First, the facts:
Title: The Best of Knitscene: A Collection of Simple, Stylish & Spirited Knits
Author: Lisa Shroyer
Published by: Interweave Press
Pages: 143
Type: Pattern collection.
Chapters:
Introduction
The In-Depth Look:
This collection begins, “Simple, stylish knitting for the free spirit; this is the Knitscene mission. From its debut in 2005 as a special issue to its progression to quarterly status in 2011, we have sought out fresh projects, up-and-coming designers, unusual yarns, and fun ways to photograph them. This anthology celebrates the best of those efforts from the magazine’s first five years.”
Are they exactly the same as they appeared in the magazine? They state in the intro, “To bring everything up to date, we’ve redone the photography and tweaked some of the original designs to eliminate discontinued yarns and colors. This book takes content, originally time-sensitive in the magazine format, and presents it in a classic way that will appeal for years to come.”
The book begins, in fact, with some finished projects by knitters who make the original patterns–just by way of showing that things can be updated. (I like a publication that’s willing to show that it’s open to possibilities.) That’s followed by a series of style sheets about different knitting styles (Cowichan, Fair Isle, Cables) by Kate Sonnick, and a look at yarn by the inimitable Clara Parkes, as well as a series of other articles. They serve to introduce techniques as well as some of the designers–a nice touch that makes them feel like real contributions and not just filler. (That sounds like a back-handed compliment, I know, but some “collections” work more successfully than others.)
The patterns themselves? You’ll have heard of many of them, even if you haven’t subscribed to the magazine. (Like, say, the Central Park Hoodie?) Each one is introduced with a brief description as well as what, if any, modifications or updates have been made for the book–like adding more sizes, or changing to a more current yarn.
You really should check it out. It’s available at Amazon.com.
Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.
This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!
