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With nasty weather finally here to stay for the winter, I’ve found myself spending more time inside than I can fill with books, so I’ve turned to another time-honored winter pastime to alleviate the boredom: knitting.
The good news is that I really like to knit; the bad news is that I’ve been doing it for long enough to get tired of my old favorite projects. So, in the interest of combining hobbies, I grabbed a few books to get some fresh ideas, and I ended up with some unusually good selections.
The first is “Socks From the toe up,” by Wendy Johnson. For non-knitters in the audience who are still gamely reading at this point, I have to explain that there are a staggering number of ways to knit socks, but that two of the basic categories are “toe-up” and “toe-down,” which work exactly like they sound. For some reason, the traditional sock patterns I’ve had most exposure to are all toe-down socks, meaning that the knitting starts at the cuff and works toward the toe, where it gets stitched together at the completion of the sock.
Anyway, I won’t bore you with more technical details, but this book has literally turned my sock-knitting upside down. It’s got clear instructions for several basic patterns and more complicated designs to provide challenges for experienced knitters, making it an ideal knitting book all around.
The second book I found was far less practical, featuring showcases of finished projects by textile artists rather than patterns for fellow crafters. It’s called “Knitting art: 150 Innovative Works From 18 Contemporary Artists.”
It features everything from knitted pink gun cozies to sculptures knitted out of wire, with stopovers for giant blue bunny suits and superhero costumes along the way. In other words, it’s a collection of a lot of the bizarre stuff that my punk-crafting soul would LOVE to make if I had the time and resources, and it was fun to look through.
Finally, I found a book called, “French Girl Knits,” by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes, and it surprised me more than either of the other two.
I’ve got a verified psychological allergy to anything involving ribbons or ruffles or fuzzy edges, so I tend to hide in terror from any knitting patterns that ping my radar as being too girly or frilly. And yet, I couldn’t resist the simple prettiness of this book.
I still don’t think I could manage to incorporate many of the projects into my rumpled frat-boy wardrobe, but I know plenty of women who would LOVE each and every item patterned in this book. They’re detailed without being busy, and many of them look like they could get years of use without losing their classic appeal.
I could see quite a few treasured handmade holiday gifts originating in this book.
I’m sure there are quite a few other great knitting books out there just waiting to keep crafters busy for the rest of the winter, but these are my hands-down favorites for this season.
With nasty weather finally here to stay for the winter, I’ve found myself spending more time inside than I can fill with books, so I’ve turned to another time-honored winter pastime to alleviate the boredom: knitting.
The good news is that I really like to knit; the bad news is that I’ve been doing it for long enough to get tired of my old favorite projects. So, in the interest of combining hobbies, I grabbed a few books to get some fresh ideas, and I ended up with some unusually good selections.
The first is “Socks From the toe up,” by Wendy Johnson. For non-knitters in the audience who are still gamely reading at this point, I have to explain that there are a staggering number of ways to knit socks, but that two of the basic categories are “toe-up” and “toe-down,” which work exactly like they sound. For some reason, the traditional sock patterns I’ve had most exposure to are all toe-down socks, meaning that the knitting starts at the cuff and works toward the toe, where it gets stitched together at the completion of the sock.
Anyway, I won’t bore you with more technical details, but this book has literally turned my sock-knitting upside down. It’s got clear instructions for several basic patterns and more complicated designs to provide challenges for experienced knitters, making it an ideal knitting book all around.
The second book I found was far less practical, featuring showcases of finished projects by textile artists rather than patterns for fellow crafters. It’s called “Knitting art: 150 Innovative Works From 18 Contemporary Artists.”
It features everything from knitted pink gun cozies to sculptures knitted out of wire, with stopovers for giant blue bunny suits and superhero costumes along the way. In other words, it’s a collection of a lot of the bizarre stuff that my punk-crafting soul would LOVE to make if I had the time and resources, and it was fun to look through.
Finally, I found a book called, “French Girl Knits,” by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes, and it surprised me more than either of the other two.
I’ve got a verified psychological allergy to anything involving ribbons or ruffles or fuzzy edges, so I tend to hide in terror from any knitting patterns that ping my radar as being too girly or frilly. And yet, I couldn’t resist the simple prettiness of this book.
I still don’t think I could manage to incorporate many of the projects into my rumpled frat-boy wardrobe, but I know plenty of women who would LOVE each and every item patterned in this book. They’re detailed without being busy, and many of them look like they could get years of use without losing their classic appeal.
I could see quite a few treasured handmade holiday gifts originating in this book.
I’m sure there are quite a few other great knitting books out there just waiting to keep crafters busy for the rest of the winter, but these are my hands-down favorites for this season.
