Review: Knit to Be Square

Back in high school, I had a geometry teacher who, as an assignment, made us all build 3-dimensional models out of little pieces of cardstock cut into spheres … like a geodesic dome. As much as I hated struggling with the glue and paper, the concept of the construction intrigued me.

Who knew you could do the same kind of thing with yarn?

Review: Knitted Lace of Estonia

How can you not love a book like this? It’s got everything. History. Beautiful patterns. Great stitches. Lovely pictures. Good writing.

But, you probably want details.

Review: Elements of Style

Did you see those stunning Bijouterie earrings in the latest issue of Knitty? Weren’t they gorgeous?

Now, picture an entire book filled with equally beautiful knitted jewelry, all from the same, talented mind.

Yes. Exactly. Beautiful stuff. Do I need to say more?

Oh, really? Seriously? You want more?

Okay. This book is all about jewelry–knitted and crocheted jewelry. And almost without exception, I love just about everything in here. (And the couple of patterns I don’t love, I still like.) There’s nothing in here that’s ugly or ill-thought out. Nothing bulky or trite. It’s creative, and lovely.

Review: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn

There are two things I really need to tell you about this book.

The first is that the explanation of the different kinds of hand-dyeing, and how to deal with them when knitting with them is, all by itself, worth the book. The second is that there are some lovely patterns in here.

Review: Handknit Holidays

What a NICE book. You might think, with the title “Handknit Holidays,” that’s its main purpose is for making holiday gifts, but it’s not. It’s about the holidays. Period. Honestly, there’s almost nothing bad to be said about this book. It’s beautiful. The patterns are creative and inspired. The photos are lovely and evocative but also give a good look at the knitted items (no weird camoflauge). There is a complete index so you can find patterns when you need to. It’s just lovely.

Review: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Hats. Bags. Scarves. Sweaters. Afghans. Booties. Even toys. I wouldn’t say that this book has everything, but it has a really, really nice selection. The projects tend to be straight-forward and clean-lined … but then, with last-minute gifts, who has time for extra ruffles and things?

Review: Knitted Jackets

There is a difference between a knitted jacket meant to be worn as outerwear and one meant to be part of an outfit. Or one that’s a sweater. A daily outfit changes so often, you can switch from casual to dressy to serious to playful all depending on your mood. But outerwear is more constant–it tends to be something you wear every day, every time you leave the house for months at a time. It’s defining. It’s like the difference between buying eccentric, trendy furniture or buying classic furniture and dressing it with eccentric, playful throws, pillows, and artwork on the walls.

So–when you pick your outerwear, do you buy classic “furniture” or the flash-in-the-pan, trendy stuff?

Review: Knitting Classic Style

The author says in the introduction, “For me, both fashion and knitting serve a common purpose–the opportunity for creative, wearable self-expression–and it was in that spirit that I created this book.”

Job well done, is all I can say.

The patterns in this book are exactly what you’d expect from the title–stylish, and classic. Or, rather, inspired by the classic.

Review: Boutique Knits

The author introduces the book by saying, “Boutique Knits is meant to outfit women with an eye on fashion in a collection of stylish and curiously assembled accessories and layers. I picture the knitter who will be drawn to these projects: She insists on seeing her fashion sensibilities reflected in her handmade projects. She pays attention to the little details on all of her favorite pieces in her wardrobe. She is brilliant and quirky. She’s got even better ideas than she knows. She is a designer or artist, although she may not know it yet.”

Review: Teach Yourself Visually Knitting Design

Part of the excellent “Teach Yourself Visually” series, this book has a lot of what you’d expect–first, and foremost, lots of pictures. Just about every stitch, every method, every step along the way gets a photo or an illustration, so you’re not left guessing as to what, exactly, you need to do to line your knitted bag, or what a sock’s heel flap should look like. As you’d expect, the pictures are clear and basic. Not fancy, “art” shots that wouldn’t really show you the details you need, but simple, bread-and-butter pictures that do the job.