Shawl Geometry by Holly Chayes

Holly Chayes has sent me her three book bundle on Shawl Geometry to review. It's a pretty amazing package of basic instructions for an astounding number of shawl shapes and construction methods.  If you are someone who likes to experiment, these books will be a welcome addition to your library. They definitely got my design juices flowing. This is the ultimate handbook for all shawl knitters.

Holly says "The Shawl Geometry Series of books is a master class in shawl shaping, with enough shawl shaping recipes to keep you knitting for a lifetime (or two). Shaping shawls isn’t hard, but it’s sometime confusing to know exactly what to do next. Over the course of these three books you’ll learn everything you could possibly need to know about how to shape knitted shawls using increases and decreases. Book one begins with common shapes that we all know and love, book two covers more uncommon shapes, and book three dives into the principles & theory of shaping (and transforming) knitted shawls." 

Holly has done an update from the original versions so I asked her to fill me in on what the changes incorporated?

She explained "The update basically expands on everything (more shapes, more technical explanation, etc) and brings more cohesion to the series. While the first version was more of a loosely organized collection of recipes and theory, the update brings focus to each of the books - so the first book is specifically common shapes, the second book is specifically more intermediate shapes, and the third book is focused on principles and theory about how to shape and transform shawl shapes. 

To give you a sense of the size of the update. In the old version book one was 35 pages, book two 40 pages, and book three 20 pages. In the updated version book one is 92 pages, book two 159 pages, and book three 163 pages. 

Just the change in length alone meant I could include far more shapes and also more explanation and tips about the shapes that needed them. 

I hope that helps give you a sense of what the update involved." 


Each of the first two books give you a swatch size photo sample, a schematic and instructions on how to knit the shape in more than one direction. They are presented in recipe formats which you can use as a swatch to practice on and then apply what you've learned to create your own project. The math of each recipe is laid out for you. Once you pop your own numbers into each recipe you can start knitting.

Book 1 covers the more common shapes. Squares, rectangles, triangles and circles. Each of these has many variations of construction. Take a look at the photo below and you'll get a much better idea of the real variety this book covers. 

Book 2 has 45 shawl shapes, some are a little less common with 89 additional recipes. They include variations on the shapes from Book 1, crescents and doughnuts. 

Book 3 is the advanced theory on shaping which will help you to understand how increase and decrease variations impact the knitting fabric. You'll get extra tips on the principles of how to shape curves and straight edges as well as a chapter on short row shaping. For a better photo of this book check Holly's page here at the bottom of the page.

You can find all the details here:
http://www.hollychayes.com/shawl-geometry/

Check out her Ravelry designs here to see some of the recipes executed in full size versions.

The only limitation I found is when I loaded the books on my ereader. (I use a KOBO) The font size of the PDF was a little small. I could still read it, and I'm aware my vision isn't great when it comes to smaller font sizes, so this might not be of concern to most other people. It was not an issue on my laptop at all. It just meant I read most of the books on my laptop instead of my KOBO. 

I did an interview with Holly back in 2015 which you can read here. 

Inspired Shawls by Laura Zukaite

I interviewed Laura back in May of 2010, you can read that interview here.

I also reviewed her previous book Luxe Knits here.

Laura's publisher just sent me a copy of her newest book Inspired Shawls to review as well. 

It's got patterns for 15 shawls, all of which were inspired by the handicraft traditions she observed during a trip to South American. All the shawls are beautifully photographed and all include a schematic which is something many accessory books often skip. I'm often annoyed by this especially if the photos and description are unclear as to the shape and construction method. The designs employ a wide variety of hand-dyed yarns, including Madelinetosh, Artyarns, Shalimar Yarns, Amano, Miss Babs, Malabrigo, Be Sweet, Hedgehog Fibers, Sweet Georgia Yarns, and The Plucky Knitter. There are a variety of shapes, triangles, half circles and a colourful ruana. The book has a lot of both texture and colourwork used in various ways. Many of the stitch patterns are both written out and charted, the book includes charts for the colourwork patterns, and there are detailed instructions on special techniques which include embroidery, and tassels. One thing which isn't included is skill level ratings. I don't like them as I feel they create more problems than they address. I have written in detail on this topic here if you would like to know more about this topic.

Oddly the book has not been loaded into Ravelry which I mentioned to the publisher contact when I let them know the date this post would be going up.  

Felicia Lo Book Review - Dyeing to Spin & Knit: Techniques & Tips to Make Custom Hand-Dyed Yarns

 

As soon as I read the introduction of  Felicia's book I knew I was going to really enjoy it. I don't spin, I don't dye yarn but I find colour endlessly fascinating. Her personal colour story, while different from mine, drew me in immediately.

The first section does give us the standard colour wheel terminology but then Felicia spends time explaining how colour affects our moods, our thoughts and the thoughts of others. 

In her own words:
"The book is broken down into four main sections:
Understanding Colour - all about the fundamentals of colour theory, understanding hue, value, and saturation, and how to combine colours and create palettes.
Creating Colour - the process of dyeing with acid dyes on yarn and fibre, going into a wide range of different techniques for applying colour to create one-of-a-kind yarns.
Spinning Colour - we look at how the different characteristics of hand-dyed fibre affect the appearance of handspun yarn and how we can take advantage of those nuances. Spinners can learn to subdue bright or vibrant colourways, or maximize the effect of more subtle hand-dyed colours.
Knitting Colour - we explore how hand-dyed yarns will knit up in different conditions, from the thickness of the yarn to the length of the colour repeats. Knitters can also learn to avoid or enhance the effects of pooling colours in variegated yarns."

The book will teach you the basics of how colour works, how to combine colours, and how to control the results when dyeing for all fibre artists. Spinners will learn how to control intense colourways and to prevent colour muddiness in hand spun yarns. Knitters will learn how to both avoid and maximize the positive effects of colour pooling. However, the strength of this book lies in it's ability to move beyond the technical and into how colour works emotionally.

The back of the book includes 10 patterns all knit with her SweetGeorgia Yarns.

You can see all the patterns here on Ravelry. 

Alice Starmore Tudor Roses

Dover Publishing has sent me a copy of Alice Starmore's book Tudor Roses to review.     

My initial reaction is WOW! 

I was sent the soft cover version. It has fourteen patterns and is described as "the reimagined edition of the groundbreaking classic". The original book was published in 1998. I don't have a copy of that book for comparison but I have read online that some patterns are brand new and some are altered versions from the original book. 

This book has stunning, moody, art photography all done by Jade Starmore (Alice's daughter). Jade also contributed four of her own designs to the book. You can check out her own website here, where she has examples of her work in photography, illustration, fashion styling and textile design. 

All of the designs are inspired by women of the Tudor dynasty which includes the wives of Henry VIII. If you enjoy history you will like reading the written pieces accompanying each design which were penned by the design inspirations themselves.  Each will give you insights into the lives of these famous women. At the back of the book Alice and Jade included a section which describes how they used each women and the history they knew to create their designs.

It's really more than a knitting book in the way it has been presented. If you love the more arty end of the fashion world the book will definitely appeal to you. I suspect some knitters will find the photos to be a little over the top. Some are shot against very dark backgrounds which makes them beautiful but the garments can be a little hard to see at times. Fortunately each pattern includes several photos. 

The garments themselves range from amazing Fair Isles to solid coloured textural pieces. They are generally fitted and many have set in sleeves. 

 














I'm very taken with Margaret Beaufort and the stunning detail which has gone into this design in the shot below.

Dover has been kind enough to allow me to donate a copy to my knitting guild for their raffle. The proceeds are then donated to charity.

From Thread and Wire

https://www.amazon.ca/From-Thread-Wire-Projects-Crocheting

 
The lovely people from Schiffer Publishing have sent me another book to review. This one is an absolute stunner. Written by Helga Becker and and photographed by Richard Becker, it includes sixty projects for making jewellery using both knitting and crochet. It's beautifully photographed so I've been enjoying working my way through the book. 

I've used the publisher photos to show you the clearest  possible shots. The high quality paper stock has a sheen which made my shots questionable and I don't want to do this beautiful book any disservice. 

The book has four chapters. One covers tools, materials and techniques. The second focuses on pieces made from thread, string and various types of yarn. Chapter 3 uses lacquered copper wire. The final chapter covers working with silver wire of various gauges. The projects are all rated for difficulty.  

The crochet techniques are very basic and much of the knitting is done on an eight stitch french knitter. The book calls this a knitting loom. I found some with a google search.
 

https://www.knituk.com/ourshop/prod_3629144-Anchor-Knitting-Dolly-8-pegs-French-Knitter.html

When I went to Amazon to get a link for this review I discovered it's currently out of stock.  

I own one of these and there are several projects in the book which I could use it for.

Of course you can always knit I-cord by hand or with a manual French Knitter.

Most knitters and crocheters have bits of yarn in their stash with which they could play with to make something like the necklace above.

The Knitter's Book Of Knowledge

http://www.amazon.com/The-Knitters-Book-Knowledge-Techniques/dp/145470926X

I'm reading Debbie Bliss's The Knitter's Book Of Knowledge, A Complete Guide to Essential Knitting Techniques. If you are a knitter you are probably aware of Debbie's work. You can check her out on Ravelry here. She is listed as having 1978 published designs.As you would expect a portfolio of that size leads to a lot of knitting knowledge and much of it is in this book.

I'm often asked for recommendations on reference books and I'll be adding this one to my list. It has eleven chapters and can take a knitters all the way from Chapter 1: Yarn and Needles, Chapter Two: First Steps to Chapter Ten: Designing knits and one of my favourite chapters (the final one) Troubleshooting. It's a book that will serve beginners and advanced knitters equally well. It's definitely a resource which will be valuable to any knitter looking to learn and then improve their techniques as they tackle more complex projects.

One of the things knitters struggle with is vocabulary, we go straight to Google and YouTube for information but if you don't know how to ask the question, finding the answer can be challenging. A good book can be really helpful, allowing you to peruse the index or simply flip through. 

I heard Debbie speak at an event here in Toronto a number of years ago. She struck me then as a down to earth sort of person and as someone who is generous with her knowledge and very high skill level. Those personal attributes are clearly reflected in this book right from her introduction to the many detailed explanations of techniques which often include extra tips for a range of skill sets.

The illustrations by Cathy Brear are clear and large enough to be very useful. There are even two handy pages of knitter's ratio graph paper included at the back of the book. 

Debbie's web site is here. 

Full Disclosure, the publisher sent me a free copy to review. I'm happy to be able to give it a two thumbs up review.

101 Socks

I was sent a e version of this book to review. The designs are from a group of  designers and some credit yarn companies instead of individuals. The book includes patterns for knitting, crochet and the Addi Mini Knitting Machine. 

The patterns don't list specific yarns however most descriptions are for standard sock yarns with wool and a little synthetic for strength.

The book describes itself as being for the beginner to advanced knitter and crocheter. The technique photos are very detailed  so the beginner has lots of support and the more advanced are likely to pick up some new techniques.

The publisher included this description:

"With seven techniques and 101 patterns, this how-to book provides detailed, clear instructions for knitting and crocheting colorful and artful socks. These projects cover a wide range of skill sets, from the beginner to the advanced knitter. You’ll learn, among other things, how to create sock heels in three different styles, knit with circular needles, knit from the toe up, and create felted textiles using your washing machine. A how-to primer on sock making is included for beginners, and size tables help you create socks that fit perfectly for all ages. Various sock styles include cable, stripe, and rainbow patterns, socks with fringe, pompons, and other embellishments, sport socks, slippers, socks with a “lodge” look, and even a dolphin motif."

There's a section on spiral socks.  Spiral socks are tube socks made without a heel and due to the pattern are very stretchy and fit a wider range of sizes.

I did find the e version a little difficult to negotiate. I often take knitting books from my library and I haven't run into this problem before. I don't think they are publishing an ebook version so that shouldn't be an issue for anyone buying the book.

Contest and Book Review - Basic Knitting and Crocheting for Today’s Woman

Schiffer Publishing sent me an ebook version of their newest knitting and crochet book to review. They will send a hard copy to a contest winner, the only limitation is that you must be in the U.S. 

To win please put a comment on my blog. The comment should answer these two questions: What is your biggest knitting challenge? What level knitter do you consider yourself to be, novice, intermediate or experienced?  Please include your Ravelry name so I can PM the winner. If you are not on Ravelry please include an email (if it isn't included on the profile you use to post comments). I'll use random number generator to pick a winner on Sept 2 at noon my time. You can check back on that date for the winner. If I can't reach the first random number due to missing contact info, I'll move onto the next one.

The book has a meditation theme with the recognition simple projects allow for feelings of relaxation to flow. The projects are both crochet and knitting with more of the latter. All the projects are very simple to execute, few require shaping and stitch patterns are simple and repetitive in nature. Most depend on multicoloured yarns to up the visual complexity.  I felt the accessories and home decor designs were the most successful and would appeal equally to novice and advanced knitters alike. 

The projects have not been loaded into Ravelry so I've included a few photos for you in this post. It's a small book just 40 pages and does not include a how to do the basics section.

The publisher's description follows:
"This knitting/crocheting book offers fourteen projects that are fun to make, while allowing the knitter to escape the stresses of the day. Using basic knitting and crocheting techniques, make throws, baby wraps, meditative yoga mats, a table runner, scarves, baby blankets, wrist warmers, and pillows. As the stitches unfold into an amazing art form, the warm colors will help soothe the mind and body. Design patterns are broken down, row by row, in easy-to-follow instructions. The use of color, combined with the ease of the designs and the pattern stitches, provide knitters and crocheters of all skill levels a chance to unwind as they complete these wonderfully colorful yet simple projects."