Book Notes #3: Vogue Knitting Pillows, Socks Two, and Weekend Knits
All of the following Vogue Knitting books are from the 'Knitting on the Go' series, edited by Trisha Malcolm.
- Pillows (1998): The pillows here seem reasonably varied, which is saying something considering that they're... pillows. Favorites include linen-stitch Berber pillows, with various colors held together sequentially in a way that seems both relatively easy and practical; dimensional fall leaves, thanks to Nicky Epstein, more for the idea than anything else; Aran-influenced pillows, which basically mean I could try out sweater patterns without actually making sweaters, or perhaps cut up particularly nice Goodwill sweaters; wild intarsia Jo Sharp cactus flower pillows whose motifs I like but for which I would probably choose another medium; pyramids with pompoms on each point, which could be fun for children or on a small scale for cat toys, as well as another pattern with cubes; an entrelac pillow using hand-painted bouclé, which strikes me as an interesting way of using up some of that luscious yarn of which one can only afford to get one skein, as long as the cat doesn't hack up a hairball on it; slip-stitched neck pillows in ribbon yarns over chenille for an attractive brocade look; over-embroidered fulled pillows, which seems like a neat way to turn fulled Goodwill sweaters into something pretty and interesting; silk lace sachets for lavender, good for gifts and getting to try out silk yarn generally; and lacy cotton edging that works for linens as well as for pillows.
- Socks Two (2002): Unfortunately, some of these don't have sizing variations and almost all are cuff-down, though many of the socks do appeal otherwise.
The domino square socks look good, despite that dominos are slower to knit, and that I'm not sure whether they would feel appropriately stretchy to wear; socks knit from a single ribbed strip are interesting mostly for their origami-esque construction than all the seams they entail; one pair of slipper socks reminds me strongly of tassel loafers, and I'm not sure how I feel about that; another pair has fairly simple and non-fussy Fair Isle just on the legs to make them colorful but easier; I love, love, love the socks with the zigzag design and picot trim just at the top, though come to think of it, I wonder how well the tops would stay up without the ribbing, but then again, they are pretty short; textured socks look relatively simple but not boring to knit or look at; socks with variegated yarn along the top and plain yarn down the back give a striking effect; child's socks have Fair Isle just on the turned-over cuffs, which looks good, and the turn-over also nicely hides the ribbing beneath (but it also means it won't be good for a child who wants to flip the cuffs up); and the kid's striped socks have a cheerful air.
- Weekend Knits (2003) has one pattern I really like (a chenille triple-cable scarf), one technique I really like (applying bleach gel to a finished item for a watery or heat wave effect), and a few more of each that are interesting. Even among those, though, this book just didn't do as much for me as others in the series.
I'm not sure about using fuzzy bouclé for a toddler's cardigan, for instance, though it does look cute; I'm even less sure about using furry yarn for a tank top, which doesn't sound comfortable at all, though it might work for short-term use for someone who's pear-shaped in particular. I do love the chenille scarf with the three-colored cables (one the background color, which gives the illusion of two ribbons weaving) though it sounds costly if one used 'Touch Me' or another chenille that can be felted against worming. I also really liked the effect of swirling 'Trendsetter Yarns Gel' to a finished cami to give a watercolor effect. The cap and booties were interesting, but I'd prefer to knit in the round rather than flat and seaming. A child's pullover (sizes 2/4/6) is done in slip stitch; a drop stitch scarf is done this time in a mohair, to give a horizontally striped effect that is charming and might still be reasonably warm; a cable-knit belt took me back to macramé days; a tweedy toddler vest (sizes 1/2/3) could work up quickly, though I would sub for the Manos with something easier to wash, and toddlers tend to be round anyway; and a striped vest has a neat feature of a stockinette row at every color change for a ridge between the reverse stockinette stripes.