First, the facts:
Title: Twigg Stitch: A New Twist on Reversible Knitting
Author: Vicki Twigg
Published by: Interweave Press, 2014
Pages: 167
Type: Totally new technique, with patterns
Chapters:
Twigg Stitch Techniques
The Projects
Stitch Dictionary
The In-Depth Look:
It’s not every knitter who gets to invent an entirely new knitting technique.
Vicki Twigg writes in her introduction that, “the inspiration for this particular stitch pattern happened in the fall of 2011. Looking at the structure of two-color rib, a technique in which the knit and purl stitches are different colors, set my mind working. I love the way the rib creates stripes that can be as dramatic or subtle as you want. … I challenged myself to see if such ribs could be double-sided so that both front and back were equally beautiful.”
With enough experimentation, she came up with a technique that created a two-sided rib fabric that was different colors on both sides … and went from there.
What follows is something that resembles brioche stitch and has similarities to double-knitting, but which is different than both of them. Twigg stitch makes a single-weight fabric and works every stitch on each row, but makes a reversible fabric that is different on both sides.
Remarkable, really. Elizabeth Zimmermann coined the word “unventing” for discovering new techniques, and here, Vicki Twigg took a happy accident and ran with it. The how-to portion of this book gives extensive instructions on how to work the Twigg stitch. She explains methods for holding the yarn (right hand, left hand, or both). She gives multiple methods for casting on and off, ways of decreasing and increasing, and working in color patterns.
There is a stitch dictionary filled with variations on the original basic rib, as well as multiple patterns for scarves, hats, and other accessories taking advantage of this nifty new technique.
You’d think after centuries of knitting, people would be running out of new ideas, but as Vicki Twigg proves here … there’s always something new to discover.
You can get your own copy at your local shop or here, at Amazon.com.
Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.
This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!
