About half the posts I've read on Ravelry have panned the new Interweave magazine. The other half sing its praises. Half call for Eunny Jang's head on a knitted platter, the other half like the magazine's new look and themed layouts.
I was inclined to post in several groups who were panning the magazine, especially the LimenViolet group (where where after Eunny came and asked people to be specific about their concerns, the tone got a lot nicer) but I decided to wait and actually peruse the magazine rather than going off half cocked. Because, generally, I like reading my Interweave knits. And I almost always find something in it I'd add to my queue.
Here's what I think after digesting the issue for several days and comparing it to some of the old issues I have edited by Pam Allen.
I kind of really like it. I enjoyed Franklin Habit's article about School House Press. There wasn't a lot in the article that I wasn't at least vaguely aware of, but it is nicely written and makes me want to go to knitting camp.
While the wrap on the left isn't super innovative, I like the colors and the pattern and the idea of doing color work that doesn't have to fit someone. And the piece on the right is a great layering piece. I love the square neck. I have a biggish head and a lot of hair and a square neck balances that for me. Also, it's good on us biggish girls.
These patterns are written for two yarns I've been wanting to try -- Blue Sky dyed cotton and Mission Falls cotton. I'm not much of a summer yarn knitter, but these two may get my nod. And as to the color complaints? I'd love the Delft top (the one on the left) in a pink/green/orange combo, wouldn't you? It would like visually vibrate, man (grin). And Mission Falls comes in great greens and is pretty reasonable.
This top is done in Berroco Seduce, another yarn we've gotten in that I'd like to try. A little spendy, but fun. What I like about this top is its simplicity -- kind of like summer reading. And if you don't like it in these pictures on a twig of a model? Go check out the Interweave galleries. They show the top on real people (and give their measurements... yikes.)
Love slip stitch patterns, good layering piece again. It's done in silk, but you could sub Ella Rae Silkience with a little fudging and get a gorgeous piece for a fraction of the price.
I have several summer tops in this silhouette and it's very flattering for my shall we say fluffy body type. And here, I think I've found an error in the magazine. The pattern calls for Tilli Thomas Fil de la Mer which is like 16 st. to the inch. But in looking around on the net, I've found a Tilli Thomas yarn called Voile de la Mer which matches the yarn description in the pattern : 70% silk, 30% sea cell. We'll go with that. So fingering weight summer yarn with great drape? I'll have to think about that and get back to you. Because at $18 bucks a pop for 12 skeins to make my size? Ain't gonna happen. (Maybe Nashua June, or Rowan Glace?)
And I LOVE THIS. It's Rowan Cash Cotton, and you'd have the pattern memorized in like two repeats. I think it's a great layering piece. Not really for summer in St. Louis, I guess, but definitely all of the other seasons.
So, overall? Thumbs up. The patterns are classy and interesting and mostly something you'd actually knit.
Unlike this...
What a difference 6 months makes! (scroll down)
This is my favorite plant right now -- Variegated Solomon's Seal. (Don't you love my mulch croc?) The first view is from above, the second from the front so you can see it's row of bell-shaped flowers under the leaves. It will lie flatter later in the season, but now it's reaching for the sun. Cheerful, don't you think? And variegated. I like my plants like I like my yarns.
Speaking of yarn. Just finished plying this. It's the Totally Tubular in this entry. Another scroll-down. It's the one on the right. This yarn is worsted weight (mostly) so I got about 290 yards out of that tube. I didn't spin it according to the directions though -- they wanted me to split up each colored bit and spin two roughly similar singles and then ply. I didn't have a place to put the two pieces to keep them in order so I didn't do that. But now I have an empty tube, so I'll try their method for the second tube.
This yarn is smooshy and wooly. It will have to wait until the fall.
