Review: Vogue Knitting Magazine, Winter 2020/21

This issue was supposedly released on December 29th, 2020, but I was not able to get a copy until yesterday.  It is an interesting issue, given the changes that have been happening with Vogue Knitting Magazine.  Norah Gaughan is now the Editor-in-Chief, and I have heard that the magazine is now reducing the number of published issues to two a year. 

There is a marked effort to make the magazine more inclusive, with respect to the models who are wearing the samples, and the range in sizing that is now available in the patterns.  However, Vogue Knitting Magazine doesn't look like Vogue Knitting Magazine anymore.  It looks like an issue of Interweave Knits, which is also a great knitting magazine.  

I do not want to complain.  I want Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits to survive Covid-19, and to keep publishing, but this last issue of Vogue Knitting appears to be so much like its competitor, that I wonder if they could be fighting for the same readership.  

I have been collecting VK issues since 2008, and I have found past issues to follow a high fashion/haute couture/designer/glitzy editorial look, as opposed to the more casual, relaxed, natural atmosphere that permeates IK issues.  The Winter 2020/21 issue of Vogue Knitting resembles an issue of Interweave Knits except for the ads promoting patterns that had been published in previous issues of VK.  The difference could be how the models are styled in previous issues as compared to this latest issue, with respect to make up, hair, and coordinating clothes.  

It would be interesting to see what direction Vogue Knitting will take for future issues.  

Burda Knitting, Issue No. 1, 2019, UK edition

I was walking through a supermarket when I ran across a Simply Knitting magazine (Issue 192, 2019).  It's a British publication, which eventually gets stocked in Canadian stores about 2 to 3 months after it appears in Britain. I usually don't buy this magazine, although it usually comes packaged along with a small project kit, or some knitting accessory.  This time, however, the issue came not only with a "My Little Angel," knit kit...it also came packaged with the first UK issue of Burda Knitting.

I like the magazine.  It reminds me a lot of Verena Knitting, which I miss since the English version is no longer being published.

However, it looks quite different than the last Verena magazine that I purchased, which was almost 7 years ago. There is a photographic index of all the projects offered in the magazine, which reminds me of the similar layout that appears in Interweave Knits magazines.  However, there aren't any fancy names for the knits.  The projects have generic titles, such as Crochet Granny Square Sweater and Polo Neck (Project 1), or Jacket with Embroidered Squares (Project 3), or Cape Sweater (Project 16).  Many projects have photographs showing various different angles, and some offer close ups so that you can see the stitches.  Also, unlike the Verena Knitting magazines that I remember, the pattern instructions are less cramped, and are printed on similar glossy paper as the photographs appear on. (Verena's instructions appeared on newsprint, with photographs appearing on nicer paper.)  There are also 33 patterns in the magazine, which is less than the number that appeared in earlier Verena Knitting issues, but more than what Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits currently offer in their issues.

This issue of the magazine offers mainly knit patterns, but there are four crochet patterns, and one that uses both knitting and crocheting.  The bulk of the patterns are for sweaters and cardigans.  There are couple of shawls, a few hats and scarves, and one crocheted bag.  There is some colourwork, but many of the samples are in neutrals or muted colours.  There are a couple of projects with lace, and a couple with cables, and some with ribbing, and one bobble hat.  According to the magazine's own difficulty rating system, most projects fall within the 2 to 4 dots out of 5 dots, with 5 dots being the most challenging.  I like most of the longer cardigan projects that are featured in the issue...even the one that is crocheted.

The magazine has a list of abbreviations, and a list explaining special instructions that may appear in the issue.

There are also things that do not appear in this issue:  I couldn't find much information in the magazine itself about the publishers or the editorial staff.  I have no idea what the cost of the issue is, or what future issues may cost. It simply appeared to be the gift that came along with the issue of Simply Knitting that I bought.

Would I buy another issue of Burda Knitting?

I might purchase another issue if there were enough patterns inside that I liked, and if the price isn't beyond my budget.  This issue was okay, but I wasn't able to preview it since it had been sealed in a plastic bag.  I feel that I lucked out this time around.  Currently, Vogue Knitting is the only knitting magazine that is an autobuy for me.  For most other titles, I'd have to like at least 50% of the patterns before I'd consider purchasing it.

However, Burda Knitting magazine seems to have quite a nice layout, and I have a favourable impression about it.  

Review: 100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection by the Editors at Interweave

Interweave, the company that publishes Interweave Knits and Knitscene has released 100 Knits:  Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection.  The patterns are arranged in five sections: 1)  Hats and Socks, 2)  Scarves, Cowls, Shawls and Wraps, 3)  Cardigans, 4)  Pullovers, and 5)  Tanks and Tees.  There are projects that feature colourwork, intarsia, lace, stockinette, garter stitch or cables.  There's even a tutorial on circular grafting. 

A lot of patterns that appear have been previously published in Interweave publications.  When I glanced through 100 Knits and checked the pattern listings for this book on Ravelry, there are patterns in the collection that have dated as far back as 2006, but with the bulk of the patterns dating between 2014 to 2017.  Most of them have appeared in past issues of Interweave Knits and Knitscene magazines.  There are a smattering of patterns that have appeared in Interweave books and/or e-books, which include the following:

Wanderlust: 46 Modern Knits for Bohemian Style
New Directions in Sock Knitting
Rugged Knits
Family-Friendly Knits
New Lace Knitting: Designs for Wide Open Spaces
New American Knits:  Classic Sportswear Patterns
New England Knits:  Timeless Knitwear With a Modern Twist
Garter Stitch Revival
Free Spirit Knits
Urban Knit Collection:  18 City Inspired Knitting Patterns for the Modern Wardrobe.

The pattern collection includes Interweave's top five patterns:  Jared Flood's Koolhaus Hat, Carina Spencer's Lucy Hat, Evelyn A. Clark's Swallowtail Shawl, Heather Lodinsky's Central Park Hoodie, and Heather Zoppetti's Dahlia Cardigan.  Other designers include Rosemary (Romi) Hill, Susanna IC, Isabell Kraemer, Holli Yeoh, Mari Chiba, Kristen TenDyke, Cecily Glowik MacDonald, Shirley Paden, Tanis Gray, Norah Gaughan, and Amy Christoffers, who has at least five of her patterns in 100 Knits.

I really like this pattern collection.  It's a hefty price to pay at $45 US, but, it has many lovely patterns in it.  I could see myself wanting to knit many of the designs in this book.  Just looking at the designs that have previously appeared in New Directions in Sock Knitting and Garter Stitch Revival have piqued my interested in searching for those two books.  However, I already own a number of these patterns that appear in 100 Knits through my knitting magazine collection.  If I didn't already own these, I would probably be seriously drooling over this book.  For the knitter who doesn't already have issues of Interweave Knits and Knitscene magazines from the past four years, 100 Knits may offer a fantastic collection of designs to knit from. 

Edited to add:  100 Knits has patterns mainly for women, although I saw a pullover designed for a man.  Some of the hat and cowl patterns could be considered unisex.  I would also consider this book suitable for an intermediate to advanced knitter, although there are a few patterns that a beginner or less experienced knitter could tackle. 

Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of 100 Knits:  Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection by the Editors at Interweave from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Review: Inspired Shawls: 15 Creative Patterns for Year-Round Knitting by Laura Zukaite

Laura Zukaite's book, Inspired Shawls:  15 Creative Patterns For Year-Round Knitting, is a new work being released by Dover Publications.  It contains shawls with names reflecting South American locales and culture, such as Cartegena, Nazca, Cuzco, Ipanema, Copacabana, Geo Aztec, and Inca.  There are definitely creative designs in this book that feature elements that make many of the shawls quite unique.  The photographs are attractive and the instructions appear to be nicely laid out.  There is a list of general abbreviations located at the back of the book, along with a US/UK needle conversion chart.  If there are more unusual/special abbreviations specific for a pattern (e.g. Tw3B, which means, "twist 3 stitches to the back"), they appear near the beginning of the pattern after the materials and gauge are mentioned.   Besides written instructions, several patterns have charts, especially for designs that feature lace or colourwork.

The shawls vary in size; some are large shawls and some are shawlettes.  The shapes also vary; I found one crescent, three rectangular, four semi-circular, six triangular shawls and a ruana.  The crescent shaped shawl, the Copacabana design, features several tiers of ruffles.  Other designs, such as the Cartegena, feature lace.  Colourwork is featured in the Cuzco, Geo Aztec, Inca, and Mayan (the ruana) designs.  The Mayan shawl seems to showcase a variety of techniques and stitches; it contains star stitches, bobbles, slip stitches, garter stitch and Fair-isle.  The La Paz and Puno shawls (the latter is featured on the book's cover) have embroidery, and tassels can be found on the Amazonas, Ipanema, and Geo Aztec shawls.  The Ipanema design also has cables and a drawcord, in addition to the tassels.  The Salento shawl is mainly in garter stitch.  There is quite a variety of techniques and embellishments utilized in many of the designs.  I peeked on Ravelry earlier today to see if any of the patterns from this book has been uploaded into the database there, but I haven't seen any yet.

The patterns and samples in the book use luxury yarn labels such as Artyarns (Ensemble, Silk Mohair, Silk Rhapsody), Madelinetosh (Merino, Chunky, Prairie), Plucky Knitter (Spiffy, Crew), Malabrigo (Silky Merino), Sweet Georgia (Superwash Sport), Miss Babs (Big Silk), Shalimar Yarns (Aerie, Breathless), Ancient Arts Yarns, and Hedgehog Fibers.  These represent varying yarn weights ranging from lace to aran weight; however, most of the patterns seem to use sport/DK weight.  Also, most of the patterns call for several skeins of yarn.  However, if you do your research, you could probably substitute many of the yarns with more economical ones to recreate these shawls. 

Out of the 15 designs, I would probably knit about ten of them, which would make this book a big candidate for joining my knitting library.  In my opinion, I think that the difficulty level of most of the patterns in this book would be suitable for intermediate and experienced knitters, although there appear to be a few patterns that advanced beginners can take on. 

Also, I would probably opt to buy a hard copy of this book rather than an e-book (unless it was a Kindle version).  I had problems viewing the photographs of the book using the latest version of Adobe Digital Editions, and had to download an older version of ADE (4.0) in order to see them. 


Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of Laura Zukaite's, "Inspired Shawls:  15 Creative Patterns For Year-Round Knitting," from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in the review are mine.

Review: Tudor Roses by Alice Starmore, 2017 Edition

I first heard about Alice Starmore in a book whose title I can't remember.  There was a whole chapter devoted to Ms. Starmore, especially about her book titled, Tudor Roses.  Apparently, Ms. Starmore's book contained gorgeous sweater designs, and was out of print.  The thing that caught my attention was that because it was so rare, the price for a copy of this book was over $200.  I wanted to see this book for myself, because it had grown into a legend in my mind.  I believe that my local library had a copy of it; but, alas!  It had gone missing from the shelves, or maybe that was someone else's story from what I had read from reviews of Amazon customers who were also trying to find copies of this book.  In any case, I thought that I would never see the book for myself, because I didn't have the budget to spend $200 on a knitting book.   

So, when I found out that Tudor Roses was going to be republished in 2017, I was very excited.  Even better yet, I was able to find an advanced copy through NetGalley.  I looked at the galley when I first received it, but because I am not an experienced knitter, I got a bit overwhelmed when I looked at the text.  What I can tell you is that the republished version of Tudor Roses is not exactly the same book that had been published in 1998.  The knitwear designs that appear in the 2017 version of this title have been altered and updated from those that appeared in the 1998 version.  I was able to confirm this by comparing the photos in the newer version of the book to photographs of sweaters made from patterns in the older book that other knitters had uploaded onto Ravelry, a social network for knitters and crocheters.  The back of the book also spells it out quite clearly; this new version is a "Reimagined Edition of the Groundbreaking Classic."

I have read other people's opinions of the changes, and some people like them, while others do not. There was a design that had appeared in the older book that did not appear in the newer one.  Some people had been upset by this omission, and perhaps would have preferred to have had an updated design even if they had disliked the idea of updated designs.  For the most part, I like the newer designs because I think that they are more wearable for today; however, there were a few designs in the older book that I prefer over the ones in the newer version. 

In general, the designs are inspired by various historical figures of the Tudor Dynasty, such as Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York, and Margaret Tudor.  At the introduction of each design, there is a brief first person narrative about each woman that the design is based upon.  There are lovely photographs of the garment modeled by different women for each historical figure that is portrayed.  There's a coffee table book quality to the photos; each model is staged and dressed in a way that gives a historical feel to the presentation. 

As I mentioned before, I got a bit overwhelmed when I first looked at the instructions in the text, but I would now attribute that to my own lack of experience in reading a pattern.  Although I have not actually knit any of these patterns (I cannot, because the galley does not include the charts for the designs), I think that I could probably tackle these designs as an intermediate knitter.  The designs include fair isle and cable work.  I especially like the knitwear designs for the Margaret Beaufort, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Howard models. 

At first, after viewing the book, I was not sure if I was going to add this book to my library, but after letting the designs sit with me for a while, I think that I will add this title to my collection.  The designs have definitely grown on me.  I'm pretty sure that the designs will challenge my knitting skills, but I would like to try them because they are really lovely.

Disclaimer:  I received an e-copy of "Tudor Roses," by Alice Starmore from NetGalley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Review: Knitting Beyond the Edge by Nicky Epstein

Today, while walking around a local mall which was having a sidewalk sale, I found a discount bookstore.  I did the usual, which was to peruse the crafting section for cheap knitting books, and to my surprise, I found Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge for about 2/3's of its usual price.  I've probably already blown the budget for yarn and other related knitting paraphernalia for the month, but I really couldn't pass up on purchasing this book, so I need to make a mental note to go on a yarn diet for the next little while.  Anyways, this book is third in the series about knitted decorative finishes that also includes Knitting Over the Edge which I reviewed in January earlier this year, and Knitting On the Edge.  However, I think that the copy that I found is actually the first edition of Knitting Beyond the Edge; there are two different covers for the title when I searched for information about this book on Amazon.  My copy features a brown jacket with a gorgeous intarsia design (the Belle Epoque Jacket mentioned below) on its cover and the copyright date in this book indicates that this edition was published in 2006. 

The book is essentially a stitch dictionary with instructions and photographs to show knitters how to create finishes for their work.  Ms. Epstein focusses on four areas:  Cuffs and Collars, Necklines, Corners and Edges, and Closures.  Each section starts off with a photograph of a completed sample garment incorporating a design that focusses on that area.  The instructions for creating these particular garments are provided towards the back of the book.  These include the following items:  the Belle Epoque Jacket, which incorporates a beautiful intarsia design of leaves and flowers on the lapels, cuffs and hem, the Cardigan with Cabled Points, which has a peplum with an additional tier at the back, the Hooded Shawl which has cables and bobbles, and the Faux Fair Isle Jacket, which features knitted tabs along its hem and twisted loop edging in addition to the closure that is showcased in item.  There is a fifth pattern included, the Deep V-Neck Sleeveless Sweater, which is actually affiliated with the section on Cuffs and Collars.  There are pages that define terms and abbreviations that appear in the book, stitches that are used, and instructions on some of the techniques used in the book, such as making basic buttonholes, cords, knots and a rounded edge.

There are slight differences in Knitting Beyond the Edge when it is compared to Knitting Over the Edge.  Although the samples shown in the Corners and Edges section appear as swatches, the collar and neckline samples that appear in a couple of the other sections are photographed to show how they would appear on a knitted garment.  There are notes on how to use the book, on neckline variations, and on how to construct different necklines.  The book also addresses the issues of how to alter the neckline, how to fit a neckline into a given neck edge, and how to figure the number of stitches to pick up.  There is a page with information on how to adjust the edge, and walks a knitter through the process of making that adjustment using the example of adding a button band to a pattern that is written out as a pullover.   Much of this information was not provided in Knitting Over the Edge, so I feel that this is an advantage that Knitting Beyond the Edge has over the other book.  Knitting Over the Edge had swatch samples that showed how the patterns would appear, but didn't provide much help in adjusting to the weight or gauge of the yarn used for a project.

In my opinion, this book would probably be more easily used by intermediate and advanced knitters rather than by a novice.  However, beginners may still be up to the challenge of adapting these patterns to work for their projects.  For myself, I find this collection to be rather innovative and creative.  I'm thrilled to have this book in my reference library.

Review: Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein

One of my favourite activities is checking out the bargain tables at bookstores for knitting books.  Occasionally, gems will turn up that are too good to miss.  Recently, the Chapters/Indigo book chain had a huge discount for Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge.  It was priced about 75% off from its regular price.  However, it was so close to Christmas and I hadn't gotten that far with my Christmas shopping.  So I hinted (well, if you define hinting as taking a picture of the book with a cell phone and showing it to a significant someone) that this would make an absolutely wonderful Christmas gift. 

On Christmas morning, I was delighted to find this book under the tree.  In fact, since then, every time I glance at the book, I feel excited.  The book is about a decade old already; it was originally published in 2005, but it contains a lot of knitting patterns that could be used and adapted for decorative borders.  In this way, it is rather like a stitch dictionary/encyclopedia for edgings.  This collection contains over 350 patterns, categorized into the headings of Unique Ribs, Cords, Appliques, Colors, and Nouveau.  At the beginning of each of these five sections, a photograph of a sample garment that utilizes these edgings is shown.  Within each section, there are photographs showing samples of the knitted borders along with instructions on how to create these edgings.  Towards the back of the book, instructions are given for making the photographed garments that were shown at the start of each category.  The patterns are for a rib and bobble sweater, a cord and circle scarf, an appliqued rose capelet, a floral wrap, and a coat.

The blurb inside the dust jacket claims that novice knitters as well as experienced knitters will be able to carry out the instructions provided by this book to make these edgings.  I would agree that a novice knitter may be able to find a number of patterns that they will be able to use easily, but in my opinion, many of these patterns may be more comfortable for an intermediate knitter.  However, a novice knitter might be inspired to try their hand at cabling and intarsia just by viewing all the lovely possibilities.  Also, because the book is a stitch dictionary, a knitter will need to play around with a bit of math and gauge so that the patterns can be adapted into whatever projects they will be utilized for.

I love looking at the examples of ribbing, fringes, cording, flora, loops, bobbles, cables, ruffles, flaps, intarsia, lace, and shapes.  I am floored by the ideas that the author has come up with.  The book is a source of inspiration for making unique creations, and that's what excites me.  This is a book that I am glad to have as part of my reference library.

Review: Knitting in the Nordic Tradition by Vibeke Lind

Before I took a closer look at Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, I thought that I was going to be checking out a book that would offer patterns on how to knit Nordic styled items, but the book was more than that.  The author offered a bit of a historical look into Nordic knitting traditions, and included photographs of samples of knitted items that were discussed.  According to the introduction written by Vibeke Lind, the author of Knitting in the Nordic Tradition, the purpose of the book is, "not to give the reader the patterns themselves, but rather to suggest how one can use the models, changing them according to the individual needs and the dictates of fashion...they should be an inspiration to independent judgement of old ideas."

Indeed, examples of Icelandic sweaters, Norwegian louse coats, Norwegian mittens, fulled sweaters from the Faroe Islands are presented in the book.  Patterns and charts are offered for some of the items that appear, but they come across as general recipes for creating the knitted items, instead of detailed patterns that will allow the reader to recreate those items exactly as they appear in the book.  If knitters are looking for those aforementioned detailed patterns such as the ones that appear in many contemporary knitting magazines and many other knitting books, they will not find them in Knitting in the Nordic Tradition.  Vibeke does provide schematics for creating items with diagrams that include measurements, and the charts for some folk motifs, such as the prehistoric Sunwheel symbol (which might not be comfortable for some), Selbu Star, Sheep's Path, and Sea-Wave, are provided, but it is left to the reader to decide how these motifs will appear on any of these knitted items.  Generally a lot of decision making in the construction of many of these items is left to the discretion of the knitter.  For example, knitters will need to select  their own yarn, decide on how many stitches to cast on, and determine how many rows to knit to get to an appropriate length for the item.  The gain is that they will get finished items that are very specifically customized for their own purposes. 

The book does cover the basics of knitting; the author runs through a quick discussion about wool, the knit and purl stitches, charts, colourwork, openwork, casting on, casting off, steeking, care of knits, and fulling.  Besides Icelandic sweaters, louse coats, and mittens, the book also discusses the construction of hats (referred to as caps in the text), socks (referred to as stockings), and shawls.  In addition to the black and white historical photos, there are colour photographs of knitted items that were contemporary to the early 1980s.

Knitting in the Nordic Tradition was originally published in 1981 under the title, Strik med Nordisk Tradition, by Vibeke Lind and Host & Sons Forlag.  It was translated from Danish into English by Annette Allen Jensen and this version was published by Lark Books in 1984, and then by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., in 1998.  The version that I looked at was published by Dover Publications in arrangement with Sterling Publishing and was released in 2014.  The reason why I just wrote about the history of the publication of this book, is because it is a re-release of the English translation, and is not an updated edition, as hinted before by the mention of the photos from the 1980s. 

Also, although the translation into English from Danish was quite well done, I found that some vocabulary didn't match what is commonly used in English speaking circles.  For instance, in the section about casting on, the casting on method that is called, "One Needle Casting On," is actually commonly known as the Longtail Cast-On, and the method called, "School Casting On," is known as the Knit Cast-On.*  In the casting off section, the method called, "Knit Casting Off," is what we would call the Three Needle Bind-Off. 

Despite these things, I found that Knitting in the Nordic Tradition to be an educational book to read.  Until I saw the diagram of a series of regular straight needles with knobs at the end (not double pointed needles or dpns) being used to hold a large number of stitches, I had never considered that as a possible alternative to using a long circular needle to knit an afghan.   Also, it was rather thought provoking to consider knitting from a sewing pattern, a suggestion that the author makes, although the reader is cautioned to knit short of the seamline because of the knit work's elasticity.  However, the big challenge presented by this book is the encouragement to step out and try one of the pattern recipes and customize a Nordic knit into something that fits the wearer today.  Athough Knitting in the Nordic Tradition contains information that would be interesting for a beginning knitter to study and learn, the material would likely be more likely to be tried out and utilized by a knitter at the intermediate level or higher. 


Disclaimer:  I was given an e-copy of Knitting in the Nordic Tradition from Net Galley in exchange for a review.  All opinions stated in this review are mine.

*Edited on March 19, 2020 - Originally, I wrote that the "School Casting On Method," was what is commonly known as the "Cable Cast On," but I just learned today that what I've been calling the "Cable Cast On" is actually the "Knit Cast On."  Wow.  All those knitting projects in which I didn't actually use the cable casting on method....  :)