CogKnition » Book Reviews

Haiku Knits

CogKnition — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:19:14 +0000

Author: Tanya Alpert
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:

What can I say? I’m a sucker for elegant Asian-inspired designs. Growing up, “Asian-inspired” too often meant cheesy red and gold adorned with dragons, bamboo, or farmers in conical hats. Asian influences have become more widespread since I was a kid in Wisconsin, but I still get a thrill out of seeing Asian-inspired designs that are beautiful.

This book features 25 total patterns. Over half of these patterns are sweaters, vests, and summer tops. Most of the remaining patterns are scarves and wraps, with one hat and one skirt pattern to round out the collection.

The patterns in this book come in a very small range of sizes; most patterns only have Small (34-36″ bust), Medium, and Large (40-42″ bust). A number of the patterns are simple enough to scale easily, but I would hesitate to recommend this book for knitters who fall outside of the prescribed size range as the scarf patterns alone would not induce me to buy this book. However, if you do fall in the prescribed size range, there are some stunning sweaters to choose from.

Pick of the Projects:

The cover sweater would have made this list, except that you already know what it looks like.

Snowflake (Easy). This sweater is a beautiful example of fashion as art. The actual knitting is simple, requiring only a bit of stockinette, ribbing, and a basic lace stitch; all the magic is in the construction of the garment. The sizing is given as “one size fits most” but it probably looks best the way it’s pictured: hanging on a small frame with lots of positive ease.

Cocoon (Intermediate). Unlike the previous selection, this is a fabulous everyday-wear sweater. The picture to the left doesn’t really do justice to the cable’s subtle twists and turns. This pattern is written only for bust sizes 34″-40″, but the construction is simple enough that a moderately-experienced knitter could size it up or down.

Long Night (Intermediate to Advanced). The book calls this a capelet, but it really is more a shrug or a flyaway cardigan. The showstopper part of this sweater is the exaggerated sleeve, the construction of which I can only describe as Norah Gaughan-esque. One of the recommended yarns (the sweater is knit with two yarns held together), Blue Heron Rayon Metallic, lends a little sparkle. Unfortunately this pattern only comes in two sizes, Small (32-36″ bust) and Medium (38-42″ bust), and sizing it up farther will require some significant effort.

The review copy of this book was provided by Potter Craft.

Buy Haiku Knits on Amazon.com

The Alchemy of Color Knitting

CogKnition — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:13:49 +0000

Author: Gina Wilde
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:

Buy The Alchemy of Color Knitting on Amazon.com

I love color, particularly vibrant jewel tones—a quick glance through my Ravelry projects page will confirm this. I’m always on the lookout for designers who have a good eye for color, so when Potter Craft offered to send me a review copy of this book, I took it.

The first chapter (8 pages) introduces basic color theory—the color wheel, different color schemes, etc. This section seems a bit superfluous to me, as it is much too short for people who want to learn more about color and how to use it—”Trust Your Preferences” is not a satisfying recommendation—and it is totally redundant for people who have, say, read the Wikipedia page on color theory.

But if you want patterns that use bright colors and use them well, this is the book for you. I counted 25 patterns total: 11 sweaters (including a tank and a baby cardigan), 8 scarves/wraps/shawls, and assorted accessories.

The size range for the garments is a little on the small side; there are generally only 4-5 sizes for each sweater. The smallest size is usually a bust measurement between 30 and 36 inches; the largest size is usually between 42 and 46 inches.

Like Shibori Knits, another Gina Wilde book, all the yarns are Alchemy Yarns.

Pick of the Projects:

My favorite project in the entire book is the Clematis Scarf, which is the stunner on the cover. But you can see what that looks like, so here are my picks of the others.

Peacock Cardigan (Experienced). This lacy, long cardigan is knit in a worsted-weight yarn and features belled sleeves and a small shawl collar. This small photo really does not do the sweater justice. The bell sleeves add some elegance and edges of this cardigan are beautifully finished, a detail I always appreciate. The only down side is that the pattern is written for four sizes: 30″, 36″, 42″, and 48″.

The Impressionist’s Wrap (Beginner). I love ombre, as you know, so this project jumped out at me immediately. This wrap is worked in Alchemy Yarns Haiku, which is a luscious silk/mohair blend. Two strands are held together throughout, changing the color of one strand at a time to get the ombre effect. The stitch pattern creates a slightly ruching at the color changes.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Gloves (Intermediate). This is a basic glove pattern highlighted with beautiful floral embroidery. The embroidery chart is included, but you will have to find an embroidery reference if you don’t already know how to form the stitches. The pattern is written for one size, a women’s medium (8″ palm circumference).

Buy The Alchemy of Color Knitting on Amazon.com

Shibori Knits

CogKnition — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:35:19 +0000

Author: Gina Wilde
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:
Buy Shibori Knits on Amazon.com

I first read about shibori felting techniques a while ago, and my initial reaction was that the result looked…diseased. Like Starr’s infamous tumor dress from Project Runway metastasizing to knitting. Though sometimes tying bottlecaps and whatnot to your perfectly good knitting would produce a more benign condition, say hives. Or pox.

I hoped that Shibori Knits would show me a softer, prettier side of shibori. And it did. Thanks to Potter Craft for sending me a review copy.

The book opens with an introduction to shibori and then jumps into three chapters with different emphases. “Surrender to Shibori” contains beginning shibori projects, most only using one yarn and exploring different resist techniques. The projects in “Shibori Creativity” use felting and non-felting yarns with a variety of stitch techniques to produce fabrics with mixed textures. “Subtle Shibori” is anything but, featuring projects with bright colors and bold styling. The use of shibori, however, is quite subtle—you won’t find any tumors here.

The patterns in the book cover a range of difficulty from simple knit/purl to lace, intarsia, and fair isle. Almost half of the projects (9 of 21) are scarves, wraps, or shawls. The remaining projects include bags, baby items, hats, and other garments and accessories (including a dog capelet). All of the projects in the book use Alchemy Yarns.

It was surprisingly hard to pick just three to showcase, especially considering that I previously associated shibori with disease. However, I settled on one project from each chapter.

Pick of the Projects:

Wood Grain Scarf (“Surrender to Shibori”; Level: Easy). Shibori can be sexy and romantic! This scarf uses Alchemy Yarns Haiku, a mohair/silk blend. The main body of the scarf is worked in a simple knit/purl stitch pattern. The lovely ripple effect is achieved by gathering the long edges of the scarf prior to felting. The end result is luscious and beautiful.

The Poet’s Shawl (“Shibori Creativity”; Level: Intermediate). In the introduction to the pattern, Gina Wilde describes the fear and surrender she experienced in working on this shawl for six weeks and then committing it to the washing machine. The finished shawl is soft and sheer. The effect is achieved by contrasting a feltable laceweight—Alchemy Yarns Haiku again—with a heavier non-felting boucle—Alchemy Yarns Pagoda.

Wild Side Skirt (“Subtle Shibori”; Level: Experienced). Lace mesh panels in a non-felting yarn (Alchemy Yarns Silken Straw) alternate with stockinette stripes in a felting yarn (Alchemy Yarns Sanctuary). The felting yarn shrinks in the wash, creating the drape-y scallop effect.

Buy Shibori Knits on Amazon.com

Tweed

CogKnition — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:34:24 +0000

Author: Nancy J. Thomas
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:
Buy Tweed on Amazon.com

Once again, the copy I am reviewing was generously provided by Potter Craft. Tweed is a combination knitting history/pattern book scheduled to be released on Tuesday. If you pre-order it now, Amazon will give you an extra 5% off.

I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I have never knit anything with a tweed yarn. Go ahead, check out the finished projects. No tweed yarns. But then I started lusting after Eunny’s Tangled Yoke Cardigan, which is knit with a tweed yarn, and all of a sudden I wanted to learn more about tweed.

Tweed‘s first two chapters are full of the history and making of tweed yarn. Did you know that:

Coco Chanel popularized the use of tweed fabrics in high fashion?
tweed yarns are more prone to felting?

The third chapter contains stitch patterns with pictures of swatches knit up in tweed yarns. This chapter was especially useful to me, as a tweed newbie and fledgling knitwear designer, to see which patterns are made more interesting with tweed yarns and which patterns are strong enough not to be obscured by the tweed flecks.

The last section is full of knitting patterns, grouped by skill level. There are 22 projects total, including hats, scarves, bags, sweaters, vests, pillows, and throws. Although all of my favorite projects below happen to be sweaters, sweaters make up less than half of the total pattern count.

Pattern previews after the jump!

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The Knitter’s Book of Yarn

CogKnition — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:34:31 +0000

Author: Clara Parkes
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:
Buy The Knitter’s Book of Yarn on Amazon.com

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday to my US readers!

Potter Craft was also kind enough to send me a copy of Clara Parkes’s new book, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn. I have a healthy appreciation for all things Clara, having been a member of Knitter’s Review almost since the day I learned to knit. But I think I might have passed this one by if I were just browsing in a bookstore or a local yarn shop.

And that would have been a dreadful, dreadful mistake. I’ve read the entire thing cover to cover and I really think that every serious knitter needs to own a copy of this book.

Of all the projects that I’ve been slightly disappointed with, most of them have been due to Yarn Mistakes. Choosing a loosely-spun wool for a blanket, leading to massive pilling over everything. Choosing yarns with a high percentage of acrylic for projects that require aggressive blocking. This book will help you stop making Yarn Mistakes.

The book is divided into three detail-packed sections about how yarn is made and how this will affect your finished product. Clara manages to present a lot of technical information about fiber and fabric in a colloquial and easy-to-read style.

The first section goes over the major fiber groups: protein, cellulose, cellulosic, and synthetic, with subsections for each fiber type. Each subsection describes where the fiber type comes from, and describes a number of different properties of the fiber that affect the yarn, including different quality grades, how it behaves in blends, and how it behaves on the needles. The pages on alpaca from this section are excerpted in the Winter 2007 Interweave Knits.

Continue reading The Knitter’s Book of Yarn (438 words) »

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Kaffe Knits Again

CogKnition — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:36:48 +0000

Author: Kaffe Fassett
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:
Buy Kaffe Knits Again on Amazon.com

For all my book reviews prior to this, I have either bought the books myself or they were given to me as gifts. This review is different, as Potter Craft was kind enough to send me a review copy of Kaffe Knits Again. I don’t think this has biased my view of the book in any way, but I thought I would share this information in the interest of full disclosure.

This book is my introduction to Kaffe Fassett. I had heard of him, read a few interviews, and even glimpsed a few patterns of his here and there, but he was the nebulous entity in the back of my head known as The Color Guy. And now that this book has introduced me to Kaffe Fassett, I have to say, he’s definitely The Color Guy.

My own approach to color isn’t all that different from say, Franklin’s. I like monochromatic. If I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll go for a complementary color scheme. Or a split-complementary color scheme. Either way, I max out at about three colors—hard to screw up, few color changes. So it seems like Mr. Fassett’s speaking to me with this paragraph from the introduction:

I pour my heart and soul into my designs, so I am disappointed when they are dismissed by even experienced knitters as too difficult to attempt. With this book I am giving all nervous knitters the opportunity to try out color knitting. Using current Rowan yarns, I’ve reinterpreted some of my favorite patterns from years past that deserve a second chance.

And try out color knitting you will! Of the 24 projects in his book, including pullovers, vests, cardigans, cushions, and throws, there isn’t a single one that requires fewer than five colors (Dark Daisy) and at least one project that requires 23 colors (Foolish Virgins Scarf). There is one pullover that uses simple stripes, but everything else requires intarsia or stranded knitting or both. His color selections are bold and high contrast, though a couple of the projects do take a softer approach.

Continue reading Kaffe Knits Again (335 words) »

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Never Knit Your Man a Sweater

CogKnition — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:44:57 +0000

Author: Judith Durant
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Rating:
Buy Never Knit Your Man a Sweater on Amazon.com

I don’t know about y’all, but I am a big, BIG believer in the boyfriend sweater curse. Thank goodness for this book. Especially because this book is not only chock-full of projects for boyfriends, but also friends, fathers, and brothers.

The cover of the book declares that it contains “22 handsome projects for every level of commitment,” which is completely true. What it fails to mention is that it also contains projects for every level of knitter. Just starting out with either man or knitting? Go with the Check Him Out Coasters or the Burger and a Movie Scarf. Ready for the next step? Try the He Met My Parents Vest (apparently vests are not sweaters) or maybe even the Bells Are Ringing Cardigan. There is no “how to knit” section, but the necessary techniques are explained in the back. Complicated cable patterns are given in both written and chart form.

Many of the projects are variations on timeless classics. Beginning knitters in particular might find this to a valuable collection of pattern essentials: basic socks, hats, mittens and sweaters. A few of the sweaters would look more at home on Fred Rogers than say, Freddie Prinze, Jr., but most of the patterns could be knit for a man of any age.

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Inspired Cable Knits

CogKnition — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:34:48 +0000

Author: Fiona Ellis
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating:
Buy Inspired Cable Knits on Amazon.com

When I first got Inspired Cable Knits, I couldn’t stop leafing through it. This book sat on my nightstand for days, and every night before going to bed, I would page through it, stopping to admire the unique cablework and the elegant design in virtually every project in this book.

The only thing that stopped me was that a friend borrowed the book right off the bat so she could knit the yoga mat bag.

The yoga mat bag (p. 80) is a perfect example of the kind of innovative design that’s found in this book. It is knit in a hemp yarn, with four panels of a person doing tree pose, all done with cables.

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A Gathering of Lace

CogKnition — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 05:37:36 +0000

Author: Meg Swansen
Publisher: XRX, Inc.
Rating:
Buy A Gathering of Lace on Amazon.com

I never fancied myself a shawl-wearer, but this book may have made a convert out of me. A Gathering of Lace includes a huge variety of gorgeous shawls. My favorites are the Feather & Fan Shawl (p. 56) and the Frost Flowers & Leaves Shawl (p. 59).

This book is a true gathering of lace; the projects are diverse, both in type and in construction. Projects range from stoles, shawls, and shrugs to socks, hats–the Picture Hat (p. 142) is truly amazing, gloves, and pillows. The construction of all the projects is highly varied, as are the required yarns. Needles sizes for projects range from 000 for the Magickal Earth Shawl (p. 74) to 10 for the large Faroese Shawl (p. 32), Spiral Shawl (p. 79), and Super-Spiral Shawl (p. 82).

I think it’s safe to say that you could knit all the projects in this book without ever feeling like you’re just doing a variation on a theme.

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Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

CogKnition — Tue, 23 May 2006 04:12:17 +0000

Author: Joelle Hoverson & Anna Williams (Photographer)
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
Rating:
Buy Last-Minute Knitted Gifts on Amazon.com

I fell in love with the cute green pouch on the cover, bought the book, and the rest is history. This is a gorgeously laid out book with elegant, eye-catching projects. The yarns are fancy, but the knitting generally stays simple. This book is targeted at new knitters, but I think more experienced knitters may also find themselves inspired by a project or two.

The first thing in this book is a fantastic section on color theory, discussing the basics of color, the relationships between colors, and how to choose colors for a project. The attention that the authors pay to color is apparent throughout the book, from the knitted items’ rich colors to the beautifully composed photographs. There are many other knitting books on the market that could benefit from the authors’ eye for color.

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World of Knitted Toys

CogKnition — Sun, 07 May 2006 01:38:00 +0000

Author: Kath Dalmeny
Publisher: David & Charles
Rating:
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Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

You will find patterns for all of the above (p. 99, 23, and 81, respectively) and many, many more creatures in World of Knitted Toys.

The book contains 45 different projects and a few variations on a theme. The finished creatures are generally adorable with nice proportions. Kath Dalmeny gleefully branches out from the world of knitted bears and sheep to give us kangaroos, rhinoceros, wombats, and Mounties.

Mounties?

Yes, there’s a pattern for a Canadian Mountie.

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Stitch ‘N Bitch Nation

CogKnition — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 15:11:10 +0000

Author: Debbie Stoller
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Rating:
Buy Stitch ‘N Bitch Nation on Amazon.com

This is, of course, the sequel to Stitch ‘N Bitch. I don’t think it quite reaches the bar set by the original book, but it’s definitely worth looking into.

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Knit One, Felt Too

CogKnition — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 04:18:12 +0000

Author: Kathleen Taylor
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Rating:
Buy Knit One, Felt Too on Amazon.com

I bought this book when I couldn’t find Felted Knits in the bookstore and well, I prefer the other one. That’s not to say that this book is bad, because it’s not.

This book is written in a more colloquial style, and some people may find the felting instructions here to be more accessible. The books cover much of the same material on felting basics and troubleshooting; Knit One, Felt Too lacks a section on designing felted items.

I do think that having real photographs instead of illustrations would have been better (there is one photograph of a swatch before and after felting), but the text is clear enough that they aren’t absolutely necessary.

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Felted Knits

CogKnition — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 03:49:05 +0000

Author: Beverly Galeskas
Publisher: Interweave Press
Rating:
Buy Felted Knits on Amazon.com

I own this book and Knit One, Felt Too and prefer the projects in this one. Felted Knits contains a nice selection of felted bags, mittens, slippers, household items, and a vest, all of which are cute. The projects have simple, clean designs suitable for beginning knitters and are, for the most part, photographed nicely.

It’s clear that some care was taken with the photographs; they are arranged artistically and you get good looks at what the finished items are supposed to look like. In many cases, you can see the finished item photographed from multiple angles, although you may need to hunt around the book for them.

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Shadow Knitting

CogKnition — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 02:58:35 +0000

Author: Vivian Hoxbro
Publisher: Interweave Press
Rating:
Buy Shadow Knitting on Amazon.com

Many people in the knitting community were excited about this book, and I think the general consensus is disappointment.

Some of the projects are nice. The potholders, the button heart bag, the two pillows, the matching hat and scarf, and the two children’s sweaters are all projects I might consider making. The designs are uninspired, but at least they’re decent-looking.

The fur heart bag is an eyesore. It might look nice without the fur, but then it’s not really a fur heart bag anymore, is it?

The rest of the designs are just lacking. Neither the colors nor the shapes of the sweaters appeal to me. The narrow stripes of color needed to produce the illusion already make the fabric look busy, and then some patterns exacerbate this by using many blocks of super-saturated colors. Visually speaking, it’s too much for me.

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Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook

CogKnition — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 05:19:32 +0000

Author: Debbie Stoller
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Rating:
Buy Stitch ‘N Bitch on Amazon.com

I’ve wanted to learn to knit since I was a little girl. This book deserves a lot of the credit for actually getting me to do it.

I had just moved to Pittsburgh and I was attending a party at a fellow grad student’s house. My host and another guest were both knitters and both were praising the book. I sidled into the conversation and found out that the other girl had taken a knitting class at a shop a mere two blocks from my apartment.

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CogKnition » Book Reviews

Haiku Knits

Similar Posts:

The Alchemy of Color Knitting

Similar Posts:

Shibori Knits

Similar Posts:

Tweed

The Knitter’s Book of Yarn

Kaffe Knits Again

Never Knit Your Man a Sweater

Inspired Cable Knits

A Gathering of Lace

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

World of Knitted Toys

Stitch ‘N Bitch Nation

Knit One, Felt Too

Felted Knits

Shadow Knitting

Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook