Peak Alpaca: A Video

"I vote we use 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' for a theme song."





In Peak Alpaca, an animated short by Anna Hrachovec, a sheep and two alpacas embark on an epic journey to get some forbidden fruit.

Interweave Knits Fall 2016: A Review

Interweave Knits Fall 2016 is out. Let's have a look at it!

Harvey Pullover. This is fairly basic, but attractive enough. I'd fix those slightly dropped shoulders and go for a non-oatmeal-like colour.

Augusta Cardigan. Good shaping, and I love the back.

Damien Cardigan. Rather a nice sweater coat, but the pockets bother me. They're too small to look proportionate and not well enough integrated into the design.

Catlett Shawl. What a lovely piece.

Botero Pullover. A very handsome look. I'm really liking the subtle fair isle stripe effect.

Kathe Cardigan. The back and sleeves are excellent, but I'm not sure I'm liking the way those front opening edges sit.

Hirst Pullover. I rather like the jesery shirt-like styling of this one, but I'd do it in a less blah colourway.

Calder Pullover. Lovely lace pattern on this one, and good shaping.

Rodin Cardigan. The body of this is pretty good, but those very abbreviated sleeves look ludicrous.

Edmonoia Shawl. Another good-looking shawl.

El Greco Pullover. A classic cabled pullover with enough variation from the usual in the cable pattern to make it feel distinctive.

Azure Lake Sweater. Like this one. The slightly offbeat colourway makes it feel fresh, though still masculine.

Rawah Pullover. Pretty basic, as well as rather 80s, but it's certainly nice and wearable enough.

Fall River Vest. Beautiful classic fair isle vest.

Bandelier Socks. Quite like the design, with the thin ankle band stemming out from the heel. Not crazy about the colours used in this sample, but then that's easily changed.

Neota Cardigan. Great stitchwork and good shaping in this one.

Bear Lake Pullover. Some good stitchwork on this one too. Almost any man would be glad to wear this piece.

Nakai Peak. Nice cap with some great textural work.

Thompson River Socks. This is the design version of the ubiquitous ribbed and red-striped gray work sock, and I must say it's a successful one.

Comanche Hill Cardigan. I like this cardigan on the whole. The colourway is attractive and the design is striking and effective (the design was inspired by "the gorgeous baskets woven by the Washoe people of Nevada and California"), but I'm not liking the way it lies in the front. Tying it shut with a skinny belt over the model's rib cage wasn't a particularly happy thought either.

Pom Pom Quarterly Autumn 2016: A Review

Pom Pom Quarterly's Autumn 2016 issue is out. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Florence shawl. I love the texture of this one, and the bold combination of pink and red.

Rocquaine. A classic gansey.

Tannins. This scarf feels very seventies, but in a classic, Mary Tyler Moore kind of way, not in a leisure suit kind of way.

Turion. These mittens are cute in an interesting and adult way rather than in a childish, bunnies and puppies way.

Vellamo. This is fun and rather smart, but I would change the shaping a little, as that cropped boxy shape doesn't tend to be very flattering.

Lara. Quite an attractive, artistic scarf. I especially like the strip effect created by the eyelets.

Kaali. Very pretty and nicely detailed in a quiet, subtle way. The picot edging and the rose and white slipped stitch effect at the cuff really add to the look.

Tevara. Love the back of this, but I wouldn't include the slit at the back neck and I'd fix those dropped shoulders and add some shaping.

Thessaly. Very much like this one, which is so very wearable and polished it could be worn almost anywhere.

Serafine. Simple but effective. That's a clever way of integrating the pocket into the design.

Asklov. Nice! That leaf tracing motif is ever so pretty.

Knitting Traditions Spring 2016: A Review

It turns out that I managed to miss Knitting Traditions' Spring 2016 issue when it came out (because Knitting Daily doesn't have it listed with its other magazines on their site menu, sigh), but let's have a look at it now.

Bluestocking Stole. A really lovely piece of work that could be styled in a lot of ways.

Christ Church Tam. The designer of this item says on its Ravelry page that she intended to "meld the beauty and light of stained glass with the warmth and texture of yarn" in this project, and I definitely think she succeeded. The design is pleasing and the brightness and high contrast of the yarn choices come as close as yarn can come to looking sunlit.

Daisy Crescent Shawl. A simple, easy, pretty knit.

Elegant Arm Warmers. I have to agree that these mitts do live up to their name.

Fancywork Market Bag. I'd be inclined to make this bag wider and shorter, to line it for strength, and to go with another colourway, as this one makes my eyes ache a bit.

Fireworks Socks. This pair of socks might make me feel as though my feet had been attacked by crayon-wielding toddlers.





Head in the Clouds Scarf. The lacework in this one is simply exquisite.

Lilacs & Rain Shawl. A very handsome and timeless wrap.

Little Birds Chullo. This kind of design wouldn't ordinarily be my sort of thing as it is very busy, but this take on a traditional Peruvian cap is so cute and fun I can't help liking it. The gingham band and the use of variegated yarn are nice non-traditonal touches.

Modern Chimesette. This antique style updated for today makes for a pretty, feminine take on the cowl.

Paper Silk Purse. The Ravelry page description of this piece suggests making it in a colour to match the intended owner's favourite cocktail dress. I wouldn't pair this purse with a cocktail dress, even though it's knitted in silk ribbon, as it's a little too slouchy and casual looking for evening use. Evening bags don't usually have long thick straps. It's a nice little bag for day though.

Penelope's Cardigan. An attractive traditional-style child's cardigan. I like the effect of the bright contrast yarn and buttons, and the stitchwork is good.

Pocket Muff. This muff has a pocket on the inside, as its name suggests. The Ravelry page for this one describes is as being "like a purse that warms your hands". It isn't unattractive, but I can't imagine wanting to be bothered to carry a muff, and it does look a little as though the model has her arm stuck in a spare sleeve.

Primavera Handkerchief. This is pretty, but I don't think I'd want to use -- or more to the point, wash -- a knitted handkerchief. I'd use this to line a bread basket.

Primavera Socks. For those occasions when you want a matching sock and hanky combination. All jesting aside, I do really like these socks. I'm not crazy socks person, and my favourite kind of sock is something basic with a bit of attractive detail, just like this one.

Regency Chemisette. This chemisette is, as its name suggests, the more historically accurate version of the chemisette, while the modern version we saw earlier in this post can be worn cowl-style. I prefer the modern version as it's more wearable by today's standards (after all, most of us aren't knitting costumes for a period drama) but as you can see this one is also usable because it can be worn under a low-cut sweater.

Regency House Slippers. I love these. So many knitted slipper patterns are so lacking in any sort of grace and style, but these, which are based on Regency-style dance slippers, have grace and style to burn.

Roman Holiday Purse. Now this purse is one that a woman could confidently carry as an evening bag.

Spring in Bloom Reticule. This one is too kitschy for my tastes. It could be made less so by going with a more subtle colour scheme.

Strip of Paisley Wrap. Another lovely lace stole.

Strolling Dolls. For the Edgar Allan Poe Junior Fan Club member in your life.

Strolling Round the Square Beaded Shawlette. This is a lovely piece, and it also appears to hang beautifully.

Turkish Purse. This would have gone with the Guatemalan jacket I had when I was 20. It's a charmingly bohemian piece.