queue monster

What? Winter Twist Collective is out? I missed the memo, but as soon as I figured out where all those shiny new things on my ravelry friend-feed were coming from, I went to take a look. I always whip through Twist looking at the patterns first, and then gradually over the next few days/weeks read the articles.

Here are my favourites.

Things I love and might even make one day
Parcel: It's cute, and I haven't made a pullover since my first sweater. I should do it.
Leaving: I think this is very wearable, not to mention gorgeous and classy.
Roheline: This jumps out because of the yarn colour, but I could imagine making it in something more subdued as well.
Trefoil: I especially like the hat.

Things I love, but probably won't make
Leif and Astrid: Auugggh the cute.
Freija: This is dramatic and cables are awesome, but I don't think I could pull it off.
Sin Miedo: Let's be honest - I probably can't be bothered to make such beautiful things to hide in my shoes. But so beautiful, nonetheless.

Fall Twist: best issue ever?

I think this is my favourite issue of Twist Collective so far. The photography and styling in Twist is always beautiful, so I love looking through it even if the individual patterns don't appeal to me. In this issue, the photos are gorgeous but I also want to make practically everything, so it's all a bit overwhelming!

I can't pick one favourite, but as it turns out, many that jump out at me are from Mary-Heather's colourful story.

Orange Pop is awesome. I've never considered using the "wrong-side" of fair-isle as a pattern in itself before, but leave it to Norah Gaughan to come at knitting from all sides. So cool. I would leave off the turtle-neck on this, probably, and I suspect I would use less popping colours, but still. Cityscape is adorable. I would add waist-shaping if I made it for myself, though. And socks! Manolo is so elegant. I've never been attracted to designer shoes, but I would totally make these socks, even to hide them in my unfashionable footwear.

I also like the soft, muted colour palette of "Une histoire comme les autres" - extra bonus points for Montreal and French!

Acorns is pretty and looks infinitely wearable, as does Metro.

Finally, I've always wanted to make a coat, even though I'm not sure how practical it would be. Maybe Red Oak is the one.

I'm so glad fall knitting is around the corner.

Twist Collective and summery weather

Twist Collective Spring/Summer 2010 is out, and the weather in London, ON is suspiciously summer like. I've been sitting on my tiny little porch brewing sun tea and knitting, listening to the birds, and avoiding my last few projects for library school. I'm waiting for the other shoe, as it were.

But anyway. I eagerly look forward to this online magazine for the usually beautiful photography as much as for the patterns and articles. Vivian is my only Twist project so far, but there will be more in the future, I promise.

I'm not really a spring/summer knitter, so I didn't expect to find much in this particular issue, but there are a few things I might make. Eventually. (It's a good thing I'm not in love with the entire issue, given how many Twist Collective patterns I have in my queue). Perhaps predictably, I've gravitated towards the more long-sleeved garments that I could see working for fall, rather than the airy summer tops.

Abrazo
This shawl is sweet and pretty. I will keep it in mind, but there are so many sweet/pretty other shawl/shawlette/scarf things in my queue, and I think these will take precendence.

Tanis
For me, this is one of the most wearable items in the issue. It's not super-duper exciting or groundbreaking, but it's totally wearable and I respect that. I like the button details.

Timpani
This strikes me as a good fall jacket, maybe in something 100% wool. I think it's neat-looking, and I'm intrigued by the construction. Never thought I was into faux marching-band styling... but hey! Looks cool.

Vym and Wallflower are both socks that I think would be awesome as fingerless mitts instead. I don't think stranded socks are particularly summery, since they would be so so warm! But I do love the colour patterns.

Introducing a real post for real : Thoughts on Twist Collective's Winter Issue

Twist Collective's winter issue came out a few days ago and I immediately pored over it. I tend to head straight for the patterns and go back later, sometimes months later, to read the articles, but I do love it.

This time around I find myself most enthused by accessories projects. The sweaters are nice, but nothing is really shouting at me at the moment.

I like Tanit's Jacket by Gudrun Johnston, but I'm not sure I could pull it off without lots of mods - cropped, squarish... What's up with all the cropped jackets out there?

Four Winds by Alasdair Post-Quinn is gorgeous and could spell my first foray into double knitting. Maybe? With his neat tutorial and instruction videos also included in the issue maybe I'll actually get the kick in the pants I need.

The Polar Chullo by Mary Ann Stephens is pretty cute, but I don't know if I'd have the opportunity to make it. Polar bears are great, though!

Moxie by Kristi Schueler looks neat, but I'm a bit bewildered by the colour choice in the sample. The green and teal/turquoise are kind of the same level of intensity. I'd pick something with more contrast, I think, though maybe some people want less of a shock for a bold design.

Frost Tapestry by Robin Melanson is just beautiful. I love the curlicues. I don't know if I'd make the neckwarmer, but I definitely want the hat and mitts.

Basically, it appears as if I'm obsessed with colourwork. Yet, the endpaper mitts are my only real colourwork project so far in my knitting life. Clearly something has to change. I have several colourwork projects in my queue for priority this winter, and hopefully I'll get to them.

Twist collective winter issue, at last!

Gah! I am about 5k behind on my NaNoWriMo novel, and blogging just makes me feel like I'm misdirecting my verbiage. Bad, bad.

But...

I have been impatiently waiting for the winter issue of Twist Collective, ever since I heard a rumour that it would be arriving Nov 1. This was just a rumour; anyway, it was delayed for very good reasons, but I have still been impatiently checking the website, even though I have my next couple of projects lined up already and I don't need to do any more pattern lusting. Or do I?

What stands out for me this issue are coats and hoodies. Coats coats coats. I'm attracted to the idea of knit coats, but I'm still undecided as to how practical they would be for me. Perhaps in the fall rather than the winter. I love Sylvi, though. The flowers and vines on the back stun me. If I find myself with a large amount of big yarn, perhaps I'll make it, maybe in time for next fall.

Heroine also really appeals to me, though I don't know if I could stand felting a coat - it would have to be ridiculously massively huge before hand, I would think. In reality, I think the buttons shown make the coat, plus the model's steampunk-esque binoculars. I probably won't make this, in all honesty, but it is cute!

On the hoodie side, while I love looking at designs for knit hoodies (and I have had Corona by Canary Sanctuary queued for a while), I am not always sure I'd wear a knit hoodie. I have plenty of hoodies, but I don't usually wear the hoods, except when weather and my other layers demand. More often than not I'm inclined to think that these gorgeous knit ones would look as good or better without the hoods, even. But Twist may have converted me, because I can definitely picture myself knitting and wearing some of these, hoods and all.

Vivian blows my mind. I am an unapologetic devotee of Ysolda, and I always look forward to seeing what she has come up with, but wheeee. How incredibly cable-y. I love the look of complicated cables. At some point soon I want to step-up my cable experience by making something with lots and lots of cables, and I think Vivian is now on my list. I love how it looks very fitted and shaped to the model so that it doesn't matter if the cables are stiff or not; my worry would be about whether I could make it look quite so amazing on me. This goes in my queue for the hopefully near future.

Gythafalls into the category of drapey, tunic-y, slightly hippy, whimsical sweaters that I adore the look of and the thought of... but again, not sure if I'd be able to pull it off myself. Eeesh. I think I need to suck it up and make myself a tunic-y sweater and be done with it, because I'm clearly too uptight. Anyway. Gytha is cute and looks comfy, and perhaps if I get over some of my hang-ups and can afford yarn I'll make it some day! It's not at the top of my list, though.

With my idealistic love of cloche-type hats, it's weird that I don't have any. maybe not all that weird since I'm a miser who doesn't like to spend money on style-over-substance fashion. But I have been eyeing MK Carroll's Matilda and Tillie hats for a while. Twist's cloche offering Dietrich is very cute. It goes on the list to sit along with Matilda / Tillie for a while to simmer while I decide which to jump into and go with, likely as soon as it gets too cold...