Cast On Summer 2016: A Review

Cast On, which does not have preview photos on its website, has finally added its Summer 2016 issue as well as its recently released Fall 2016 issue to Ravelry's database, which means that I can review both. Let's look at the Summer 2016 issue first.

Child's Gansey. Classic child's gansey. The plain panel on the bottom does give it a little touch of distinction from every other gansey pattern.

Cordage Sweater. Nice piece with good texture, attractive detailing on the shoulders and sleeves, and excellent shaping.

Danae Sweater. Very pretty summer top. The shaping is good and I like the simple yet effective use of laceweight stripes around the yoke, which not only adds visual interest but frames the wearer's face.

Dewdrop. This top wouldn't normally be my type of thing (the mesh, the draped sleeves), but I think it works. It fits so well through the waist and hips and lies smoothly across the front that the total effect of the piece is flattering and graceful. I'd like to see this one done in a more interesting yarn.

Fisherman's Net Pillow and Sailor's Cross Pillow. These are cute. I can see these looking very much at home in a beachside cottage.

Herring Lassie. I like the gansey detailing on this one, but that sleeve length looks awkward, especially when combined with the dropped shoulder effect created by the gansey detailing.

Lacy Dress. Oh, this is pretty. Put a simple slip under this and it's lovely and special enough for a bride to wear for an informal wedding.

Mesh Interrupted Scarf (the coral scarf), Scarab Lace Scarf (blue scarf), and Windows Lace Scarf (white scarf). These are some pretty pieces. The Scarab Lace Scarf is probably the one I like best. I do like the idea of wearing three scarves knotted together like this, though if I were going to do it I'd want them to be laceweight rather than DK as these are.

Mystic Song Vest. I'm not liking this one much. It's skimpy and poorly shaped and has the look of a mesh shopping bag that this model is wearing so as to keep her hands free until she gets to the grocery store.

Nautical Colorblock. This one's cute and sporty. It does have a slightly dropped shoulder, but it works in this case because the sweater's been shaped under the arm.

North Sea Gansey. Classic gansey with some really advanced shaping -- there are gussets under the arms and at neckline. As you can see, the resulting sweater sits beautifully.

Ribbed Eyelet Crew Socks. Nice little pair of anklets.

Short and Sassy Dress. We saw this dress previously when it was worn under the lovely lace dress above. It didn't belong under that dress, and it also deserves to be worn on its own. The vertical lines detailing in the front is not only attractive and interesting but will help the dress keep its flattering shape.

Tamara Square Neck Top. There is so much about this design to love -- the neckline, the front cable detailing, the raglan sleeves -- but the fact that it's too big through the hips really detracts. This piece is supposed to be A-line but I'd change the shape to make it more fitted through the bottom.

Cast On Spring 2016: A Review

I was unable to review the Spring 2016 issue of Cast On when it came out a few months ago because preview pictures weren't available on The Knitting Guild's Association website. The preview pictures still aren't available on the TKGA website, but they have appeared on Ravelry, so now I can do not only the Spring 2016 issue but also the Summer 2016 issue that has appeared since. Let's begin with the Spring 2016 issue.

Clara. I like the top, which has good shaping and nice stitchwork, but that is one unattractively muddy colour.

Eyelet Yoke Pullover. Pretty and useful little summer top.

Helix Spiral Pillow. This is what a helix looks like. This cushion does not look like a helix, but rather like something out of the back pages of a seventies homemaking magazine.

This also does not look like a helix, but rather like something that was stolen from the wardrobe department of a Muppet movie set.

Hourglass Eyelet Socks. Pretty.

Keyhole Pullover. Very simple, but it's well-shaped and the keyhole detail is eye-catching.

Love Bird Jumper. What a sweet little look. I think I'd edge the neck opening and armholes in the contrast colour though, as the top of this jumper looks a little too plain as is.

Love Birds. This is so cute without being so cutesy that a grown woman can't wear it. The shaping is great and the detailed cuffs and hem give it a nicely polished look.

Not Your Mom's Vest. Love this one, which is both polished and subtly sexy. The pictures show it styled over both a little tank and a fitted white shirt, and it looks good either way.

Openwork Pullover. Not a fan of this one, which looks stretched out and shapeless.

Opposing Spirals Pillow. This is very "granny frump", something I would expect to find on a prickly sofa, sitting against a granny square afghan, with possibly an African violet sitting on a doily beside a copy of Reader's Digest on the nearby end table.

Palindrome Headband. Not bad. I prefer silk scarves for headbands, though, as it's easier to adjust them to the needed width or snugness, and they look more polished.





Pleated Linen Shirt. Can't say I find this one appealing. It's so very plain except for the pleats in the back, which aren't really adding anything. They're just sort of... there.

Polka Dot Lace Skirt/Crop Top. The skirt here is actually two skirts: a long lacy overskirt and a mid-thigh length stockinette underskirt, which are knitted separately and then knitted together at the waistband. The lines are good, and this is rather a fetching summer look for the woman who doesn't mind showing some skin. I'd made the underskirt the same colour as the overskirt, though, as making it in white makes it look a little girdle-like.





Spring Cardi. This isn't a bad look, and it's rather a clever piece of modern design, but I don't think I could wear it, as asymmetry always aggravates my OCD-like tendencies and I'd keep tugging on it and trying to "fix it". Also, I wouldn't be able to get past the conviction that I looked as though I'd gotten dressed in the dark. While hungover.





Squiggle Lace Top. I like this one, which has good shaping and some nice side details, but I would wear it by itself rather than over a long-sleeved t-shirt. Putting the long sleeves under it gives it a dowdy, dorky look.

Cast On February-April 2015: A Review

With today's post, I am adding a new magazine to the roster of knitting magazines I review on this blog. Today's review will be of the February-April 2015 issue of Cast On: The Education Journal for Knitters, which is the official publication of the Knitting Guild Association, and which I had somehow not been aware of until recently though it has been in publication since 1988. This kind of thing is yet another example of why you won't hear me claim to be on top of what's going on in the knitting scene. I just try to keep up enough to not embarrass myself too often. And am apparently falling short of even that.

After browsing through the patterns in their back issues on Ravelry, I can only say I am very glad to have belatedly discovered Cast On, which seems to offer collections of patterns that are very consistently my preferred kind of knitwear design: wearable, flattering, polished, and technically interesting.

The Anniversary Cape. Quite pretty!

Boho Banded Jacket. Not too taken with this one, though it does have quite a bit going for it. It deserves better shaping, because as is it looks a bit like a rug tied in place.

Celeste Sweater. Pretty summer top, though I would make it more fitted through the lower body. It looks a little maternity top-ish as it is.

Chain Mail Scarf. Attractive, interesting and wearable little scarf.

Fountain Lace Tank. Very pretty, and rather sexy in the nicest of ways. Love the fan-like lace detailing. It maybe could do with better finished edges.

Lacy Boat Neck Sweater. I can't see enough of this to assess it properly. What I can see doesn't look all that flattering.

Maggie Prescott Jacket. I very much like this chic and contemporary jacket on the whole. I'm a little torn on the lapels, being inclined to think the lapel should continue down to the hem of the jacket, but then I wonder if, although it's unusual, it isn't working perfectly well as it is and in fact making the jacket what it is. Hmm.

May Day Flower Socks. Lovely, lacy little socks.

Montego Tee. Love this one, which is contemporary and has a "smart 1930s sportswear" vibe at the same time.

Short Row Baby Blanket. Elegantly simple.

Short Row Pillow #1. Very cool and totally useable design that would look right in most home decor styles.

Short Row Pillow #2. I don't like this cushion pattern as much as the one above, but it's still an attractive and eye-catching piece.

Simply Striped dress. Love this one, with its wonderful clean lines.

Two Faced Shell. I am usually a tough sell on anything asymmetrical and think colour blocking is a high level design skill that doesn't work most of the time it's employed, but though this has both, I like it so much that I've added it to my favourites on Ravelry, which means I am very seriously considering making it in the next year or two. The shape is so good and polished, and the design is visually striking. My one tweak would be to lengthen this a little so as not to show any midriff.

Undulance socks. These are well designed, though the sample colourway is making my eyelids twitch.

Wedding Shower Gifts. Nice little washcloths.

Westray Vest. This is another design I can't assess properly because the only picture available doesn't show enough of it. What I can see looks like a nice, classic cabled vest.