Independent Knitting News

A new book has hit the market, and it seems to fill a niche created by all the “Stitch-N-Bitch” type gatherings that spring up. Are you always looking for a project, besides socks, that are easy to carry along to your knitting group?  Here is a book for you.

The book [tag]Pints and Purls: Portable Projects for the Social Knitter[/tag]  contains recipes for tasty cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres but that is not the only things that you’ll find in Pints and Purls. [tag] Karida Collins[/tag] and [tag]Libby Bruce[/tag] compiled a book of portable projects that feature simple-to-follow patterns, plus tips and tricks for fixing mistakes should you have a bit too much while knitting. The patterns are fun and funky for every kind of social knitter.  The patterns are organized by how many drinks you can have and still knit without making mistakes.

Karida Collins runs[tag] Neighborhood Fiber Company,[/tag] a hand-dyed yarn company based in Washington, D.C.   When Karida is not dying yarn, she travels around the country to fiber arts trade shows, blogs and is regularly featured on the popular [tag]Lime & Violet [/tag]knitting podcast.

Libby Bruce owns WonderKnit  yarn shop in Columbus, Ohio. She writes, designs, and teaches knitting. She blogs about knitting, drinking, cats, and life at winelips.blogspot.com.

Recently I did some damage at [tag]amazon.com[/tag]. This had nothing to do with the [tag]stimulus check[/tag] and everything to do with a few books I found at my local library and one at my local yarn store.

I am very lucky to have a great library in my township. It didn’t happen overnight; it took millions of fund-raising dollars to accomplish, but the end justified the means! There is a very large section devoted to craft books of all types. And the person who fills those shelves with new books knows what to buy! I like to look at a book and read a few of the pages before I spend my hard earned dollars on it. I felt that the following books are a great addition to my personal library, and I thought you might like to know about them.

At my library I found[tag] The Knitters Book of Patterns[/tag] by [tag]Ann Budd[/tag]. This is a great book for the knitter who is looking for a pattern to fit a size not always found in a book or has a yarn in her stash but can’t find a pattern to use it with. The book is written using basic patterns for multiple gauges of yarns that run the gamut from fingering to bulky. The patterns are simple, but since the measurements are laid out for every size imaginable, you can insert your creativity. Included are the basics of pattern design and alteration to allow you to add different types of texture and color patterns. Great addition to any knitters bookshelf, especially if you do charity knitting as the designs are easy to knit.

[tag]No Pattern Knits Simple Modular Techniques for Making Wonderful Garments and Accessories[/tag] By [tag]Pat Ashforth[/tag], [tag]Steve Plummer[/tag]. Here is another book that tells how to leave patterns aside and make beautiful clothing and accessories from simple geometric shapes. Following the modular or no-pattern method, knitters can forget about complicated increases and decreases, and you won’t need to labor over an intricate pattern book. Instead, you learn how to create sweaters, bags, hats, cushions, socks, scarves, and ponchos using just a few easy-to-learn stitches. Step-by-step color photos instruct on knitting geometric shapes, then on joining them together to create stylish garments. The book shows three methods of this modular type of knitting; you can join the pieces by crocheting together, stitching together, or by joining the shapes as you work. Using this book guarantees to stimulate your creativity and use all the small amounts of yarn in your stash!

[tag]2-at-a-time Socks[/tag] by [tag]Melissa Morgan-Oakes[/tag]. I found this book at my local yarn store when I lamented the fact that I suffer from second sock syndrome. I like to use the magic loop method of knitting socks and was ecstatic to find this book. Her easy-to-learn technique enables sock stitchers to adapt any pattern to her two-at-a-time method. Melissa is a dedicated knitter, knitwear designer, and knitting instructor who has known the frustration of Second Sock Syndrome. Her easy-to-learn technique enables sock stitchers to adapt any pattern to her two-at-a-time method. But before experimenting with other patterns, you might want to try her 15 original designs. Fun and creative, they include simple to complex choices, a variety of yarn weights, and designs for women, men, and children.

I have saved the best for last. I bought this book purely because I have followed [tag]Clara Parks[/tag] writings. I subscribe to [tag]Knitters Review newsletter[/tag], haunt the [tag]Knitter’s Review Forums[/tag] and have blogged about many of Clara’s yarn reviews. However, her book [tag]The Knitters Book of Yarn[/tag] is the ultimate! Clara provides in-depth insight into a vast selection of yarns, giving you the inside stories behind the most common fiber types, preparations, spins, and ply combinations used by manufacturers and importers, medium-sized companies, boutique dye shops, community spinneries, and old-fashioned sheep farms. Adding to that large amount of information, Clara provides a wide assortment of patterns created to highlight the qualities (and minimize the drawbacks) of specific types of yarns. will teach you everything you need to know about yarn: How it’s made, who makes it, how it gets to you, and what it longs to become. The next time you pick up a skein, you won’t have to wonder what to do with it. You’ll just know.

Taken from the One-Skein Wonders site – another new book edited by [tag]Judith Durant[/tag] and published by [tag]Storey Publishing[/tag].

What can you do with just one skein of yarn? That is the dilemma faced by countless knitters: what to do with those oddball skeins of yarn in your stash? You may have a leftover ball from a larger project or maybe you spotted an irresistible, pricey cashmere treasure that you simply couldn’t pass up, and bought just one.

Last year, One-Skein Wonders came to the rescue of every knitter in need of inspiration for their beloved but lonely skeins. Yarn shops from all over North America shared 101 of their favorite unique and inventive patterns-all of which call only for a single skein of yarn. Now knitters have twice as many patterns to choose from! [tag]101 Designer One-Skein Wonders[/tag] taps into the wide circle of knitwear designers across the country to compile a totally fresh collection of enchanting project.

256 pages, 8 x 8 1/2, two-color photographs and illustrations throughout, full-color photo gallery of projects. Hot off the heels of the uber-successful One-Skein Wonders, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders arms knitters with 101 more unique and captivating projects–all of which call for only a single skein of yarn!

This time around, editor Judith Durant scoured the country to gather the favorite one-skein patterns from America’s knitwear designers. The result is this one-of-a-kind collection of single-skein patterns, all of which are arranged by yarn weight so knitters can easily find broad ranges of possibilities for those orphan skeins.

A scrapbook of tastes and styles that celebrates the ingenuity of knitters nationwide, this collection of 101 projects comes to the rescue of every knitter wondering what to do with their lonely skeins, and proves once and for all that there’s no such thing as leftover yarn.

But even better is the contest!

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I pre-ordered [tag]Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters[/tag] through [tag]amazon.com[/tag] when it was first announced and received it Tuesday, Aug. 7. I really didn’t know what to expect as I haven’t purchased a book authored by this group previously, and this book is more of a “design your own garment” type of book than a “pick up and follow the pattern” book.

I admit it – I am impressed. The illustrations on how to adapt the garment to your particular type of yarn, or your measurements are extremely easy to understand. The primary idea of the book is the Knitter Fitter system which contains the Fitter List and the Sweater Map. The List is your measurements you need to know to get started, and the sweater map shows you how to get to the ending point of your garment. You are instructed how to add or subtract stitches to change yarns, proportions and styles of garments.

If you like to sub yarns in a pattern, or you buy yarn first and chose pattern second, this is the book to help you create your perfect sweater.

If you love [tag]Elizabeth Zimmerman[/tag] but need just a little more hand holding to get the perfect fit, this is definitely a must buy!

[tag]Lynne Vogel[/tag], author of The Twisted Sister Knit Sweaters is doing some book signings. [tag]Yarn Expressions[/tag] in Huntsville, Alabama is having a meet the author event on Sunday, August 26th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Not only will they have books for Lynne to sign, but she’s bringing some of her hand dyed yarn and fiber to sell.