The Motherload of KnipMode - Part One
10 November 2010, 12:51About 8 months ago, I got an awesome email from FehrTrade reader Hilde asking if I’d like her mom’s stash of KnipMode magazines from 2005-2007 as she wasn’t really using them much any more and they both thought I’d give them a good home.
Would I??? Omg.
So therein started the logistical planning to transport a rather heavy stack of magazines from The Netherlands over to London… Around this time we thought we’d be driving navigation equipment over to northern Holland in preparation for a neighbour’s North Sea crossing, so we’d make a detour to Hilde’s, but logistics didn’t work out and we weren’t needed for the neighbour’s barge anyway. And then, in a fantastic twist, a few weeks ago Hilde told me her sister lives in London and brought the stash over in her suitcase for me! So I only had to make a 10 minute walk from my office to her sister’s flat (seriously, what luck that she lives so close!) to pick up the magazines and thank her profusely for lugging them in her suitcase.
And for the past fortnight or so I’ve been absolutely pouring over them, picking out my Must Sews, investigating tiny design details, and noticing what changes Knip have made in the past 5 years.
There were too many for me to scan in one session, so here’s my picks from the early half of the stash, with Part Two to follow next week!
KnipMode 11-2005
OMG Lingerie!! I have already got the most perfect fabrics in my stash to make the camisole with the bra cups – the olive green stretch lace I bought in Paris coordinates perfectly with a teeshirt I got free with a magazine but was comically tiny (what percentage of the UK female population has a bust smaller than 27 inches? Seriously.). I think there might be enough to do the cami with a bit of the teeshirt’s sleeves left for a thong gusset. And you know how much I liked the KnipMode lingerie pattern I already had…
UPDATE: Marilyn pointed out in the comments that you can buy these lingerie patterns plus the Plus lingerie shown a bit further down plus the lingerie I’ve sewn previously on Knipmode’s “Patronen Bestellen” site and click “Bijzonder” on the left (the red cami set is bijz10, the red bra set is bijz9, the Plus cami set is bijz11, the Plus bra set is bijz12, the 2008 bra set is bijz13, and the 2008 cami set is bijz14 if you need to search for them). I’ve never bought Knip patterns online before so I have no idea if they’re digital or printed or how to pay though, sorry!
I’m in serious need of knit long-sleeved tops, and I really like the overlay on this otherwise basic tee. It kinda reminds me of the top I bought from ASOS that inspired a bunch of you to try to draft it…
KnipMode 12-2005
This one’s on my tracing pile for this weekend! It’s another twist on the basic long-sleeved tee, this time with faux-raglan seaming at the shoulders. I’m thinking it’d be great to use some random knit scraps on those shoulder pieces to break up a solid colour everywhere else.
Great jeans! The front view reminds me of my KnipMode boyfriend jeans (which I’ve worn threadbare!), but with a classic back view here.
And from the same feature, here’s a really nice, casual A-line skirt that you could really wear all year round without too much effort.
Since it’s a December issue, they’ve included a full Santa costume! Shame I didn’t have this when I made my Dad his Santa suit back in 2006!
I really like the different neckline options on these “Make 4” cocktail dresses. I’m not big on the godet skirts, so I’d stick to the pencil skirt option, but that’s just me. I could easily see this in a nice cotton for a casual summer day dress, too.
KnipMode 01-2006
What a gorgeous coat! This pattern either comes as I’ve shown here, or with a smaller, standard Peter Pan collar, too. It’s a bit too short for me to wear in the deepest, darkest winter, but would be a great option for chilly spring and fall weather.
I’m so excited to finally see some winter-friendly silk pyjamas (and then I got the new Dec 2010 KnipMode yesterday to find there’s more in there)! All the winter pyjama patterns either seem to be a long sleeved tee with flannel bottoms (Yawn! I graduated from university 10 years ago, I’m over the dorm look now) or full-length flannel nightgowns (and err, I’m not dead yet). So to have some pyjamas that are both warm and something approaching sexy is a big find indeed.
KnipMode 02-2006
Ooh, a big jeans special! They’ve got four pairs here, all in RTW waist/length sizing so they’ve thrown a pair on a man to show these can be worn by either sex, just like the standard Levis cuts. I like the button-fly pair the best, but maybe that’s because I’m still itching to try David Page Coffin’s button-fly technique…
On first glance, this is just your average casual A-line skirt, not too far off the one I highlighted above. But look closer, and you’ll see that the upper pocket’s tabs wrap the whole way around to the back, which is just so cool!
Things you’ll never see in Burda magazine or the Big Four – Plus-sized lingerie patterns! How great are KnipMode?? These are totally sexy and wearable, and up to an F cup! Bigger ladies need lovely underthings, too!
KnipMode 03-2006
You could probably buy this style of sweatshirt in a million shops, but that doesn’t stop me liking it anyway. I particularly like the gathers along the front yoke and the very useful pockets.
Knip call this a blouse, but I think it’d work better as a jacket, made up in something crisp like a linen. I just love that it has the tab & hole at the collar to offset the wrap at the waistline, and also the uneven hem. This is a look that would work so well on women of any age…
KnipMode 04-2006
Another fantastic trouser pattern! Those twisted leg seams are just so flattering, too.
Ooh, a raincoat pattern! This style kinda reminds me of Johanna’s fantastic raincoat she made last year. Though I’ve got my heart set on a trenchcoat, so I’ll need to tackle that before going shopping for waterproof vinyl.
And finally, Knip seem to have a lot more kids patterns in the main magazine back in these earlier issues than they do now (they’ve got a quarterly kids pattern magazine, Knippie, so it’s nice that they put any in the main mag at all), and what I like is that they make tween/teen patterns in sizes that Burda magazine just don’t cover. I think the biggest sizes I’ve seen in Burda are usually 128cm or very occasionally 140cm, but these trousers and jackets go up to size 170!
Coming up: Part Two of this stack, my Halloween costume, the November LMB, the (freaking amazing!!) Dec KnipMode, a leather obi belt, and my coat shortlist (how did I fall behind in posts again??)…
tags: knipmode, lingerie, magazineComments:
The Burda meets Armani coat - muslin FAIL Winter coat shortlist
OMG – I am officially jealous of your magazine stash. Cannot wait to see what you make from them :) I especially like the look of the special jeans article in the KnipMode 02-2006! I not-so-secretly yearn to be a good enough sewist to make my own jeans [sighs]. It’s on my must-do list for Spring-Summer 2011 (I have even bought some cheap denim fabric to muslin my first attempt already [gulps]).
— Claire (aka Seemane) Nov 10, 04:35 PM #
What a lovely gift! I was wondering where you buy your knip mode subscription from? I am moving to Hampshire in december and i think I might finally be able to afford the shipping. It will make an excellent christmas gift for myself. :)
— linda Nov 10, 04:50 PM #
Hi Linda. I tried to reply to you but your email bounced saying “mail receiving disabled” so I hope you check back here for the answer.
I get my subscription directly through KnipMode, which is, as far as I know, the only way to get a subscription outside the Netherlands. I wrote up instructions on how I did it here: http://www.fehrtrade.com/article/353/how-to-subscribe-to-knipmode-magazine
If you know the address of your new place, it might be worth starting the subscription now as it takes a month or two before you start receiving them. That way you might even have one waiting for you. :)
— melissa Nov 10, 05:05 PM #
I’ve certainly missed some great issues in the past. Must say that I’m more and more liking Knip Mode. So much that I even consider subscribing again.
— Sigrid Nov 10, 05:09 PM #
What a treasure trove. Some of it, like the underwear is timeless and I like the variations on the t shirts too.
— Nancy K Nov 10, 09:17 PM #
OMG so jealous…your mag stash is seriously getting epic. I love the lingerie sections and the Make 4 cocktail dresses, beautiful!
— kaitui_kiwi Nov 11, 05:40 AM #
I think I just drooled lol What a fabulous collection!! I love the jeans special & the t-shirt with the funky hem and cross-over bit – they look superb. Maybe I need to haunt ebay for a few back issues? :)
— Liz Nov 11, 09:20 AM #
Oh my god, that is so cool and so generous of Hilde. Congrats. (And I am a little bit green with envy.) :D
— Phem Nov 11, 10:44 AM #
lucky lucky lucky you! I drooled over the lingerie patterns, both these & your previous post! And discovered that you can actually buy the lingerie patterns direct from knipmode (which is good cos the chances of finding copies of any back issues are almost non-existent! unless you get lucky, like you did) so if anyone is looking for them, go to “Patronen bestellen” on their website….. can’t wait to see the next installment, i have you to thank for my knipmode addicition!
— Marilyn Nov 11, 11:06 AM #
just ordered 3 patterns from the website for the lingerie ;-) tricky as its in dutch, but they look gorgeous so willing to take that chance!
— Marilyn Nov 11, 11:36 AM #
Thanks!
I just got a new computer and outlook has been giving me problems.
thanks though i will def order it now. :) YAY!
— linda Nov 12, 12:03 AM #
Blushing because I have all of these issues, minus one! Before I knew you online I also let go of at least ten KM’s… sorry!
— Katharine in Brussels Nov 13, 09:40 AM #