Review: Debbie Bliss' Design It, Knit It: Babies ....

... is definitely getting added to my rather eclectic (and large!) knitting book library.  Definitely!

I love designing for babies ... some of my best-loved, most successful designs are those for babies:

 Exquisite Edgar and Elegant Eliza dolls -- really easy for little hands to hold (and since they're made of washable cotton-blend, they can be wet-loved to death and still wash up well)

 Hearts a Poppin' blanket -- a beautiful blanket with just a bit of lace (so it works nicely for the boys!)

 Me and My Doll -- Irish Sweaters -- matching sweaters for little girls and their 18" dolls

 Patrick: An Irish Lad's Jacket -- want to try an Irish sweater ... this one is down-sized to knit quickly and warm the hearts of all the boys

Jillian's Jacket and Blanket Set -- easy enough for a beginner, this set is all garter!

So I was thrilled to find out that my public library had finally gotten a copy of Debbie Bliss' new baby book.  Today, I picked up Design It, Knit It: Babies from the library and have already ordered my own copy from Amazon.  Yep, it's that good. 

First, a disclaimer: I LOVE Debbie Bliss style -- classic, clean, gorgeous colorways.  Her books are well done and sincere ... it really sounds like she knows what she's writing about (not always true with the plethora of knitting books currently available).  Further, she always has a nice variety of designs -- sweaters, hats, blankets, leggings.  But additionally, her Design It, Knit It books (her first, Design It, Knit It, has been well-used around here!) share her thought processes when she's designing -- and designing for babies is quite different than designing for kids or adults.  As she quickly explains (the first sentence in the first paragraph):  "Babies are basically tube-shaped ..." points out the difference from the get-go.  Babies need comfortable ... non-fussy ... easy-on/easy-off styles that adults don't.  Babies need to have diapers included in measurements as well as chubby legs!

Bliss covers it all in this volume:

• sizes and shapes
• soft and gentle is necessary
• color
• small and perfect (for preemies and newborns)
• rough and tumble (once they're toddlers)
• specialty dressings
• embellishments
• accessories -- heads, hands and toes

She then caps her book with a chapter "design workbook" which suggests options for different necklines and styles, samples of knitters' graph paper (after all sts don't usually equal rows ... thus graphing on square paper doesn't really work, does it?), charts for alphabets and intarsia work. 

This really is a book worth adding to your library -- whether you have babies in the house ... due any day ... or just love to design for these wee ones.  Bliss does it again!

Enjoy the journey

Mary C. Gildersleeve

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

Review: In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, Knitters, Lacemakers and Weavers in Art

I found a GREAT book the other day that proves that knitting truly is an art-form; proof of such is that this simple, domestic act is celebrated in true art -- paintings by some of the best!  Don't believe me?  Check out In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiders, Knitters, Lacemakers and Weavers in Art by Gail Carolyn Sirna proves this much better than I can ... with over 80 paintings depicting women stitching, knitting, lace-making, weaving or doing just about any other needle-plying activity!  These are gorgeous paintings and I'm already planning to use this book as a spine for our homeschool next fall: picture study using the artists portrayed in this book .. a different artist each 3-4 weeks ... and analyzing their styles and picture sources and messages.  Cool, huh????

Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve

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

Review: Color by Kristin

Yesterday, I received an order from Amazon (UPS loves me!) with this latest book from color-expert Kristin Nicholas.  Color by Kristin: How to Design Your Own Beautiful Knits is a feast for the eyes and gets my knitting thoughts going.   This is the kind of book I would love to write ... where I can play with color and create gorgeous masterpieces and help others do the same.

Yep, that's what Nicholas has accomplished in this 170+ page book.

Ever since I was little, I've loved knitting with multiple colors.  Even with the early, plastic-y acrylics (that were in colors not exactly from the natural world), I would knit COLOR!  Partially this was due to my need to reuse/recycle from not having a lot of the "ready" to buy fresh yarn.  For me, the process was the thing ... knitting or crocheting the item and then ripping to make something else were pretty standard procedure for me back then.

Now that I can afford to buy fresh yarn ... and even the natural "real" stuff ... I find that I am still using up bits from past projects, adding the spectrum to an otherwise dull design, creating beauty from the tints and tones available now.  Nicholas' book and knitting philosophy fits right in with this.  She loves color and rarely uses black or white as those make a design "too neutral".  She embellishes her two-color-per-row designs with simple embroidery stitches (often using duplicate stitch) to give greater depth and zing to the item.

And boy, does she do it well!

The book starts out with a chapter on the "Joy of Color", giving a brief description of the color-wheel (using yarn as the colors to help the knitter link the usually flat color wheel to real yarn), where to find color combinations (nature is one of the best and cheapest ways), and finally, the importance of swatching to test the colors.  This chapter gives the reader all she/he needs to begin exploring color.

Nicholas than goes on to explain two-stranded knitting in the round (many call it "Fair Isle" altho the technique transcends that small Scottish island), steeking and "dressing" (blocking and finishing treatments).  Starting on something small ... like a draft-blocker or child's sampler sweater will give the knitter the confidence to do a bigger project or even design their own 2-color pattern blocks.... which is where the third chapter comes in:  designing fair isle knits explains symmetry, graphing, simple to complex designs, etc.  There is a "designer sourcebook" in the back of the book, broken into stitch-multiples to get your graphing skills jump-started.

Next come the projects ... 25+ projects, otherwise known as knitter's eye-candy!

I'm not a direction-follower and rarely would do a pattern exactly from another designer.  That's just not in me.  But Nicholas' designs have me re-thinking that philosophy a bit.  Her designs are gorgeous but I can make them as described and STILL make them my own (by changing the color-stitch design ... or colorway ... or adding/deleting the embroidery embellishment).  And she has tips throughout these gorgeous items to get you designing on your own.

I especially like that Nicholas' designs are not limited to knit-wear ... she has pillows, chill-stoppers, and even an ottoman cover.  Photographed at her farm in Massachusetts, you can see that Nicholas designs what she loves and uses .... and that comes through in her writing, too.  If you love what you do, your enthusiasm transcends the page to reach the heart of the reader!

Now, I'm off to start collecting colors ... swatching ... and first, deciding which item I'm going to try first:  the over-the-top shawl ... slipper socks ... knitter's tote ... java jacket ... best friends pullovers ... laptop cozy ... southwest style sleeved wrap ... marrakesh market pillows ....

So much knitting ... so little time!  But GREAT Christmas gift ideas.

Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve

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

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

WooHoo: it's out!

Please celebrate with me .... Margot, my publisher at Hillside Education, just posted that my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home is available for pre-order (with a shipping date of June 15th). If you get a chance to read a copy, please let me know what you think. And my good friend over at 4real, Elizabeth Foss, kindly wrote the foreword for me!

Enjoy!