Slowly but surely I'm working my way back through this backlog of the eMags. This is the latest issue of Colorknits (and I beg apology if I add in the "U" to the title, it's not deliberate)
Colorknits for Mac
Colorknits for PC
Ravelry Link
at the time of typing (17th February 2012) it costs $4.99 which isn't a bad price for the magazine, I received a free copy in return for a review, Interweave tell me that there's no VAT applied for Irish Purchasers which would make it about E3.80 by today's exchange rate, but it doesn't compare badly to purchasing a single pattern, so if you like one or two of the patterns it wouldn't be a bad purchase.
As is common with this series, the magazine is a downloadable program that need Adobe Air to work, so I haven't got it to work on my main machine, a Ubuntu machine, but the patterns are downloadable as PDFs so it's not that inconvenient.
When you open the magazine you may feel a little cheated at the stated number of pages at 24 pages, which do include advertising, however many of the pages go down for more than one page.on the screen and there are six patterns, videos and articles so overall I do think that if these magazines are about what you're interested in they're worth it.
After some introductory material there's some covetables, a yarn bowl, wire stranding guide, bobbins, yarn keeper and a suggestion to use bread clips!
Colourwork would be nothing without colour yarn and the next portion reviews some long colour-repeat yarns. Universal Yarns Poems; Crystal Palace Mochi plus; Noro Aya; Plymouth Boku; Kauni 8/2 Effektgarn and Jojoland Rhythm Superwash all swatched up in double moss stitch, which does show the variations in texture off well.
The next piece is an ideas marketplace where the magazine talks about a variety of dvds, designers and books to get more ideas. Beside everything is a little mouse symbol and if you click it here (or elsewhere in the magazine) you're brought to this link. Bohus; Lucy Neatby; Kieran Foley; Melissa Leapman; Alice Starmore; Barbara G Walker and Margaret Radcliffe feature.
The next piece is about some computer based/online programs to design colourwork both free and paid.
Next up there's some knitting traditions, starting with Roositud, an Estonian method of inserting colour into a project, it's something like satin stitch embroidery only it's worked at the same time, it looks pretty straightforward. There's a mitten pattern supplied, Forest Flowers Mitts (the technique was also discussed in Knitting Daily 15th February with a free pattern)
Next a discussion of use of colour in Fair Isle, again the diagrams can be exploded from the text by clicking on the Fig. no link, which makes things nicely clear. The photographs are great and the discussion of how to use colour is quite clear. Accompanying the article is a tam pattern, the Faded Splendor Tam
How to Pool is the next article, an interesting article on how to work with pooling to create interesting striping then there's the Rippling Fans Cowl project that uses this, it looks like magic! The way that the Switchback Scarf uses a yarn to create patterning is also fascinating
Working Intarsia in the round is interesting, I may have to find a project to try it out with, however the Owl-Aboard legwarmers don't really appeal. They may appeal to owl lovers though...
There's an interview with the Fiber Company followed by a Bohus-inspired short-sleeved top, the Seurat top, a fingering weight top-down piece that has a touch of colour in the top and might be a good way to use up so pretty leftover sock yarn.
Finishing with some words of inspiration from several people, both knitterly and otherwise, about colour and working with colour.
This one I would be very tempted to buy, more for some of the techniques than anything else.
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