Remember this bonnet? My application of the flowers earned compliments from the designer herself! Turns out I used a special technique without even knowing it, which I only just now discovered on Christine Guest's blog. Her explanation is so clear, I'm passing it on. Enjoy!
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Modern Top-Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan, photography by Gudrun Georges, pub. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2010. Although this book includes simplified instructions (with color photos!) of a few choice techniques from Barbara Walker's legendary Knitting from the Top, it might be more aptly titled Modern Couture Knitting. Its reliance on seamstress techniques such as trim and elastic cord and its inclusion of a belt and jewelry which have no identifiable top (as well as a scarf and two pairs of armwarmers, one of which is worked in the opposite direction from the other) make the current title seem out of place. But the book's 26 designs are lovely, simple, and classic. The simplicity of the knitting makes the sweaters, dresses, and hats a perfect introduction to top-down knitting, while the faux seams, trim, and other finishing techniques lend a dressmaker-like quality. McGowan feels that the time saved not sewing the pieces together can be used giving the pieces elegant final touches. With chest sizes from 26 to nearly 54", hip sizes from 34 to 59", and three sizes for most of the hats, many knitters should be able to find a piece to make for themselves. McGowan also includes customization tips throughout the book.
I love the Pavement Jacket pictured below, which can be worn with the collar up or down. Described as tailored, the empire waistband is done in twisted garter stitch with no decreases. The hip shaping is all done on the same row. Photo tutorials for both top-down and finishing techniques are well laid out and clearly explained. McGowan also works with dyes to get her desired effects, and provides clear instructions to guide the knitter. The photography by Gudrun Georges is exemplary. Models are well-lit and backdrops well-chosen. The Chrysler Skirt was knit in a dark color and worn with a dark slip, which diminished the effect of the chevron lace, but McGowan recommends a bright slip in the introduction to the design if the wearer wants to highlight the yarnovers. This lovely book, beautifully photographed, would also look at home on the coffee table of anyone interested in fashion.
Disclosure: Kangath reviewed a copy of Modern Top-Down Knitting from her library. Kangath was not compensated for the preceding review. All opinions expressed in the review are the blog author's and are not necessarily the opinions of Stewart, Tabori & Chang or Kristina McGowan. Bargello Knits by Patty Nance, pub. Cooperative Press, 2013. Remember those Bargello needlepoint kits from the 60s and 70s? They were ubiquitous in my hometown craft stores, but I never quite knew what they were. A little research uncovers that Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery that uses simple stitches in mathematical patterns to create motifs. I love that word, "mathematical." But no calculations are necessary when working the patterns from this book. Patty lays out the method and the terminology with patience and wit so you can design your own Bargello knits (and I fully intend to do so!), but she also includes 28 fully worked-out patterns. Anyway, with her method, most of the mathematical precision is in the hands of the yarn dyer, so we can admire it without having to work for it. After detailing the development of Bargello knitting, Patty dives into an explanation of different ways yarn is dyed then launches into the technique itself, stopping along the way to describe helpful tools and useful skills. She includes a section on making changes to Bargello knitting without completely unraveling it (and your sanity). Last in this chapter are 5 pages of photo tutorial. And then come the designs! I'm not in love with Patty's Bargello scarves and headbands and mitts, but they serve as a fine introduction to the technique before taking the next step: joining to work in the round. I absolutely adore these socks. My perfect idea of easy knitting---the dyer chose the colors and their lengths, the only thing for me to do is keep track of four balls of yarn. Intarsia captivates me, so that's a welcome task.
I should mention that the accessory sizing seems to follow industry norms. It's just disappointing because I don't have an industry-sized body.
The yarn called for seems to be widely available for the most part, which is great because yarn substitutions may result in garments with a very different appearance. Patty is careful to specify whether the color sequence should be short- or long-repeat, and whether it should be dyed around or across the hank (and she explains what these terms mean and how to determine them) but differences in the size of the hank itself when dyed and the exact length of each color may show up as sequences of rectangles instead of squares, for instance. This book is very good about presenting every chart, table, and schematic, any reader could want. The photos by John Doukas and Patty Nance clearly demonstrate every feature of the project or swatch. I don't know whether it's intentional, but the whole book has a slight 60s vibe to it. Appropriate, given that that's when Bargello needlepoint was hugely popular. Sprinkled throughout the book are valuable tips Patty picked up as a knitter and seamstress, making it a worthwhile investment even for those who only admire one or two of the designs. Click on over to Donna Druchunas's article on How to Read a Knitting Book for more details. Disclosure: Cooperative Press sent Kangath a free copy of Bargello Knits for review. Kangath was not compensated for the preceding review. All opinions expressed in the review are the blog author's and are not necessarily the opinions of Cooperative Press or Patty Nance. I have a confession to make. I cancelled all my knitting magazine subscriptions years ago. Every once in a while I try a new one, but it's always the same story: many cute patterns that I will never have time to knit, a few designs that aren't to my taste, some technique stories that stop just short of being useful, an interview or travel story with landscape photos, and letters from the editor and readers. Actually, I benefitted the most from the ads---the full-page glossy ones and the black-and-white sentence-long ones near the back of the issue. Now there's Knit Edge. Only eight patterns. But let's face it, who knits all 20 patterns from a magazine? I usually didn't knit any. Maybe one or two from every fourth or fifth issue. Let's examine this issue's designs individually to see what they offer. Janine LeCras's Maid in Guernsey is a modern version of a sweater using her grandmother's old handwritten notes. It features a special cast-on as well as traditional (and some not-so-traditional) guernsey characteristics. It's a beautiful pattern, but what sells it for me is her four-page essay, "Anatomy of a Guernsey," complete with archived photos. Even if I don't knit this sweater, I'll have learned a boatload. Next is a scarf from Nicky Epstein's new book. Circular reversible cables! Need I say more? Crocheters will love Jennifer J. Cirka's Martha Pullover, which is cute worn as a cropped cowl-neck or upside-down as a slim-bodied ballet-neck. Christine Guest's Herringbone Skirt has a slew of interesting techniques including short rows, I-cord, grafting, and zipper insertion. I'll be referencing this one soon. Lara Neel's Square Route Mitts come with both a video tutorial and a photo tutorial on smocking, and my own Moon Mirrors scarf is accompanied by three video tutorials on tapestry knitting. Sojourner by Talitha Kuomi is the piece I'm most likely to knit from this issue (besides Nicky's scarf---did I mention the circular reversible cables?). The length, the cabling, the collar, even the clasp, all are singing to me to drop everything and come to them. But my favorite of this issue's offerings is the Watershed "combination shawl" by Jennette Cross, which has a lengthy article about the evolution of this shape and the math behind it. What else is in Knit Edge? "What's New" and "Top Ten" pages, an article about Aimee Skeers's Abundance Vest, and Daniel Yuhas has a couple pages about his recent voyage into revolution-ary knitting (watch this blog for a review of his new book). Kate Atherly talks about sock needles (circular and double-pointed) and Rosemarie Buchanan details an interesting method for circular beginnings which is new to me and a little startling (it involves scissors). MK Carroll interviews Cassandra Harada who runs a yarn shop in Japan and Elizabeth Green Musselman interviews two Cooperative Press designers about designing for boys. Pithy and informative blurbs for eight books make up the "What We're Reading" section and there's even a page on podcasts (by CraftLit's Heather Ordover). Shannon Okey contributes an article about a Smithsonian fiber art exhibit. And the ads? A full page Indieshop supporting small fiber businesses. I couldn't be happier. Last term we had Muffin Thursdays. I had to pack a dinner for the kids to eat in the car on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Muffin Thursdays were a celebration of not having to do that any more that week. Well, this term we eat in the car on Thursdays, too, so no parties. But today was special. I made these gorgeous chocolate chip cookies as well as some singularly unphotogenic blueberry muffins and some lemon cookie dough to bake into cookies another day. It wasn't a celebration exactly . . . we were just out of treats. Linda Marveng asked me to answer 11 questions as part of my Liebster Award. I'm doing it in two posts because I'm a little short on time (as always).
8. What would be your dream job? That's what I've been trying to work out for myself. I love babies and children. I love teaching and writing. I love music and literature and theater and food. I love baking and knitting and rocking in my rocking chair. I'd be perfect for the job of grandmother, but I don't have any grandkids! (Is grandmothering a career?)
Linda Marveng asked me to answer 11 questions as part of my Liebster Award. I'm doing it in two posts because I'm a little short on time (as always). 1. Where are you right now? At home, in front of my computer, in a room with pretty green curtains that the sun shines through. 2. If you could beam yourself, where would you go in this exact moment? Italy. You know, that little street that curves around small shops with bread in the window. But my whole family would have to come with me. If they can't, no deal. We'll just go to the homemade gelato shop down the road. Three-Grain Pancakes with Fresh Peaches 3. How does your usual Sunday look like? There is no usual in this house, but the past few weeks it's gone something like this: I get up early to work on deadline knitting and have some quiet time to myself. My daughter gets up next, and I suggest we cook something together. While we're doing this, my husband gets up to make the coffee. My son emerges when he smells breakfast. We drink kefir with our breakfast and see what each other has planned for the day. Maybe I have an edging to reknit, or a concert to play. The boy might be in a soccer game or musical comedy. The girl might be working on a science fair project, or have big plans for costuming her stuffed animals in Renaissance attire. My true love is usually at work on his computer, these days dealing with administrative baloney more than writing his masterpiece, but his sabbatical approaches (and hope accompanies). We either do what we planned or get sidetracked. We eat another meal or two, and my daughter and I go to church. Upon returning, we get ready for bed. Often relaxing, sometimes stressful or frantic. 4. How do you relax? Even though my main occupations have to do with knitting and music, I still wind down by sitting in my rocking chair, knitting, and listening to music. I hope I never come up with a way to make money by rocking in my chair---that would eliminate my only pure hobby! 5. If you were to learn a new craft/hobby what would it be? I'm interested in tatting and learning to play the guitar. Are languages hobbies? Because I would love to learn Urdu. (still not Dave) Dave's Stockings are finally done. Both of them! The person at hand with the closest measurements to Dave's still has larger feet and smaller calves than his---one foot significantly larger (notice the height difference of the socks as modeled). But I had the opportunity to visit Dave a few months ago and I'm sure they'll fit him well. The cuffs are different colors because I started knitting both of them at the same time. I don't remember my gauge (I started these literally ages ago), but I knit them on size 000 needles and there were 93 stitches at the ankle. Starting at the knee two at a time, while a nice thought, was not actually a good idea. The cuffs will hide under Dave's breeches. But it's the heel and toe I wanted to discuss today. I stuffed the sock with a skein of yarn for shape. We have here an example of the French heel, said to be particularly good for a high instep. Why? The gusset decreases come every 3 rows instead of every 2, resulting in a longer gusset and correspondingly longer arch. The French toe (above) is wider than the standard toe because the decreases are made 6 stitches at a time instead of 4 every 2 rows. Using the grade school formula for slope, rise over run (or rows over stitches), we get a slope of 2/4 (reducing to 1/2) for the standard toe and 4/6 (or 2/3) for the French toe. The red lines on the graph at left represent the standard toe slope of 1/2 (and corresponding -1/2). Notice how for every four squares the line moves horizontally, it moves upward two squares. The blue lines represent the French toe slope of 2/3. Note that you'll want to start this toe later than the standard toe since it will end sooner. I hereby award these four bloggers the Liebster Award:
I'm looking forward to their answers!
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