Review: New Stranded Colorwork

Today, we got a few boxes from Amazon (BamBam's birthday is the end of next month ...) and one of the books was actually for me ... and about knitting.  I just spent the last couple of hours since dinner reading this book ... drooling over this book ... and plotting my next project!

Mary Scott Huff's newest book, The New Stranded Colorwork: Techniques and Patterns for Vibrant Knitwear is an amazing mix of knitter's "eye candy", glorious and unique use of color and traditional/classic designs that mean that this book will be usable for a knitter for many years to come.

Personally, I bought the book because I fell in love with the pattern on the right front cover:  Norwegian Blue is a gorgeous combination of blues, taupe and a blaze of red!  Wow!

But as I first browsed through the book, I found many more beauties:  Timberline (which is knitted for a man, but I'd make it for myself!), Kjersten (a gorgeous jacket in green and black with accents of red and orange that look great rather than gaudy), Kiss that Frog (which would be a great sweater for one of my boys), the Johnny Jump-up Leg Warmers (which would be a perfect Christmas present for my little ballerina), the Bee's Knees (which , altho it's designed for a toddler, I would make for my String Bean who LOVES bees but I would change the border from sage green to a pretty pink), and the lovely, final design which is called Wedding Belle and is meant for the Bride once she realizes that the gorgeous gown she chose is a bit nippy and needs something other than her groom's jacket!  These are gorgeous.

The really cool thing about this book ... for me, who can't follow directions/rules to save my life ... is that the design motifs are charted.  So, I can lift a piece from here and an element from there, with a color scheme from another and I've got a unique sweater or hat or leggings or socks or whatever!

I also love that she's got very clear and concise directions for the techniques she's used throughout.  And some of these techniques are extremely unique to Ms. Huff -- she suggests making two sleeves at one time by casting on the sleeve stitches together, with steeks between and then slicing, sewing and finishing off the sleeves!  Genius!  She also clearly describes how to add the traditional (but optional) ribbon bands to the sliced fronts and recommends a certain kind of thread that "buries itself into the knitting without kinking" -- cool, huh?

I do have one small quibble ... the Koi Vest (that's shown on the front left cover) hasn't been finished properly ... the armhole flares out and should pull-in (either a case of the shoulder sts not being slanted properly or the facing band being too thick -- either way, a detail that should have been rectified especially as it is featured on the cover ). 

Also, the felted bag that is shown on the front cover is an oddity that doesn't fit with the other designs -- a case of "which of these items doesn't go with the others"?  It's a very funkey design, with its flower appliques and neon color scheme while all the others are classic styles with colorwork that, well ... works! 

Hmmm ... I wonder what they were thinking?

Even those couple of designs aside ... check out this book -- it really is a great addition to my knitting library!


Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve
By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Designing: books and software resources

Yesterday, I went up to a local Catholic school and talked for a full 45-minutes (which was NOT enough time) about knitting and bending/breaking the "rules" and designing your own. I brought some of my "library" with me, but thought I'd do a full post about all the great resources out there for hand-knits design.

Software:
I didn't mention this in class ... but I should have. Software is not a necessity but a really great "nice to have".  I like that the software does much of the number-crunching/drudge type stuff so I have more time to knit -- always a good thing.  There is a company called Knitting Software which has some of the best, easiest to use, most versatile design software out there. Carole Wulster (and now her family, too) started this company back in 1990 ... a computer programmer and knitter, she created the first version of Sweater Wizard (now in Version 3)... than went on to create other software tools for knitters. I was blessed to be able to help beta-test some of these software programs over the years and have used them extensively in my own design work for the past 15 years or so. Here are all the software available to help knitters design so we can spend our time KNITTING!

• Stitch and Motif Maker -- to chart textured or colored stitch patterns (some books STILL don't chart these and it is so much easier for us visual folks to see what the stitch should look like rather than trying to follow the words (or worse, abbreviations and symbols!) 
• Sock Wizard -- to design socks that fit! You can input foot length, ankle diameter, leg length, whatever to get a sock pattern that really fits 
• Knitting Math Wizard -- for quickly "doing the math" of placing even decreases or increases, getting the appropriate angle for sleeves, etc 
• Print-a-Grid -- for printing out graph-paper blanks that is exactly what your gauge is -- the right sts and rows to the inch so you can really see what the pattern will look like (especially great when graphing intarsia or picture knitting) 
• Swatch Wizard and Mitten Glove Wizard -- these are two new programs that I haven't used yet but look great. Swatch Wizard keeps a database of swatches so you can "remember" exactly what you got with which needles and which yarn; Mitten Wizard allows you to design mittens with directions "written" for 4 or 5 dpns, 2 or 1 circulars knitting!

Books -- Here are the books I really like for designing ...

• Bliss, Debbie -- Design it, Knit it: Secrets from the Designer's Studio
• Budd, Ann -- The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns.
• Ellen, Alison – Hand Knitting: New Directions
• Epstein, Nicky – Knitting on the Edge, Knitting Over the Edge, Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Embellishments, and her Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers
• Fanderl, Lisl -- Bauerliches Stricken 1 , Bauerliches Stricken 2, Bauerliches Stricken 3 
• Newton, Deborah -- Designing Knitwear
• Vogue Editors -- The Best of Vogue Knitting Magazine: 25 Years of Articles, Techniques, and Expert Advice

Many of these books should be at the public library, so you can check them out (literally!) before buying.  The Fanderl books, although in German, have the stitch patterns charted so it doesn't matter if you read German or not!  There are many other great stitch-ionaries out there and Ethnic/folklore pattern books are great for inspiration.  I particularly like the new Interweave book by Marianne Isager, Inca Knits: Designs Inspired by South American Traditions, packed with beautiful designs inspired by the clothes, textiles and pottery of South America.

Other supplies you might like to have: 

• sets of knitting needles in all different sizes; I've used this Boye set for more than 20years.  The Boye set is similar to the Denise Set or the Options Set from Knit Picks.
• graph paper
• calculator

The above should get any novice designer a great start ... post a comment or email me (bhwh.mary at gmail.com) if you have questions or would like other suggestions for books, materials, and yarn!

By Hand: knitting needles

(modified from Kids’ Knitting, by Melanie Falick -- a book every knitter should have on the shelf)

Materials:

• 2 or more colors polymer clay (Sculpey works great) or anything to use as the end-cap – acorn, wooden bead, button – to ensure your stitches don’t fall off
• 1/4-inch or 3/16-inch dowel cut into two 14-inch lengths
• pencil sharpener
• fine-grit sandpaper
• mineral oil or any type of oil that the wood can soak up
• craft glue

Note: a 1/4 inch dowel will make a size 10 needle and a 3/16 inch dowel will make a size 8 needle. Any size dowel can be used, but smaller ones tend to break and larger ones are hard to use.

STEP 1 -- To make the needle ends:
1. preheat oven to 250 degrees for clay
2. choose a main color of clay and roll into a 1/2 inch ball. Don't make the ball too large or it will weigh down the needle. Repeat for 2nd ball.
3. break off bits of 2nd color and press tiny dots onto larger balls. Roll them around and around until you have a nice smooth ball.
4. press each ball onto 1 end of each dowel piece. I flattened my balls so that the needles wouldn't roll when on their sides -- you can make any shape you want.
5. lay dowels on baking dish (such as a pyrex pan) so ball hangs over; place in oven, making sure balls do not touch oven shelf.
6. bake according to clay directions -- about 30 minutes for Sculpey.
7. cool about 10 minutes. Remove balls from dowels and set aside while you work with dowels.

STEP 2 -- To make needles:
1. using the pencil sharpener, sharpen one end of each dowel until tip is as pointy as a dull pencil. You can make double-pointed needles by sharpening both ends! You don’t want the point too sharp as that will split the yarn as you knit.
2. rub each dowel with sandpaper until very smooth, making sure that each point is dull. All rough spots need to be sanded off, else yarn will stick to needle.
3. with a paper towel or clean rag, rub the dowels with mineral oil until shiny and extra smooth. Replace clay balls, using glue to secure clay to flat end of dowel.

You can use anything for the end of your needle to keep the stitches from falling-off – an acorn cap, bead, rubber band, etc. The important thing is that it doesn’t catch on your yarn but does hold the yarn on the needle.

Happy knitting!

Books: Designing tips from a pro

No, I didn't write this one ... altho I wish I had.

Debbie Bliss has just published design it, knit it: secrets from the designer's studio.

I really like this book. But then, I really like Bliss' designs ... I'm definitely an anglo-phile when it comes to anything knitterly and Bliss is one of the best! I'm entranced by her palette of subtle, soft colors and her Aran-inspired designs are gorgeous. Besides, she has her own yarn company -- how cool is that?

But, back to the book review. Bliss used the "tools" of the designer as her chapter breaks:

body shape -- both making the most of it and hiding what you don't like

color -- what works and what doesn't and how to tell before spending lots of time!

texture -- using stitches to 3-d your knitting

kids -- the special details you must include when designing for the little ones

details -- finishing and embellishments that don't overwhelm.

As she points out, these are each tools that can be manipulated -- either together or individually to design a hand-knit garment. Sometimes, the tool of color is the focus -- and shape, texture and details follow from the chosen color. Other times, it might be that the shape and texture work together and the color is chosen to highlight those.


She includes a workbook at the end -- with pattern silhouettes (with one filled-in so you can see how to play with these), knitters' graph paper in 6st x 8r gauge, and a stitch gauge that you can use in the book or take out and keep in your knitting bag. The workbook pages -- the silhouettes and the graph paper -- are clearly labeled "photocopying permitted" so that you can take them to your printshop and have copies made with no copyright issues.

I also love that sixth and spring books did a hidden spiral binding and used paper with a slight matte finish so glare on the photographs and pages is minimized. The palette of colors used throughout the book is beautiful and very inspiring to me.


Bliss has included 15 original designs, three in each chapter, that serve to illustrate her design tips and guidelines. A few of these designs are worth the price of the book alone! I love the simplicity of the "Button Detail Top" and the simply sophisticated "Gater Stitch Jacket with Vent" and especially, the "Bobble and Cable Sweater"! Wow!

However, there is one thing that drives me nuts with these gorgeous, famous-designer books -- when the garments shown are just simply wrong!

For instance, the "Fair Isle Cardigan" is a work of art -- until you look at the full picture on page 48 -- the stripes (and therefore, the bands) don't line up! AND, the sweater doesn't fit the model. Or, the baby jacket on page 84 -- the rolled hems are cute, but the rolled closure looks messy and unfinished. The "Cabled Band Cardigan" on page 111 is a beautiful sweater -- but again, the buttons don't line up properly and there are gaps and the hem looks uneven. Finally, the "Cardigan with Ribbed Sleeves" (page 121) doesn't have enough of a front band to keep the edge from curling back -- a very messy finish (especially as this sweater is one of the designs in the "detail" chapter!). These photos are taken by professional photographers of items designed by a pro, knitted (assumingly) by a pro, "styled" by pro stylists ... and we still have this?

Bottom line -- I really like this book. But, and maybe this is why I'm a designer, I would have to change a few of her designs to make them up ... larger bands, neater buttons/buttonhole placement, etc. Also, a caveat that Bliss omitted on her "Garter Stitch Coat" (which I so want to make for myself ... if I ever get the time to knit for me!) .... garter stitch grows ... and grows ... and grows. This coat needs to be knit at a fairly firm gauge (or tension, for my British readers) and I think I'd even stabilize the neck and shoulders with a bit of ribbon or single-crochet along the seams.

Have you read this one yet? What are your thoughts or comments? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy knittin'
Mary C. Gildersleeve
By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Hats: Do you love to knit 'em?

Well, if you do and you design your own knitted hats or get inspired by another's designs, have I got a cool project for you!

Annie Modesitt and Quarry Books have teamed up to publish a book called 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats (with an estimated publication date of July 2010). From now until July 1, 2009, you can submit images of knitted hats you've made ... the top 3 original designs will win $500, $300, and $200 while the next top seven original designs will get copies of the book and page credit ... and the number of different hats you may submit is UNLIMITED!

Not a bad deal and hats are so fun to make as the temp goes up ... why don't you try it out? But don't forget to have fun ... that's what knitting is about ... creating while enjoying the journey!

Where have I been?

I just saw this on Lion Brand's blog and can't believe I've been missing it all these years ....

Seems that back in 2005, a wonderful woman had a brilliant idea to bring knitters out of their homes and out onto the streets. This thing is big! They have WWKiP Days all over the world .... now, altho I'd LOVE to be able to knit in London, or Buenos Aires, or even New York ... I'm here in my little corner of Northern Virginia ...

But that's ok because I can knit in public on June 13th and June 20th ... and no one can tease me (even my family) because I'm part of something bigger ... something that knows no borders .... the world knit in the round as it were.

So get out your needles and yarn and head outside ... check if there's a group event nearby or be brave and just knit out in your front yard ... or on the train ... or bus ... or in the car and know that you, too, are part of something bigger!

GWOY: June 2009 Swatches

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE to do swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn. The GWOY is erected twice a year at the semi-annual National Needlework Association's conferences -- one in January and one in June -- and I've participated since about 2003 (maybe even earlier) only missing occasionally (for things like moving to another state/country!). The swatches are from the latest yarns (either color, content or company) and are designed by the members of the Association of Knitwear Designers. Barry Klein and his helper, Heidi, from Trendsetter Yarns work hard to get the yarns out to us in a timely manner ... and it's always "christmas" when the box arrives!

Here are the swatches I made for the June 2009 convention in Columbus, OHIO ... [All the yarns this time (except the Dale) were "medium 4" as defined by the Yarn Standards committee.]

Baby Boutique (from Plymouth Yarns) is a microfiber/nylon with a wonderful hand. This feather 'n' fan swatch was knit on 7s, in the round to make a circular swatch.
Bambino from Be Sweet is a gorgeous organic cotton/bamboo blend that knits up really nicely on 7s. The swatch is a lace edging ... this would make a great summer top/sweater.
Camelino from Knit One, Crochet Too, is a sensual blend of merino/camel that knits up great on 7s. This cuff swatch is a mock-cable that decreases down to a k1p1 rib. The rich purple color is hard to photograph ... but trust me, this one is a beaut!
Dale of Norway's Heilo is a classic! I love using this yarn (and in fact, I made many of the designs in my knitting books from this stuff). Here, using #2 dpns, I knit a toe-up, mock heel flap (actually short-row heel) and loose bo at cuff. The stitch definition with this yarn is gorgeous.Kraemer Yarn's Perfection -- a washable blend of acrylic and wool -- is knit here on 8s. This yarn is so new it's not even on their web site yet! I did the "pointed eyelet lace" ruffle from Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge", decreasing down to sockinette and then to k1p1 rib ... I love the way the "lace" looks like leaves ... I think this would look wonderful as the cuffs on a sweater ... or even the hem as the lace doesn't curl but gives 3-d depth! This stuff really is wonderful to work with and I apologize to Kraemer for originally posting this wonderful yarn as one from Plymouth!