Hot on the heels of the a-freaking-mazing Burda September issue (in which I have no less than eleven Must Sews!) comes the KnipMode October edition. It’s a bit unfair on Knip to have to follow an act like that, so I’m naturally less enthusiastic about these styles that are just good rather than incredible. Maybe I’ve been buying Knips for too long, but I’m seeing a lot of repeats in this issue that appeared a few months or years ago…
But anyway, on to my highlights!
The cover feature is all about three garments in leather – a leather blazer, an A-line dress, and this skirt. I rather like the skirt but I think the gathers would be really difficult to achieve nicely since you can’t do two lines of gathering stitches (as the lower one would leave permanent holes). And this section gave me massive deja vu from the October 2009 issue where they also had a leather jacket, skirt, and A-line dress…
Next there was a section showing lots of winter knitwear that could either be sewn, or knitted (giving me massive deja vu yet again to the January 2010 issue where they also did the same thing!). Most were either long, baggy, or both, but I rather liked this batwing tunic which could look really nice in a thin, drapey sweater knit:
In the section featuring interesting pleating (and bad eighties throwback hairstyles, owww!), I rather liked the pleated sleeves on this knit dress, though I think the rest of the dress is a bit ho-hum:
And finally, for me, the absolute best thing about this issue are these seamed trousers!! I swear, Burda may have the best trouser draft, but KnipMode have definitely got the best trouser designs!!
I just love the radiating lines and those mid-leg seams, and that the pockets integrate so smoothly into the seams. These call for stretch trouser fabrics and a side invisible zipper (as well as ankle zips), and I’ve already added the details of this into my Pattern Pal iPhone app, which I’ve been using to compile all the patterns I want to make in the near future so I can buy fabric and notions for them while in NYC.
But that’s not all, because this issue of KnipMode came with an extra supplement! Weeee! In this one they loosely based their wardrobes around different musical styles – Blues, Jazz, Opera, and Rock.
They grabbed me on the very first page when I saw this great melton/loden biker jacket paired with these stretch jeans.
I really liked the scarf/tie collar on this otherwise plan knit shirt, and they’ve again paired it with the jeans I like (these supplements only contain a limited number of patterns so you end up seeing the same patterns in most of the wardrobes).
And finally, a jacket and jeans you could wear to the opera (supposedly!). I really like the casual styling of this belted jacket, and it’d be a really great first jacket for a beginner since it’s not got any fastenings or pockets to complicate things!
Update: Last night I finished sewing the lining and final hook & eye onto my wedding gown, so the ONLY thing left now is the hem, which I need help from my mom or sister-in-law to mark out for me. They all arrived last night. OMG!