One thing I did notice, in a bad way, was this:
Who can argue with another Kathy Zimmerman cabled sweater? It's not the design I noticed but the sloppy execution.
Here's the detail:
I think those two cable lines that bend outward on either side of the center should have just gone into the neckline and stopped. And the pickup for the collar looks kind amateur to me.
I know that magazines demand incredibly tight turn-around times from designers, so I shouldn't be surprised to see the occasional rush-job on finishing. I wish it could be different.
The other thing I noticed (and chuckled about) was the garment in this ad:
Talk about finishing gone awry! It kind of looks like a straightjacket that missed the mark. Do you think that dangling flap will stay artfully placed just so after she moves?
Me neither.
14 comments:
OK, it's a fact: you and I DO think alike. I just got my fall IK as well, and I had exactly the same thoughts about Kathy Zimmerman's sweater and about that ... thing in the ad. (maybe there's a discreet snap at the bottom of that flap?) And when I emerge from baby-knitting hysteria and my tendons retreat to unnoticed status, I'm going to knit me that Minimalist Cardigan.
I was looking at that ad too. After much studying, I think the designer was trying to do a cardigan+wrap combo & just couldn't make up his or her mind whether people want to throw that front piece over their right or left shoulder and so, played it safe by giving them a choice!
It reminds me a bit of Debbie Bliss' Pilar (first Alpaca Silk book) where she did that throw over the left shoulder piece.
Snort! A straightjacket that missed the mark...giggle!
No way will that flap stay put. For some reason, it reminds me of a diaper.
I've been lurking around waiting for Eunny's tangled yoke cardigan pattern to be available. Very few patterns strike me strongly as "the thing I must knit next", but that one did. On her website, that sweater (I suppose it may or may not be the finished version) has a ribbon button band trim which I loved, too.
That neckband finishing on the Zimmerman sweater is sub-par, definitely. I really dislike picking up stitches on a reverse stockinette edge, because I think that doesn't help things, either..... In fact, I won't knit a sweater which has sleeves which are sewn into a reverse stockinette armhole.....I think the seams just look way too obvious, and shoddy. In any case, expectations should be higher for garments showcased in professional knitting magazines--they are supposed to be setting the "standards", right?
I don't subscribe, because I typically only buy the fall and maybe winter versions of IK, so I've been stalking the bookstore for the new issue just based on the web previews. Looks like some really nice items in there! And, now that you have received yours in the mail, the bookstore might have it! (I usually find them there a week or two before the date given on the website for availability....)
Anyway....have a great day!
i don't have the mag yet, but after looking at that photo...the cables at the neckline do really stick out in a bad way. it's amazing how very noticeable it is from afar. maybe it's unfair, but i really expect more from IK.
Totally in agreement about super-bulky yarns. I think that publishers and designers are responding to a (real or perceived, I'm not sure) demand for quick-gratification knits. What's the point of knitting it up fast if it's going to end up on the never or rarely worn pile?
I honestly didn't notice the shoddy workpersonship on the Zimmerman until you pointed it out. Her cable combos are always yummy, so it had caught my eye right off. What turned me off was the deep neckline knit on yarn appropriate for size 9 needles! If it's warm enough for yarn that heavy I don't want to be exposing that much neck!
I expect better finishing in a magazine of this caliber. I was shocked when I saw the trunk show for Teva's Loop d'Loop. Really crappy finishing. And some of the knitting wasn't so hot either. Amazing what can be obscured with professional photography.
I know A LOT of the stuff on my blog looks a lot better on screen than in real life, but you're right, that collar looks a little well, Bezzish in execution!
I like the minimalist cardigan and the hedgerow coat. I seem to be in a cable mood lately.
Maybe clearer photos aren't the best idea? :)
I thought the very same thing about the last shot. I even considered knitting it in the future! My very own handknit straitjacket! Woo Hoo! I wasn't too impressed this time either.
Yep, everything you said. I totally agree with all of it!
Oh, yes - that wrap thing was quite hideous. Wear it backwards! Instant tail. :)
the finishing on reverse stockinette almost always looks bad I think. I can think of a couple ways to fix that collar... but that's just back seat driving. And would have made the pattern longer too-- they always want the pattern to fit in the available space.
I really like the sweater from the armpits down, though. It was actually one of my fave of the issue.
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