and the collar sits well. The styling is very good as well.

Evelyn Cowl. Very basic.

Quick Finish Jacket. This one was perhaps too quickly finished -- it has an unfinished look and the front doesn't sit that well.

Crestwood Socks. What lovely stitchwork.

Clear Skies Wrap. This one has a nice textured lace pattern.

OXO Pullover. This one has an interesting variation on the traditional cable pattern.

Chevron & Stripes Pattern. Cute and striking little piece. I like the non-traditional colourway.

Hoot Sweet Hat & Mitts. What an adorable little set. It has a smartness that is usually completely lacking in most children's animal-themed stuff.

Wishbone Sweater. A very handsome take on a classic.

Byzantine Tiles Socks. These are rather fetching. It would be fun to play with the colour combinations on this one.

Day of the Dead. This one's a lot of fun and quite visually pleasing as well. The colours are great.

Garter Cable Pillow. This is fine, but I've seen cabled pillows I liked better.

Apricot Shawl. A well-textured classic shawl.

Curving Cables Swatch. That's a nice cable pattern. It amazes me how many cable variations there are.

Circus Train Passenger Car. This is the next car in the toy train set series Love of Knitting is releasing one pattern at a time. I'm looking forward to seeing the caboose!

Love of Knitting Summer 2016: A Review

Let's have a look at the Summer 2016 issue of Love of Knitting, shall we?

Belle Isle Socks. Quite pretty.

Bright Domino Skirt. This is almost Missoni-esque, which is an excellent thing, but that zigzag of green and white takes the look into "sixties lawn chair" territory, which is not a good thing.

Cable Mesh Blanket & Pillow. That's a very attractive cable and lace pattern.

Canyon Lace Tank. Simple and wearable, yet with just enough detail to keep the look interesting and polished.

Carys Scarf & Wrap. An interesting yarn choice was definitely the right direction for this one, as the basic design needed a lift.

Chloe Cardigan. This is a very smart and well-shaped little piece, though the borderline OCD part of my brain is mentally tweaking it so that it buttons all the way to the bottom.

Circus Train Coal Car. This must be intended to go with the little train engine toy in Love of Knitting's spring issue. I hope there's more of this train set to come, because the idea of a knitted train set is too adorable, and I can't wait to see the caboose.

Crocogator Booties. Cute. And appropriate for the kind of toddler who commonly leaves a trail of destruction in his or her wake. (Yes, I'm aware that's almost all of them.)

Curving Triangle Wrap. This is lovely, and the yarn combination is impressively striking and attractive.

Eyelet Tank. I'm not so enthusiastic about this one. The stockinette stitch upper section looks very good, but the mesh bottom half feels like a let down.

Fisherman’s Hat. I'm a little iffy on this one. Brims like this are apt to become sadly and forlornly floppy.

Hold My Calls Bag. Not a bad little bag, though I'd put in a zipper rather than go with those i-cord handles. It looks to me like a phone could easily slip past them.

Hold My Stuff Bag. I would have named this the Scrub My Dishes Bag, because it looks like a extra larger pot scrubber.

Knotty Scarf. This is quite chic.

Ladybug Swatch Cloth. I'm not sure I would have been able to figure out that this is a ladybug pattern if it weren't for the name of the pattern.

Lazy Daisy Tank. I wish this picture were better quality, but from what I can tell those daisies are very nicely rendered. The shaping is good as well, though I'm not crazy about the mesh sections.

My Mantra Wrap. The yarn is pretty, but this isn't an interesting design, and that oblong shape of wrap tends to look awkward when not being carefully styled and modeled as it is here.





Peek-a-Bunny Cardigan. The concept of a lace-trimmed cardigan with embroidered pockets containing a matching toy was a good one, but man did it not get the execution it deserved. The neckline is really poorly shaped and finished, it looks like there are chunks of lace missing from the bottom front corners, the ruffles on the pockets look like a mistake, the toy bunny looks like a cobbled-together afterthought, and the stitching around the pocket looks terrible.

Rainbow Pentagon Blanket. This one's fun, and looks very well crafted. And it's the perfect baby shower gift for the pregnant gay Wiccan in your life!

Sausalito Shawl. Very lovely piece as to both shape and stitchwork.

Love of Knitting Spring 2016: A Review

Interweave has added a new knitting magazine to their roster. It's called Love of Knitting. Let's have a look at its premiere issue, shall we?

Bold Stripes Jacket. I'm liking the playful stripes, but not the lack of shaping.

Chevron Vest. Again, I like the stripes, but not the shaping. This looks like its maker started to make an afghan, lost interest in the project, added some arm holes, and called it a day.

Circus Engineer. Cute! For the child in your life who is an aspiring engineer but also enjoys cuddly things.

Colorplay Crescent Lace Shawl. There's something about this combination of a classic, romantic shawl and a bold, modern use of colour that's very pleasing.

Crystal Chandelier Wrap. This looks more like an afghan than a wrap to me, though it is a lovely afghan, one worthy of a place on Charley Pride's couch.

Faux Cabled Cardigan. Very much like this one and would totally wear it myself.

Flower Tank. This is... okay. The yarn selection doesn't seem to be doing much for it, and it could use some waist shaping.

Graphic Knit/Purl Swatch-Cloth. That heart isn't terribly well-shaped.

Linen & Lace Wrap. Love this one. The colours are beautiful and it drapes well.

Platinum Jacket. This isn't a bad example of a loose-fitting cardigan, though styling it over a fussy, bunchy dress was not a happy thought.

Sailor's Stripes Raglan. This is ADORABLE. What a clever new take on the classic Breton stripe top.

Spring Breeze Vest. This is quite well-shaped, sits well, and has some lovely stitchwork. The name suits it, because it does look like a breezy little item for a woman to throw on over a variety of her summer outfits.

Springtime Lace Shawl. Attractive, classic piece.

Tea Time Top. Nice piece with good shaping and careful finishing. I would want to make this one in a more exciting colour, though. It could use a little pepping up.

Three Geometric Pillows. Three striking and effective designs.

ZigZag Scarf. Some really fantastic stitchwork in this one.