Overwhelmed by all the Vogue-ing
I’ve put off writing about the new issue of Vogue Knitting, only because it seemed so daunting. This is the 35th Anniversary issue of the magazine. Not only is it chock full of beautiful patterns, but it’s taken me some time to reflect on the value of the magazine as a whole. There are wonderful designers who have, over the years, continued to contribute amazing designs to the magazine. There are informative articles about techniques and trends. All the while, it’s kept up with the pace, responding to knitting as its relevant to us. That said, I’ve seriously edited my picks of favorites from this issue. If you have questions about any projects not mentioned, please do not hesitate to comment or reach out. I have opinions on all of them!
A first favorite is the Sleeveless Turtleneck by Rosemary Drysdale. I’m super into this look this year, especially with the ease of layering it and its versatility – wear it with jeans, slacks, skirts or a unstructured shift dress. Drysdale’s version is made in a chunky yarn, and Herriot Great is the most natural substitute for this yarn. Simple shoulder and side seams anchor this piece in a fabric made of a drapey fabric like alpaca. Also give it a try in Juniper Moon’s Stratus or Rowan’s Brushed Fleece.
Jane Slicer-Smith brings us a stitch sampler in the form of a boxy top. This oversized topper simple in its shape, ideal for layering. I think you should work this one up in a solid yarn to play on the various and subtle textures used throughout the piece. I like the idea of making this piece in Sheperd’s Wool, Blue Sky Fibers’ Woolstok, Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter or HiKoo’s Kenzie.
I always love a quick and easy piece, and I love the volume and soft lines of Tracy Purtscher’s Tucked Cowl. Purtscher has authored a new book on “tucked stitches” Read the quick article on Purtscher’s technique in VK (or pick up her book), but her technique creates volume like something between a cable and a pleat. I look at this and think “this is the teacher gift this year” because it’s 1) so cool and 2) made in a super bulky yarn. Since we have some beautiful new colors of Malabrigo’s Rasta in stock, I will no doubt be knitting up a few in Rasta, and also in Loopy Mango’s Merino No. 5. If you want to scale down on the volume, also try this one in Conway + Bliss’s Odin or Debbie Bliss’s Roma Weave (although also consider going down a needle size for the latter two options!)
Lastly, I’m loving Sandi Prosser’s starry, intarsia dream made up in Gigi, a new bulky mohair blend coming in from Conway + Bliss. You know I’m obsessed with the fuzz, and this fun and relatively simple intarsia pattern seams to beckon some of David Bowie’s Space Oddity. This cultural reference is enough to draw me in, but the opportunity to play with a technique I don’t use often (intarsia) is another fun attraction of this piece.
My overview of favorites from the issue seem terribly glib. There are so many beautiful cables in this piece, lots of fuzzy inspiration. The cover piece is itself drama galore and makes me swoon. Vogue Knitting put a lot into bringing us this special issue. Even if you don’t plan to make anything from it, sometimes it’s nice to have these issues just to look at all that pretty yarn put to incredible use!
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