Kangath Knits
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Patterns
    • Garments
    • Accessories
    • eBooks
  • Book Reviews
  • Inkscape Schematic Tutorial
  • Contact

Kangath Knits

Pom-pom Flats

6/24/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Today we gave my daughter's piano teacher the slippers we made for her.  She was pleased for several reasons.  It was good timing because she had just worn some holes in one of her pairs of slippers.  But also she appreciated their softness.  Apparently someone in her family used to knit slippers for her, but they were scratchy.

We knew these weren't scratchy because Gwen gave them a test run.  She almost didn't take them off . . . 

Picture
0 Comments

Pompom Success

6/10/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I want to give my daughter's piano teacher an end-of-the-year gift.  She gives lessons at her home and has many different slippers and house shoes, so I thought I would knit her something from Katie Startzman's The Knitted Slipper Book. 

My daughter and I chose these pompom flats as slippers she would probably enjoy wearing.  They were a very quick knit---but then there are the pompoms to make. 

I have never had good luck making pompoms. They're supposedly so simple, and I thought with my daughter's help and Katie's photo tutorial I could easily make enough for these flats.

I was mistaken.  Out of several tries each day, I was lucky to have one good one to show for it.  What was the problem?  I couldn't get the knot tied tightly enough, even with my daughter's magic touch assisting.

Finally I got the idea to wrap the yarn in as narrow a strip as possible---not necessarily tightly, just on top of itself.  And for whatever reason, that worked for us.  We finished five pompoms in one sitting.

Now I just have to sew them on. . . .

Picture
0 Comments

Book Review: The Knitted Slipper Book

10/26/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Knitted Slipper Book by Katie Startzman, photography by Mika Nakanishi, pub. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2013

My daughter is adorable.  She's pretty (everyone says so), charming, and outgoing---but she's also smart as a whip, full of helpful information, new ideas, and a great sense of humor.

This book is like my daughter.  Okay, maybe it doesn't bake awesome bat-shaped chocolate chip cookies or look especially good in her purple paisley dress.  But in addition to being well laid out, with excellent photography and sweet finishing touches (like the little running stitches bordering occasional photos and headers), it's packed with, well, helpful information, new ideas, and a great sense of humor.

Picture
Before even getting to the projects, Katie guides us through choosing a style, choosing yarn, gauge for felting, sizing and fit, and felting itself.  If you're an experienced knitter, you might want to skip this part, but don't miss the sections on soling (four methods), lining, and slipper care and repair.

Picture
After all this information come the thirty delightful projects.  But oh, ho!  There is more information sprinkled throughout!  

Before and after photos of felted slippers, wonderful process photos of the slippers being embellished, an incredibly cute method of making mini pom-poms, beading! thrums! needle felting! cardboard liners! curled pointy toes!!!

The outrageous red cuffs on the Recycled Fringe Slippers are made from an unraveled thrift-store sweater.  I will not say they are my favorite slippers in the book, because I simply refuse to choose.  

Picture
The photos on this page show the diversity and ingenuity of Katie's designs.  And the photo index at the back of the book, where the slippers are organized into types, is invaluable to finding the right pattern in a flash.

I don't love this book as much as I love my daughter, but then, that's a tall order to fill.  It's a wonderful, multi-faceted book---and once I've finished knitting my way through it, I'll be looking for the sequel!

Picture





Disclosure:  Stewart, Tabori & Chang sent Kangath a free copy of The Knitted Slipper Book 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 Stewart, Tabori & Chang or Katie Startzman.

0 Comments

Book Trailers

9/17/2013

0 Comments

 
Publishing companies often send me their books to review, and indeed my book reviews are among my most popular posts.  (Other contenders being my Inkscape Schematic Tutorials and muffin recipes, the latter mostly being popular with my family at breakfast time. . . . )

Visit these sites to see trailers for books I will be reviewing later this fall:
The Knitted Slipper Book by Katie Startzman (an adorable video with handmade sets and characters)

Lena Corwin's Made by Hand (showing the variety of projects detailed in the book)


And now, back to knitting!
0 Comments
    Picture

    Hi! I'm Kangath--- 

    knit designer, musician, writer, and mother
    ​who loves to experiment in the kitchen.

    Follow @kangathknits
    Picture
    Click here to join the Kangath Knits email list
    for insider updates and special deals.

    Subscribe to 
    Kangath Knits:

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Ruth Roland is a top Baton Rouge, LA music lesson instructor on TryMusicLessons.com!

    Good Reads

    Amy Herzog Designs
    canaryknits
    dull roar
    Knit and Tonic
    Linda Marveng
    needled
    Ramblings
    The Sexy Knitter
    Sheep to Shawl
    Trappings and Trinkets
    Two Sides of the Same Stitch
    Yarn Harlot

    Archives

    November 2017
    October 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Fiber Arts Bloggers

    Home/ Join | List
    Next | Previous | Random

    alt-webring.com

    Categories

    All
    Abrams
    Amy Herzog
    Ana Paula Rimoli
    Anna Dalvi
    Annie Modesitt
    Barn Door
    Betty Salpekar
    Book Reviews
    Britt Marie Christoffersson
    Buttons
    Canaryknits
    Cap Sease
    Chantal Garceau
    Cirilia Rose
    Clara Parkes
    Clotheshorse
    Colorwork
    Cooperative Press
    Creative Publishing
    Crochet
    Daniel Yuhas
    Dave's Stockings
    David & Charles
    Deb Buckingham
    Design
    Dream In Color
    Dyeing
    Dylana
    Elizabeth Green Musselman
    Eva Maria Leszner
    Eye Pillow
    Food
    Galler
    Garden Windows
    Genevieve Miller
    Giveaway
    Gluten Free
    Health
    Heidi Adnum
    Herbert Niebling
    Hestia
    History On Two Needles
    Honeymoon
    Hurricane
    Inkscape
    Interweave Press
    Katie Startzman
    Katya Frankel
    Knitting
    Kristina Mcgowan
    Lace
    Lacis
    Ladies Of Mischief
    Laura Lough
    Lena Corwin
    Lesley Stanfield
    Lisa Souza
    Livia Cetti
    Lori Ihnen
    Louise Walker
    Lynne Barr
    Malabrigo
    Manos Del Uruguay
    Margaret Radcliffe
    Martingale
    Martin Storey
    Meandros
    Megan Kreiner
    M'lou Baber
    Mountain Flight
    Nancie Wiseman
    Nancy Bush
    Needles
    Needles And Artifice
    Norah Gaughan
    Other
    Patty Nance
    Poetry
    Pop Knitting
    Potter Craft
    Quadrille
    Rebecca Danger
    Recovery
    Reversible Knitting
    San Graal
    Sarah Barbour
    Schematic
    Schoolhouse Press
    Shannon Okey
    Singular Snowflakes
    Socks
    Song Of Ice And Fire
    Stc Craft
    Stephannie Tallent
    Stitch Dictionaries
    St Martin's Griffin
    Storey Publishing
    Stroke
    Submission
    Summer Party
    Swedish Sweaters
    Tangled
    Tanis Gray
    Taunton Press
    Teresa Gregorio
    Teva Durham
    Theressa Silver
    The Unique Sheep
    Tips
    Toys
    Tutorials
    Universal
    Vanessa Mooncie
    Van Halen
    Vicki Stiefel
    Wendy Bernard
    Willow Yarns
    Yarn

Knitting with a Twist
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Patterns
    • Garments
    • Accessories
    • eBooks
  • Book Reviews
  • Inkscape Schematic Tutorial
  • Contact