Review: The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design (How to Keep Your Knits About You)

Very few things please me more than a well-written book about knitting ... when the book is also about knit design, and being a "professional" at that, well I just devour a book like that!  And Shannon Okey's latest didn't let me down at'all!

The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design is one of those absolutely unassuming books ... some might even pass it by due to its dull and text-booky look.  But don't!  Okey's siganture-style wit and wisdom emanates from every page in this book!

First off, this is not a book about designing -- there are lots of great books about designing your own knitwear (some I often recommend include Deborah Newton's Designing Knitwear, ANY of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books especially Knitting Without Tears or Knitting Around, Shirley Paden's Knitwear Design Workshop: The Comprehensive Guide to Handknits, Montse Stanley's Knitter's Handbook, and the eternal classic Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book  (quite a justifiable claim in my mind!) cover every aspect of designing great hand-knits. 

No, Okey's book is purely about putting the "professional" into knitting design.  She starts out with defining what "professional design" is all about ... mentioning a few names of real pros (and the last chapter is pure interviews with some of the best knitting designers and support folks in the business!).  She then goes on to describe social media and their many benefits to running a design business -- going way beyond the social, time-wasting and delving into this new-age way of marketing. [On a side note ... I'm now twittering as MaryGKnits ...!] 

The next few chapters discuss the knitty-gritty, business side of things including accounting, writing proposals, finding professionals for help (yes, we all need to pay a pro occasionally!) and copyright and contract issues.   Other chapters develop how to write patterns (including suggestions about design software), making sales (and who should do this for you!), advertising, where to get truly educated, professional organizations (including the Association of Knitwear Designers, a grand group of folks I've been pleased to be a member of since before the millenial-change when it was still called the Professional Knitwear Designers' Guild!).  The last third of the book is devoted to interviews with some 32 (!) of the best and the brightest in the professional-side of knitting design work: designers, publishers, editors, tech-editors, etc.  Some of these folks you may never "meet" ... and yet they all have valuable advice and wisdom to share with the reader.

As you can see, I really like this book -- I've already implemented a few of her suggestions, have pages marked for further research and plan on pulling out this book at least on an annual basis to re-vamp my work.  That said, I wish she had done a few things:

1. the book is very techy -- there are NO graphics except the cover.  It is loaded with text and wisdom and advice ... but it's definitely got more of a feel of a text book than a coffee-table, eye-candy look
2. there is no index!  I can't stand books without indices -- I'm willing to put up with it for this particular book ... but it means my copy of this particular book will be dogeared, pencil-marked, sticky-noted so I can find the right quote, reference or advice I need.
3. because Shannon is young and caters to the young X-gen (maybe Y-gen ... who knows) batch of knitters, she tended to talk with the newer designers.  I wish she had interviewed some of the "old school" ... the contemps of Elizabeth Zimmermann who paved the way for those of us who grew up in the 70s, drooling over their wool sweaters, and tried to imitate them ...

Definitely give this book a "two-thumbs up" for being informative and well-worth the cover price, the time to read and the shelf-space to keep it nearby.  Enjoy!

Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve

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

Designs: latest off the needles ...

Well, I just finished off these Julenisse socks ... literally, just tucked in all the ends and they are ready to wash and block.  I just couldn't wait to show 'em off, though!  I do toe-up, 2-at-a-time on circs ... this allows me to change the pattern as I go.  These have a striped toe (yellow and cream), a solid, smooth charcoal grey foot, short-rowed garter stitch heel, cabled leg and then a bit of two-color patterning on the cuff.  The red in the cuff design remind me of the Norwegian knitting during WW2 -- to thumb their noses a bit at the occupation Nazis, the Norwegians added a bit of red to all their knitting!  BTW, the name "Julenisse" is Norwegian for "Christmas elf".

One of the problems that often occurs with cables in socks and two-color knitting is the need to increase neatly so the cables fit the leg.  Here, after finishing the heel, I increased from 48 to 60 sts to accomodate the 6-stitch cable pattern (4 cable twist sts + 2 purl sts).  The purl sts make a "rib" that helps form to the leg.

The two-color knitting portion is started right after the 6th twist; I then do a final charcoal purl row, increasing 8 sts for a total of 68 sts for the cuff.  Since these socks will come up about mid-calf, I need a bit more and the two-color knitting will pull in slightly.  Note, I REALLY need to work on my round joins on the two-color portion (lower sock in the above picture) -- hopefully, when the socks are worn, no one will notice the "jog" as I'll wear it the socks so the jogs are on the inside as I walk.

A further consideration when knitting socks like these is the finish work:  make sure the inside looks as neat as the outside:  all ends should be tucked in, the carrying for the two-color knitting should be even and NOT tight.  All bits and pieces need to be as smooth as possible to ensure a comfortable wearing.

These socks are knit with Dale of Norway's Falk -- a washable wool -- knit on #2s.  48 sts for the foot; 60 for the cabled leg; 68 for the cuff.


Here's a close-up of the knitting on the cuff  ... loose but not too loose, ends tucked in and out of the carries to ensure a smooth fit.

Another project, that I had to put these aside for a bit to complete, were NINE hair-bun covers for String Bean's ballet class in co-op.  I needed to finish these in time for Wednesday (12/2) dress rehearsal, with the performance on the 9th.  This is our Christmas gift to these wonderful girls ... the design was fun to create and the knitting went pretty fast -- just something that I had to do at night when I could make one in about 2-hours worth of movie-watching.

They came out nicely ... I'll post pictures of the performance -- making sure to get pictures of the girls' hair!  These are knit on #4 dpns using Vanna's Glamour from Lion Brand -- an acrylic yarn with a bit of sparkle twisted with the yarn.

So, what are you knitting?

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

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!

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

Vogue has done it again ...

... they've come up with a book that I just HAVE to have ... The Best of Vogue Knitting: 25 Years of Articles, Techniques and Expert Advice is a mouthful of a title to describe this book that is packed with useful info! At first glance, it looks like a pretty coffee-table book -- it's large-ish, 10+ inch shape and it's glitzy graphics fool the casual reader.

But DON'T stop -- read each article and remember that you've got this sensational book on your resource shelf and re-read the articles when you need a knitting "fix". And there are tons of articles to choose from.

The articles about a few of the 40-some (!) cast-on methods are particularly enlightening. There are other articles on ethnic knitting, designing your own, and finishing like the pros. There are articles about men who design and women who design. There are articles about folks who make their living shearing and spinning and those who make their living writing about knitting. There are articles about the history of knitting and articles about the latest innovations in techniques. In all, there are 13 chapters with a total of 100 articles covering virtually every aspect of knitting.

This is a fantastic resource for all serious knitters. It should fit nicely on the shelf next to the rather dog-eared copy of Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book, a classic in all things knitterly. Only one problem I have with the book is I REALLY WISH book producers would ditch the glossy paper and the graphic designers would stop using pale inks ... very hard for these 40-something eyeballs.

More Road Trip knitting

So, we just got back from another road trip -- this time camping in Mesa Verde and the YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch ... both EXCELLENT family camping sites and well-worth another 10-day trip!

Needless to say, with minimal driving and maximum camping fun, I didn't get a whole lot of knitting done. I did manage to knit a pair of lace-stitch socks in KnitPicks Essential (washable wool) to wear with ankle-height boots -- knitting from the Front Range to Mesa Verde -- and a stuffed doll with clothes knitted with Lion Brand's "Cotton Ease" (EXCELLENT for kids' toys!) -- that I knit from Mesa Verde to Snow Mountain (Winter Park, CO).In the picture, his dark-green button eyes look more like "shades" and the cap looks like a rakish beret -- but hey, whatever works!

Now this is a CAMPING SWEATER!

This is just off the needles -- a hooded jacket/sweater for camping or just playing around !

But, which one should get it? Lego Maniac -- who thinks it's very cool -- or String Bean who doesn't care that the buttons are for a boy, she thinks she looks better ...

Kind reader, please vote ... which one of the kiddos should get this work of art?????

And here's BamBam's socks

As promised, here are BamBam's sox just off the needles -- I'm thinking I'll make the same sox for dh and then reverse the colors for a new pair of hiking sox for MOI!

Thick Mittens and Socks

There is something absolutely amazing about knitting with thick wool -- everything goes together so quickly!



Here are two pairs of mittens knitted with Dale of Norway's Hubro and size 10.5 needles ... they went together in a weekend and will be ready for dh and I when next Denver has a snow-storm (which around here, could be any day between now and June!).

And here are two pairs of socks -- the "orchid" ones for String Bean and the "charcoal" ones for Lego-Maniac. Since I can never make the same socks twice, each of these are slightly different -- note the 3x3 rib all the way to the heel flap on the orchid socks and (which is harded to see) the difference in heel flap patterns. Designing socks is fun because you can experiment on a small portion and have fun with it. And it's not a big deal to visit the "frog pond" with these socks as there are only 24 total stitches cast on. These will make great hiking/camping socks for this summer as they're very thick but tightly knit on size 8s using Lion Brand's Wool-ease Chunky (a wool/acrylic blend which is machine washable).

Bam-bam, of course, now wants a pair -- with orchid heel and toe but charcoal elsewhere. I'll post a picture when I finish the second of the pair of those. Socks are so fun to knit and with this thick yarn, I'm able to make a pair in 4 hours or so!

Knitting Book Reviews ... finally!

About a week or so ago, I promised to write up some reviews of knitting books which I've been perusing (and some, drooling over) for the past couple of weeks. So, your patience has been rewarded and here are the reviews:

The Joy of Knitting: Texture, Color, Design, and the Global Knitting Circle and The Joy of Knitting Companion: A Knitter’s Handbook by Lisa R. Myers are pretty unassuming volumes by this Pennsylvania yarn-shop owner. Don’t be fooled by the covers – both of these books have lots to offer. The first volume goes through all the aspects of knitting uniqueness – texture (through stitch patternings, yarn choice or needle choice), color (whether traditional ethnic design or random intarsia) and overall design. Myers gives great, clear explanations. The only down-side is that there are no photographs, just drawings of the suggested projects – and we all know that “artist renderings” are a bit more fanciful than the camera’s eye!

The companion book, which I actually read first, is a working notebook – with lots of blank record-keeping forms, graph paper and other helpful tools (including a needle sizer and a gauge ruler “built-into” the cover). Suggestions abound for designing your own – or adapting a have-to-have design to really fit you! I only wish they had bound the book with a spiral (rather than a glued paperback) so that the book could lie flat.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knitting Projects Illustrated by Barbara Morgenroth is one of those “knitting for dummies” books that I usually don’t like. In fact, if you read the blurb about the author, you find that she has very little knitting experience but instead is a “cookbook and craft book writer”. Now surely, they could have found a KNITTING writer to write this book. That said, I found this book to have GREAT, clear illustrations and instructions, interesting projects and a wealth of information about my favorite activity! The photographs of the finished items could be better, but this would be a wonderful starter book for beginning knitters.

The Knit Kit Book by Sandy Carr, Josie May and Eleanor VanZandt is sadly out-of-print, but well worth the hunt to find a copy. This book teaches all the basics – with great illustrations and directions – as well as a whole section (or really, a second book) on designing basics including measuring, sketching, adapting existing patterns, etc. Hunt for this one – you’ll be well-pleased you did!

Knit it Now! Turn Great Yarns into Great Sweaters by Julie Montanari has some really cool designs. Also, Montanari, who’s been knitting since she was 8 (same as me!), gives ten easy steps for ensuring a good fit of the final sweater. Many of the sweaters, ironically, look like crochet (which I can do but avoid) but are so lovely that I think I’d break down and knit them!

Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave edited by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow is a must-have if you knit (or dream about knitting) socks. Talk about eye candy! This has a collection of the prettiest, coolest, most useful socks I’ve seen in a long time. There are lacy socks, hiking socks, ethnic socks and plain socks. I love Interweave books because they often spiral-bind them inside a hard cover so the books can lay flat; they are also invariably fun to read.

I love ethnic knitting. The next four books are some of the best of this kind of book:

Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel is the definitive book on knitting the heavily knit-purl patterning sweaters from the British Isles. The author does a fabulous job of explaining the history of these sweaters, describing the basics of a traditional sweater and then showing the reader how to make one. She leads the reader through either a sampler sweater (doll size) or a full-size sweater so that you not only learn how to make a gansey, you learn about all the parts of the sweater and why they are made the way they are. This is a classic!

The Complete Book of Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila McGregor is another classic, this time discussing knitting from Scandinavia. History, how-tos and a plethora of lovely examples make this book one to use again and again to make these lovely hand-knits – sweaters, hats, mittens, and socks.

Simply Socks: 45 Traditional Turkish Patterns to Knit and Magnificent Mittens: The Beauty of Warm Hands are both works of art by Anna Zilboorg. Sadly, these are both OOP, but take time to search for them – you’ll never regret it. Taking the traditional patterns of Turkish knitters (where the yarn is tensioned behind the head and flicked in a very unique manner), Zilboorg has charted these gorgeous multi-colored designs and created simple socks for the sock-knitter. These are amazingly beautiful as is the text which lovingly describes the history of knitting in Turkey. Her mitten book continues this work of amazingly beautiful multi-colored designs and blends the designs in such a way as to create unique works of art. I love the long cuffs that are meant to go over the coat/jacket sleeve to keep the wearer toasty warm. Zilboorg also describes how to do three different thumb treatments on these mittens – thumb with gusset, invisible thumb and sore thumb – which can actually be interchanged on the specific designs. But one thing I like about Zilboorg’s books – she encourages the reader to go beyond her designs and create your own work of art!

Latest Felted Project

Here's the latest thing off the needles: a felted backpack in olive/dusty brown made from Dale of Norway's Heilo.

Now, I really enjoy felting -- because you can have such fun with it. If you'll notice, I have a felted I-cord drawstring to close the bag. Once I felted everything and put it together, I needed to trim the cord as I'd made it too long. I took that cord, made a loop, sewed it to the inside of the bag and now I have somewhere to clip my keys! I also added a small, button-flapped coin pocket on the outside and a long, multi-pocket piece on the inside.

The straps are doubled, 10-stitch wide (like a really wide I-cord) and knit right onto the backpack (from the base to just under the flap at the top). Knitting them on (altho a bit more cumbersome than knitting them separate and sewing later), ensures a good strong bond to the backpack. The "X"s at the top are more decoration than for utility.

Here's the bag with one strap done and the pickup for the second strap. Here you can also see the pre-felted size. It was HUGE! The felting will shrink the knitting (so you can't see stitch-definition) about 40% (with more shrinkage in the length than the width). The final product -- as you can see above -- is a nice, wide bag that will be used by me ALOT!

Felting for Beginners

Felting -- the process of taking a natural-fiber knitted piece (wool, alpaca -- any fiber that will shrink) and washing it by hand or machine until the fibers cling together, making a thicker, non-raveling piece. Felting often will shrink the garment about 40 percent (more in length than in width). Fulling is doing the same thing, but with a WOVEN piece of natural-fiber.

I love to felt my knitting things -- it's very fun to be able to mindlessly knit a huge sack that will ultimately be something quite useful. I usually felt bags or backpacks, but I've also tried felted slippers (which are amazingly warm and sturdy); I've even been known to purposely felt something that I didn't like, cut and sew it into something completely new -- just ask my MIL: I made her a gorgeous Christmas tea cozy with matching coasters from a fair-isle vest that I hated once I was finished with the knitting. Felting gave it new life.

Felting is also a GREAT beginner project because you can alter the shape of the finished product and hide small mistakes (like a doubled stitch or uneven gauge). Felting is a very do-able action with your knitting that exponentially increases your design possibilities!

If you're interested at all in finding out more about felting, here are some of the best (IMHO) books on the subject:

• Felted Knits by Beverly Galeskas -- this wonderful book is written by the established "queen of felting". Galeskas is the designer behind Fiber Trends, the folks who were trying to get everyone felting their knitting back in the '90s (actually 13 years ago)!
• Felt It! 20 Fun & Fabulous Project to Knit & Felt by Maggie Pace -- I like this book! The designs are a bit too funky for my tastes -- wait till you see the "Night Star Wrap"! -- but they are extremely varied and unique. More importantly, she has great tips and techniques that will save new felters (or even those "experienced felters") quite a bit of time and effort. This really is a great paperback!
• Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits: Wonderful Wearables & Home Accents by Jane Davis -- has such wonderful projects, with nice clear directions and information. Like Maggie Pace's book, you get so much more than the unique designs -- you get helpful advice from a woman who has felted many items and so knows how to do it right!

There are MANY other knit-felting books out in the stores. If you browse Tattered Cover, you'll find nine others (plus the plethora of felted crochet books).

Way Cool Wooly Lambs

Thanks to Gail's post on Life a la Cart, I have fallen in love with her felted wool sheep. Seems a few years back she bought the Fiber Trends "Felted Flock" pattern to stick in the kids' Easter baskets. Have I mentioned, that I LOVE THESE?

I think, though, I'd have to come up with my own design -- I HATE following directions. So I'll keep y'all posted on my unvention of a felted flock, ok?

BTW, I suggested to Gail who has little time but two children that will be getting these little darlings -- to get different colored ribbon to "collar" the lambs and add a little bell so they'd tinkle as well as look so cuddly cute!

Now, this is right up my alley ...

I love when books and knitting combine to keep me busy. Thanks to a mention on the Knit the Classics blog, seems there is a British group out there that's got a contest going: what would your favorite storybook heroine knit? Designs (not even the finished project, just the idea) are due April 15th and the prize includes the yarn to make the design!

HOW COOL IS THAT?????? I've always thought there should be more knitting in books; and in some books, I KNOW there is subliminal knitting -- I just know it.....

Off for some thinkin' and designin'

PLEASE NOTE the Date Change

Please note that due to a change in schedule, "In the Spirit of Design: A Knitting Retreat" will be held the first weekend of October at the Abbey of St. Walburga! A great time is sure to be had by all -- please come if you can!

So what do you do ...

... when you have a hand-knit garment that you just don't/can't/won't wear anymore but is too precious to just toss in the give-away pile?

This mural, "The Blue Ridge Parkway", started out life as a shawl. I made it when we were in Austria. It is a sampler of some Austrian knitted lace patterns that I wanted to remember. After wearing this shawl for an audience with Pope John Paul II in 2002, I just couldn't wear it anymore -- after all, it would be a third class relic if he ever is canonized!

So, when we got back to the States later that year, my dear FIL made a frame to its exact dimensions and hammered in a gazillion black finishing nails and I just stretched it right onto the frame. I do occasionally take it off the frame to freshen it up, but then it goes right back on the frame for drying/hanging!

Living Books and Living Knitting

Sometimes I like to combine something we're doing in our home school and something I want to knit.
Here's a great example of what I'm talking about. We're getting ready to send someone a "baby shower in a box" -- she doesn't live close enough to have the shower in person. Anyway, we thought a Jan Brett theme would be fun. Since the baby was born in the winter, we chose The Hat. Here's the Christmas stocking and hat I designed from Brett's illustrations (Kotch helped me chart the hat): Pretty cool, huh?

Swatches for TNNA

As a hand-knits designer, I am a card-carrying member of a really cool guild named Association of Knitwear Designers. We all help each build the design profession as well as encouraging those in the yarn and knit publications industries to purchase our lovely designs.

One way we get our name out to those who should know us is by submitting swatches for the semi-annual convention of the trade association, The National Needlework Association (TNNA). They have a convention in January in San Diego and one in June in Columbus (Ohio). The swatches AKD members produce are then placed on the Great Wall of Yarn as way to advertise the yarn as well as the designers' talents.

For the January 2007 convention, I created seven swatches from some absolutely luscious sample skeins:

1. Silk purse made from GGH's "TajMahal" is a gorgeous rusty orange -- 100% silk and a dream to knit!

2. Baby cap made from Kraemer Yarn's "Vingtage 2006" -- a 100% alpaca yarn that I knit with thistle panels.

3. A traveling cable stitch called "dancers" makes this 50% silk/50% wool blend yarn from Lorna's Laces really look nice! The yarn, "Lion & Lamb" is soft but holds a texture pattern nicely.

4. Misti International has a lovely 100% baby alpaca yarn called "Misti Alpaca". Using a US#7, I have swatched a sample that could eventually become a lovely, soft, cozy shawl.

5. Another baby cap, this one uses a small traveling stitch panel and Skacel's "Sojabama" -- a blend of 55% bamboo and 45% soy. This picture doesn't do justice to the soft, cozy feel of this yarn!

6. Twinkle Handknits has a gorgeous 70% silk/30% cotton blend yarn that holds a texture pattern brilliantly. Here I've knit a cable/garter stitch medley called "Jacob's Ladder" -- this would make an elegant spring/summer knitted top.

7. Last, but certainly not least, this swatch is probably my favorite of all. Woolyarns, a New Zealand company, has a line of yarns called "Zealand" -- this is a black (which is why it didn't photo too well) yarn with that is a merino and cashmere blend. The softness of this one is unbelievable, especially if you see how well it takes a cable pattern -- this one is called horseshoe. Isn't it lovely?

I love helping with the Great Wall of Yarn -- I don't get paid for doing these swatches, but I do get to play with yarns I'd never be able to afford to play with; I can see all the latest colors, fibers, and just have a month or so of satisfying my fiber fetish.