New Interweave Knits!

Have you seen the new Interweave Knits?!

http://www.interweaveknits.com/preview/2007_fall.asp

All I have to say is WOW! There are so many projects in there I am drooling over. I just started a new subscription & I can't wait for it to arrive.

Dickinson Pullover

While I don't always have the uninterrupted knitting time required to do intricate cables I think I would be willing to pack this project up and work on it at my desk a little bit every night because the resulting sweater is so stunning. That would be the only way I could get some knitting time sans 6 year old. Either that or convince my work and hubby that while I haven't actually taken a vacation in 4 years and payroll won't really get done if I'm gone I absolutely need to take a two week retreat to a mountain cabin to knit this sweater. Sounds good, no?

Tyrolean Stockings

These socks/stockings remind me of Elizabeth Zimmerman style warm and wonderful aran socks/stockings. Again with the cables, but these look simple enough that if you were to keep an index card next to you and make hash marks to know if you are on the row to do a cable that it could be done without completely alienating your family by either: a. acting like you can't hear them when they talk to you, or b. telling them that they should be able to see that you are KNITTING and why can't they just leave you alone until you are done?!

Snowball Hat

I think it was the Stash & Burn Podcast

http://www.stashandburn.com/

where I heard that giant pom pom's on top of hats are really "in style" in France, and thus will eventually make their way to the US. Whether they do or not I still don't like them. You have to have just the right ski outfit and matching cute little figure to make that work out and while I've got plenty on top, the rest can't exactly be called "little". Besides, I have two teenage boys who would never been seen in public with me wearing a giant pom pom hat. That said I actually like the rest of this hat pattern. Maybe with a tassle, or something else more my taste on top, or even nothing. Although if you love the pom pom and are glad it is coming back, more power to you, and I promise not to laugh.

Now to my favorites...

I have recently discovered the wonderful world of Fair Isle. My mom is as obsessed with her motorcycle as I am with knitting. She has been begging me to make her a hat for about 2 years now. I never found a pattern I really was interested in knitting until I saw the Fake-Isle hat at http://www.magknits.com/Nov06/patterns/fakeisle.htm

Once I saw it, I knew that was the one. Actually, true to ADD form I am only remembering the most recent thing. The first fair isle was actually the hat that was in the previous Interweave Knits, who's name escapes me ( Syncopated Caps by Kate Gilbert... I love Google). After I did one of those which my daughter snatched up when she realized it made her look like Hanna Montana's skater girl friend Lilly I designed a fair isle hat with butterflies and hearts for said daughter. It wasn't my best work, but it was exactly what she wanted and still passes for greatness in the eyes of a 6 y/o with a vision.

My husband had surgery on a Friday and his mom was driving him home while I waited for the pharmacy to get his meds ready. The yarn shop I used to go to was right down the street and I needed something to put with the Kureyon I had picked to do the Fake Isle hat out of another project in progress bag (it's an afghan that doesn't expect to be worked on in 90 - 103 degree heat anyway, I'll get more on my next order from WEBS). I picked out some purple Cascade and some new Crystal Palace bamboo circular needles, which were the perfect size for this hat and was on my way. In true ADD fashion I also picked up some Regia Bamboo sock yarn to make some socks for my daughter, but I digress. Anyway... the hat was turning out so great that the next day I ran to the yarn shop again to pick out another colorway to do a second hat. I finished the hat the next day, my birthday, and took it over to my mom to wear on her motorcycle trip she will be taking at the end of this month. She was so thrilled it spurred me on to finish the second one, which was delivered the next evening. I told her we are now even as far as me knitting her a hat.

A wonderful Elizabeth Zimmerman hint I picked up in one of her video's is when you are knitting fair isle and you are going across 4-5 stitches, put your index finger between your work and the working yarn. This ensures that you won't get the puckering from the crossovers being too tight on the inside. Works wonders!

Snowflake Socks

These are so cute & would be perfect to make someone who is always cold for Christmas!! They remind me of something I would want to wear after spending an afternoon out in the snow and then coming in to sit by the fire. The bottoms look like an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern (it always goes back to her doesn't it?).

Sweetheart Vest

This vest is definitely sweet! I like it as/is, but since I never wear vests I think it would make a gorgeous sweater. pretty much all you would have to do is pick up stitches around the armholes and work in stockinette instead of ribbing. You could even follow another sweater pattern to get the decreases if you don't know how to do the math. Since it seems to be a little shapeless I think I would also try to add in the boob dart from www.knittingdaily.com.

Mirepoix Bodice

I love this sweater! I think it would make almost any figure look good. This will probably be the first on my list to be knit out of this issue. I don't have much else to say about it, other than I would probably change up the colors a bit. If I ever get around to knitting this I'm sure I will have plenty to say.

Flying Buttress Socks

Ok, love the patterning of this sock, but why purple toes and heels? It looks like the person finished the sock and discovered that their cat had eaten the heel portion and also hid the rest of the yarn. Knowing that he/she had one of those crazy publishing deadlines the knitter grabbed the only other yarn available and hoped no one would notice. Maybe Interweave forgot to Photoshop the color or something? I think someone probably lost their job over this one, but the damage was done and the magazine had already gone to press.

Back to seriousness... I love this pattern if it were done in all one color, or even in matching colors. So, when you get the magazine and you just HAVE to do this pattern... remember, pick matching colors! You don't want your family having to lie to you that they actually like what you spent hours of your life painstakingly knitting.

Bravo!

I think this is my favorite issue of Interweave Knits ever. There are always enough patterns in the magazine to justify my buying it, but never so many in one that I would actually knit. Thank you Interweave!