The New Vogue Knitting is Out!

Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate Vogue Knitting magazine, it's just that the last issue was particularly bad. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite sweaters of all time came from the magazine, the Enchanted Forest sweater. When my daughter asked me what I would like for Mother's Day this year I said perhaps a subscription to Vogue Knitting, and she replied "Why, so you can make fun of it on your blog?" I laughed, but she gave me Spin-Off magazine instead. You'll never catch me making fun of that one!

When I saw the mittens on the cover of the Fall '08 issue, I fell in love. I was very excited to see smaller projects featured, especially mittens! I had the hardest time finding interesting mitten patterns last Christmas when I thought about making some as gifts. Everyplace you looked featured the trendy "fingerless gloves", (which I admit I knit myself 2 pairs,) but this year I am happy to see full coverage mittens back on the scene. In Maine, everyone needs a few pairs. My favorite pattern is on the cover:

They are the perfect pattern to showcase my fingering weight handspun and hand-dyed yarns! I have already joined the Druid Mittens knit-a-long on Ravelry! They are rich, intricate, and warm. Thanks to Jared Flood for this wonderful design.

Also I love the Let it Snow fair isle mittens, aren't they sensational in black and white? I might possibly get back into some 2 color knitting with these...

Then we have the yellow cabled mittens knit in Manos, I could use some of my early handspuns to make these! Rich with cables and quick to knit too...

Vogue also features a bag and slipper socks to knit. The bag is by Lucy Neatby and gorgeous, knit in only 3 colors. I am lusting for it. If the 2-color mittens don't drag me back into stranded knitting, this bag will!

The socks, however, require 3 balls of main color and 6 balls of contrasting color in Mission Falls 1824 Wool. I did a quick google and found the yarn online for $6.80 a ball, bringing the cost of the wool for this pair of socks to $61.20. That doesn't include the shipping costs either. Needless to say I won't be knitting these...

Also on my list of favorite patterns in this issue is this side to side lace cardigan. Unfortunately, the photography is inadequate to show off the rich detail in the lace design. How can you lure people into knitting one if they can't even see what the design is like? The front photo is so small I can't even make out whether it is lace or not...

Then we have this beauty. The model's face is highlighted perfectly. The placement of the model in the frame was perfection. The makeup is lovely. So is her jewelry. But the sweater, hmmm. I just can't for the life of me make out what the design is because it is totally in the shadows. Seems to be rich with cables, and if I squint really hard I get the impression that the ribbing is also rich with tiny cables. I'd never in a million years cast on for it without knowing what it looks like though. Would you? Too bad, I think it may be exceptional. I'll never know because the photographer was bewitched by her eyes only...
Look at this next pair of sweaters. The sweater on the left I would wear but I wouldn't knit it (yawn). The sweater on the right I would knit but I wouldn't wear it. The cabling is lovely, and upon closer examination, it is revealed to be knit from *gasp* Lion Brand Yarn? Are you kidding? Yarn from Wal-Mart in Vogue Knitting??? It is actually affordable and attractive! It probably costs less to knit than the socks above!

Okay, that's it for the wonderful patterns from this issue. But I can't leave you without showing you the truly awful ones too! Here is another monstrosity from Twinkle Knits. Boy talk about your quick knits! I checked out the instructions, and if you are knitting this for someone with a 30 inch bust (does anyone over the age of 8 really have a 30 inch bust?) you cast on 31 stitches. No kidding. I cast on more than that for a sock. For half of a sock in fact. And when could you possibly wear such a thing? The wool is thick enough to warm an Eskimo, but then the arms and neck are left bare. How very strange. This next pair makes me laugh. First of all, what happened to her hair? Did she ride to the shoot on the back of a speeding motorcycle traveling backwards? Hmm. And she is wearing so much mascara she can barely hold her eyes open from the weight of it. And look at the strange poses, is she identical twins or did they cut and paste her legs over each other? Or is Twin A trying to kick Twin B out of the picture? (Hey, this is my big chance at fame, get out of here, evil twin!)
And this one gets my vote for worst sweater in the magazine: TA-DA! Ms. Eyelashes (last issue it was Ms. Eyebrows, remember?) is modeling this strange conglomeration of delicate silk with a thick clunky cotton vest over it. And it is knit in a garter stitch pattern a child could knit. Is this high fashion or just bizarre? I can't figure it out...

Well, I will be back with another review when the next issue of Vogue hits the stands. I enjoy picking apart the rare mix of the unique and unusual, the beautiful and the just plain bad. And I'd love to hear what you thought of this review, leave a comment!