What a fabulous discovery Meg and Joyce made! They were called upon to review the instructions for kits to replicate Elsa Schiaparelli's fascinating sweater designs, featuring large, full-body patterns. "Intarsia," they said to each other. "Oh, well, I suppose someone has to do it," they privately thought. That is, until they took a close look at the instructions and discovered that there was no Intarsia anywhere in these garments. Instead, a method of trapping is used so that two colors are carried throughout the garment. What's more, the unused color is supposed to pop out a bit behind the foreground color, creating an extremely pleasing "tweedy" look.

The name of this new/old technique is Armenian Knitting, also the title of this wonderful book. It is not known precisely how it arose, but it was used by Armenian women living living in Paris as refuges of the 1915 genocide. They were employed by Elsa Schiaparelli, a cutting edge fashion designer of the 1930s and 1940s who hired them to knit her unique designs using their unique techniques. At the time of printing Armenian Knitting, there are no other known original examples of this style of knitting outside Schiaparelli's work.

I should add how very much I want to be able to share the photos of sweaters, vests and jackets with you -- the designs Meg and Joyce have created are nothing short of stunning. I didn't expect to be as excited about them as I am, that's for sure. In fact, I am beyond excited -- my fingers are fidgeting in impatience, so badly do I want to knit some of them.

Armenian Knitting is a joy - a new classic of a nearly-lost art.

What a delicious book this is! Terri Shea, a knitter and designer from Seattle, has captured the heart of this beautiful Norwegian knitting tradition and done so with enthusiasm coupled with a historians eye to wonderful detail. Here we learn that what became one of Norway's most prominent cottage industry - in this case the making of richly patterned mittens and gloves - had its beginnings in a challenge between two farm girls. The challenge to create designs on mittens in two colors was met and when the two girls wore their new creations to church, well, one thing let to another and Selbu became world famous for its extraordinary mittens.

However, this is not only a history book, not by a long shot. In addition to reproducing original instructions and contemporary material from Selbu, Terri Shea has added over 30 mitten and glove patterns from both Annemor Sundbø's private collection and that of the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle. There are photographs, charts and just everything you want in a pattern -- including clear, accurate instructions! Knitting just doesn't get any better - this is a book to work from and to treasure for the heritage it passes along.

From very simple to absolutely splendiforous, Inger Fredholm's wonderful book presents the world of Swedish and Fair Isle knitting from its most traditional to its most amazing possibilities. In doing so, Fredholm reveals herself to be a designer of remarkable capacity and creativity. Anyone interested in color pattern knitting or traditional design or how traditional design can transform to match or even lead modern tastes and sensibilities will not just want this book, but once possesed, will barely be able to set it down. It is just that exciting and inspiring.

Beginning with a series of "Simple Swedish" sweater, cap and afgan designs, all easy to knit, lovely and practical to wear, she quickly moves into (again, still simple) some innovative textured and lace garments. Once she has your attention, however, she moves quickly into the less simple (think "intermediate"): an elegant lace jacket, a lace jacket & skirt ensemble; and the not-to-be missed "Tango Dress".

And from there she pulls out all the stops with color, from simple two- or three-color patterning to fantastic and phenomenal 16 or 20 or 21 (or whatever - you get the picture) colors. Now, we all know that the use of many colors can either be kaleidoscopic or catastrophic - I can assure you that in Fredholm's case, her results are exquisite and scintillating. They also take Fair Isle knitting into realms few have travelled and are inspiring and exciting.

There's more: She offers instruction on her own method of carrying two colors, serves up a mouthwatering recipe for Swedish Cinnamon Buns, and tucks bits of history and design considerations throughout her book. This is one book that is a treasure, a classic the moment it left the presses. I guarantee you'll love it, too.

Annemor Sundbø, a native of Setesdal in Norway, has created a fascinating history of a region, a garment, the makers, and the details that place these sweaters in the pantheon of traditional folk garments. Opening the pages of her book is like stepping back in time, with local characters and events of a bygone era. In fact, her photographs of people, places, and advertising are joy to pour over -- you'll find yourself dreaming about these sweaters, so vivid is her presentation of the life behind the design.

Sundbø not only gives us the history of the "Louse Coat," but she ends the book with detailed instructions on for the characteristically embroidered plackets and cuffs and a long section of patterns from the historic sweaters throughout the book. If you are an experienced knitter, you will have no trouble converting these patterns into sweaters.

If you have less experience, but still long to make your own Setesdal sweater, all you need to do is follow Elizabeth Zimmermann's Percentage System (EPS) to calculate the specifics of your sweater. Her most refined presentation of the EPS is in Knitting Around, though her other books also have good sections on it. Knitting in the Old Way is another treasure you can mine for the information you need, and one that will place you in the heart of traditional, pattern-free knitting. And, if you've never done this before, you have my assurance that it is not at all difficult and that you will be delighted with your results.

Setesdal Sweaters is a rich and wonderful feast for any knitter - I love it more each time I take it off the shelf.

Here is a book you can turn to when you crave stunning design and innovative, fresh construction. Whether offering up a scarf or leading the knitter through the intricacies of a cardigan with all circular lines (you'll want to spend time looking at this one, for sure), Helen Hamann breathes vibrant new life into the possibilities of knit garment design. A fascinating aspect of her smashing designs is that the motifs and over all color schemes are as genuinely traditional as her designs and construction techniques are innovative, modern and inspiring.

This is a book to spend time with, dream with and go back to often. There is so much about design, color, what is old and what is new here that your relationship with this book can only flourish over time. Another must-have for the knitting colorist.

Solveig Hisdal is a highly acclaimed clothing and textile designer from Norway - and that acclaim is not without very good reason. She is the sort of designer who can look at paint peeling on a boat and turn those colors and textures into breathtaking fabric which she then turns into a garment of inspiring beauty. And that is what you'll find throughout Poetry in Stitches - you'll walk with her through some of Scandinavia's best heritage museums as she points out one treasure after another and tells you what is so very special about it. Then, you'll turn the page and discover one or more garments inspired by the antique clothing, painted boxes, seaside treasures and more. They will leave you breathless, as they left me. I have been reading and looking and revisiting this book more times than I can count since it arrived. She has created everything from a child's Christening outfit to a heart-stoppingly beautiful knitted bridal cardigan, from sweaters for daily wear to the most formal special occasions of all sorts. The designs are exquisite, gorgeous, lovely - and the lessons in how to allow our world to speak it's beauty to us are priceless.

There must be something wonderful about the Isle of Lewis, where Alice Starmore grew up. I've never even seen pictures of it, but I'm convinced that the countryside must be filled with a myriad of the most subtle colors imaginable, and as many textures for the hand and forms for the eye. Perhaps the Gaelic spoken there is one of those languages where there are hundreds of words for, say, 'blue,' so vast do I believe its design pallette must be. How else can you explain Starmore's ability to mix and blend so many colors and fibers into sweaters that are as cutting-edge modern as they are traditional?

Whether or not the real Isle of Lewis matches the one of my dreams, the designs in The Celtic Collection are breathtaking and inviting. Some are misty color blends, others almost wildly vibrant. Each of them beckons your hands and needles, and there isn't a one of them that isn't a celebration of graceful style, that wouldn't be just wonderful to wear.

Mosaic Knitting was originally published in 1976 and then languished out-of-print for many years. Every knitter interested in exploring a fascinating method of color pattern knitting, or just seeing yet another example of Barbara Walker's astonishing depth of research and comprehension of technique, can rejoice that this book is again available. Walker has even created 116 more mosaic designs which are (gasp) rotationally symmetrical. I especially love her embrace of ancient symbols - you will find dozens of variations of Sun Symbols, labyrinths, Wheels and more. Meg Swansen is right - this woman never ceases to amaze.

For those not familiar with mosaic knitting, it is a method of two-color knitting in which you need to deal with only one color per row; you'll need to know only how to knit (sometimes purl) and slip a stitch. In the author's words, mosaic knitting is a "beginner's paradise." The first chapter contains instructions for reading the charts; once you've mastered that, you can sail on through the charted designs.

Knitters, it's time to break out the champagne (being careful not to spill any on your knitting, of course)! Woolly Thoughts is back in print!!!

Woolly Thoughts is a book that knitters (at least on the North American side of the pond) began hearing about in earnest at just about the same moment that it became unavailable. Now, frustration turns to joy as we can all feast at the table of Pat and Steve's endlessly creative method of modular knitting, a method that offers a bullet proof fitting technique alongside open-ended, scintillating creativity of design.

How do they do this? Well, they are both mathematics teachers, amazing in their ability to make everything clear and fun. Right from the start, they forge a pathway to knitting heaven by having you take out whatever yarn you like, your choice of needles, and a small calculator. What happens next is a guided tour through a mosaic of shapes and colors -- all of them easy, all of them fascinating and beautiful. With Pat and Steve at your side, you can truly forget about conventional knitting patterns and follow your imagination whereever it leads you.

Happily and heavily illustrated throughout, with a section of color plates showcasing some of Pat's creations, Woolly Thoughts brings you everything you need for a lifetime of joyous knitting.

Intarsia knitting, despite its undeserved poor reputation, can in fact be enjoyable and yield wonderful results. On this disc Lucy demonstrates the preparation for serene knitting, tackling the first few rows, reading charts, tangle reduction and resolution. Learn how to maximize the number of ends that may be knitted in and to make the best use of those tails which do require darning. Also included are a number of cool rescue techniques.

Contents:

Introduction to Intarsia

• Wrapping your head around intarsia!
• What is intarsia knitting?
• Comparison with a stranded fabric
• Stranded fabric examples
• Intarsia fabric example
• Why bother with all these bits of yarn?

Chart Preparations

• Regular v. one-row holes
• Looking at types of charts
• Preparing your chart
• Simplifying your chart
• Making a shade card
• To count stitches or not?
• Easy or tricky?

Yarn and Tool Preparation

• Yarn palette preparation
• Butterflies or bobbins?
• Measured lengths
• Useful tools
• Choosing needles
• Gauge considerations

The First Few Rows . . .

• Reading your chart
• Weaving in tails on the horizontal
• Weaving the tails up and down or over & over?
• Reading the chrt from the purl side
• Linking yarns

Onwards . . .

• How the yarns link arms
• The missing link
• Living with and resolving tangles
• Darning hints - when is hole not a hole
• Joining a new piece of yarn
• Diagonal slopes
• Shallow diagonal slopes
• Horizontal colour change
• Balance theory

Reading WS Rows

• Inverting the chart
• Working from right needle to the left
• Emergency yarn join
• Using marker yarns for reference

Transformation Tips

• Naturally occurring holes
• Ends near edges
• Vertical yarn joins
• Neatening a short-tail vertical yarn join
• Un-simplifying

Rescue Techniques

• Unpicking row by row
• Unpicking a single section
• Laddering back
• Duplicate stitch
• Surgical replacement

Now that you enjoy intarsia, here are some sophisticated skills to help you tackle special situations: long horizontal colour jumps without breaking the yarn or having to think ahead, as well as a selection of slick tricks to make life easier. Explore textured stitches within color blocks, sculpted shapes and how to analyze patterns to see what lies ahead.

Contents:

Sophisticated Skills

• Introduction to long horizontal color jumps
• Long horizontal color jumps - yarn ahead and behind
• Why not think ahead?
• Starting a yarn with a single stitch
• Why bother with intarsia?
• Single stitch lines

Sneaky Tricks

• Outlining - using two ends of one piece of yarn
• Neatening an outline from a point
• Two-row stripes
• Exploiting variegated yarns
• Chequerboards adn the double-tail weave
• Big and little stitches on vertical joins
• Comparison of double-tail weave methods
• Housebricks
• Swapping yarns at the top of a shape
• Using yarns double
• Problem points
• The alpha darn

Mixing Your Stitches

• Mixing your stitches
• Garter stitch
• Reverse stocking stitch
• Mixing reverse and stocking stitches

Pattern Analysis

• A simple star?
• Planning yarn routes
• Cute = dangerous!
• Two legged shapes
• Intarsia or stranded?
• Jagged shapes

Fancy Variations

• Sculpted intarsia examples
• Sculpted intarsia technique
• Mixing stranded with intarsia
• Intarsia sections behind a background yarn - comparison
• We all roll over and one falls out
• Howard's technique

If you are ready for new color pattern designs, some wonderful adaptations, emendations and expansions of traditional sweater construction, and runway quality style, then Knitting out of Africa is the book for you.

I confess that when I first heard of Knitting out of Africa, I was very skeptical -- I really don't like knitting books that artificially graft different cultures' design sensibilities into knitting just so they can be "different." I was afraid that Knitting out of Africa would be one of these.

I was so wrong. Isager's book, as its subtitle declares, is truly inspired. Each and every sweater uses motifs and constructions that reflect a different African culture in ways that bring something really new and wonderful into the world of knitting. The resulting sweaters range from extremely beautiful to breathtaking to stunning - all this while speaking deeply and and warmly of the people who created the original designs that inspired these new/old/wonderful works of art.

Knitting out of Africa is a book to love, to knit from, to be inspired by. I can hardly wait to see, ten years down the road, how its vision will have permeated our knitting culture -- it's that sort of book.

Wow! Am I inspired! This is the most exciting book on color knitting to come along in years!! 40+ projects that explore knitting with color. Knitters move from being intimidated by the choices to being excited by the possibilities as the skill-building chapters put color into practice. Clear, step-by-step photographs lead knitters through a progression of new methods punctuated by fabulous and fun projects to knit. The 36 designs range from simple to classic to unexpected and are presented multiple times showcasing different techniques, mixing and matching to yield more than 80 total projects. Sally helps us all to take our craft to the next level. Sizes go up to 2X.

In this, Sally's first book, we can already see elements of knitting genius at play. Sally began with the premise that most of us have a knitting stash which, if dumped in the middle of our living room floor would reveal a hodge podge of many different yarns and colors. She also recognized that this dumping of our stash would leave most of us convinced that the best thing to do with this chaotic mess would be to get it out of sight as quickly as possible.

Which is where she steps in to not only save the day (and the stash!), but to guide us in understanding how to use a variety of colors and weights together for results that are often stunning, even understated, and elegant. Really. Her lessons in sorting and color combining are followed by 27 great designs that will leave you well-dressed and inspired. There are patterns for men, women and children and each one is as fresh and delightful as the next. Following her guidelines, your resulting sweaters, jackets and more will be so beautiful and so unique that no one will believe you that you had previously lost hope of ever using those yarns again.

Meg Swansen created a contest for her annual Knitting Camps one year: Over the course of the following year, campers were to take pure Shetland Wool (which comes in 167 colors) and using either Fair Isle or all-over designs, create new and wonderful sweaters, vests and hats.

The 38 sweaters in Sweaters from Camp are the results of this assignment -- and, my oh my, what designs! I have learned more from this book than I can recount about the way color and design interact; about what creates movement and what makes for a still, settled feeling; about how to set the rules aside and let the forms and colors tell you what they need.

And I have smiled and laughed, too. The stories some of the campers tell about how their sweaters sprang into being (or were dragged, struggling, into being) are a delight -- and further inspiration to continue working at color-pattern knitting, and life itself.

It is, however, the techniques chapter that bowled me over and left me awestruck with admiration. I have not found a single color-pattern technique, traditional or newly-discovered, that is not here. And the way they are described is exceptional in both clarity and usefulness. For instance, the 2 pages on Steeks, those wonderful bits of knitted space that allow you to continue knitting in the round right through the sleeve holes, is the best ever and should convey enough confidence that anyone who ventures into color knitting will happily try it.

An adventure in color - a wonderful book!

Discover the joys of knitting a yoke sweater. Meg's sweaters offer two style options: a textured sweater using Bavarian Traveling Stitches or a color-pattern sweater evocative of Icelandic designs. She also gives you instructions for either a 42" adult's sweater or a 27" child's version. Not to mention marvelous instruction for techniques as well as some delightful, chatty insights. This DVD is a treat, both to watch and to learn from.

Some of the techniques you'll discover:

• Two kinds of cast-on
• Phoney seams
• Hems
• Short Rows & Wrapping
• Knitting Back Backwards
• Mirror-image increases
• Travelling stitch
• Weaving
• Sewn Casting Off

Meg Swansen's Knitting is a delicious "coffee table" book that will never just sit on the table looking pretty (although it is beautiful!), but will be constantly thumbed through, gazed at, and worked with. Like all Elizabeth Zimmermann/Meg Swansen books, this one holds a lavish array of eminently sensible and ingenious knitting advice, woven through with cozy excursions into family history that gave rise to each invention or design.

Meg has taken color-pattern design to its zenith, blazed trails with textured knitting, and plumbed the depths of construction techniques. In Meg’s hands, ordinary corners and intersections become sacred niches, where designs meet in captivating geometry. Several simple cardigans, suitable for a less confident knitter, are included as well. Meg shares all this with a generosity of spirit and a warm clarity, putting it between the covers of this luxuriously designed book.

Cat Bordhi tells me that this is the book she goes to most often when she wants to research a technique or just browse for inspiration. This is not surprising -- with the exception of actual knitting and purling, which Meg does expect you already know how to do, there is so far no technique that I have thought to look up that is not fully described and clearly illustrated. Even the most advanced knitter will find some new tricks, such as Meg’s PWYC – purl when you can – a method of avoiding fabric curl. You’ll also find a comprehensive collection of I-cord methods and applications, including a 2-stitch I-cord cast-off, a 4-sided/ 3-stitch I-cord, and an empirical method of determining how to make applied I-cord match the edge it travels along. One technique not to be missed is the sewn cast-off, which gives an elastic and beautiful edge, guaranteeing comfortable necklines, cuffs, etc. All this is nestled up to the gorgeous fashion-plate photography of Meg's remarkable designs.

And, as if that weren't more than could be reasonably expected. Meg gives us lovely vignettes about the world of knitting, about Elizabeth Zimmermann (Meg is Elizabeth's daughter), life in rural Wisconsin, and some very entertaining "stories behind the stitches."

A great book - one to be used and cherished.

Sheila McGregor's Traditional Fair Isle Knitting introduced me to the world of color-pattern knitting. I remmeber what a wonderful breakthrough it was for me when I learned to carry one color in my right hand and the other color in my left hand for smooth non-stop knitting. If you haven't learned that technique yet, I can assure you that it is easier to do it than to think about doing it, and that you'll be sailing along with two colors in no time.

I also remember marvelling at the Celtic inventiveness that discovered a way to double the thickness of a wool garment while creating beautiful colored designs that make the heart rejoice. I'm still in awe of the knitting techniques that allowed these handknitters to develop speeds of 2 and even 3 stitch per second. Whew!

In this definitive guide, McGregor shows how any circular knitting technique can yield the Fair Isle patterns. There are more than 70 pages of designs, so you'll have plenty to choose from. Additionally, there is practical advice on garment design and the use of color. Back in print after too many years' absence, this is probably the best source of authentic Fair Isle patterns ever written. Enjoy!

This is another one of those books that I have referred to countless times -- only recently reprinted after years of languishing in the nether world of out-of-print books.

Sheila McGregor is a master of both Scandinavian knitting and writing about it-- the book is filled with clearly explained techniques, hundreds of knitting patterns, and garment instructions for sweaters, gloves, mittens, stockings and caps. She also gives us an in-depth treatment of the different styles of knitting throughout the Scandinavian world - from Norway, Sweden and Denmark to the North Atlantic Islands of Faeroe and Iceland.

A great resource that you'll go back to again and again.

Imagine all the things you really love about traditional Scandinavian knitting - the color, the textures, the style that is at once rugged and beautiful. Now imagine cutting-edge knitting designers taking those same elements and using them in ways that take your breath away, where texture, color and line meet with such energy and in such unexpected ways that you can't take your eyes off the resulting garments because they are so alive with beauty and joy.

This is what you'll find in Norsk Strikkedesign (which, contrary to the impression the title gives, is in English). The garments range from elegant to whimsical, from high-fashion to practical-yet-amazingly-beautiful. I think I learned more about garment design from gazing at the photos in this book than in any other single place. If garment design and the fusion of style elements interests you, this book is a must-read.

Latvian Dreams is a unique book in that it is as much about charting your own course as a knitter as it is about exploring Latvian textile design as a source of magnificent knitted creations. In fact, Joyce Williams' book is so densely packed with both sorts of information that it alone could easily supply inspiration and discovery for years of knitting.

As a conservator of traditional heritage (she is not Lativian, but does love these Latvian weaving charts), Joyce Williams as done nothing less than save these charts from extinction. She found them in books published in 1950, during the Soviet occupation of Latvia, and knew immediately that though intended for the loom, they would also make beautiful knitwear. In the process of copying them for her own use, one thing led to another and she found herself knitting and designing for all of us. Thus was this book born.

And, speaking of knitting out of the box, these designs are really something. There are socks with a heel so different that it's copywritten; Joyce discovered the joys of using two circular needles for socks, sleeves and other small diameter things just minutes before Cat Bordhi did; her construction techniques and use of design elements can teach all of us so much.

However, in my estimation, the most valuable thing about Latvian Dreams is that Joyce Williams devotes an enormous amount of her book to discussing how and why she arrived at a technique, design choice, etc. -- with an eye to giving us the information we need to go our own way, in whatever direction we choose. In fact, she is so grateful for the freedom she found through Elizabeth Zimmerman's work that she is determined to carry her knitting readers into those same clear blue skies of personal design -- and then some. For instance, after clearly and completely discussing the hows and whys of determining one's gauge, she then goes on to explain why she never does a gauge swatch anymore, how that change came about, and gives some guidelines as to when it most likely isn't necessary. My kind of woman!

What a beautiful, rich book this is! Mittens in Latvia are in many ways the symbol of the ties that bind, not just bride and groom but the bride to her husband's new family. They are also, in many ways, the seeds of prosperity and fertility for the new couple -- when the bride has at at last given away the 100 to 200 mittens she knit throughout her childhood and youth in preparation for her marriage, the trunk in which they were carried remains open, and fills with the communities outpouring gifts for the new couple.

Latvian folk songs and poems festoon this book that is both sweet and exciting -- sweet with the heart's love that has always surrounded the making of these mittens; exciting because the use of color and folk designs opens new vistas and carries us into lands and lives both ancient and timeless.

In addition to cultural history and folklore, Lizbeth introduces us to the symbols that appear knitted into these amazing mittens, and then takes us district by district through Latvia, knitting mittens typical of each place along the way. There are wonderful and mysterious-looking cast-ons, edges, and finishes as well - all clearly explained for you to knit. Seeing these mittens and imagining all the pre-nuptual knitting a prospective bride might do to arrive at a trunk full of jewel-like creations to bestow upon her in-laws, well, it just warms the heart.

Good evening, maiden's mother
As you see my hands are freezing;
All the while my mitten knitter
Snugly in your room is sitting.

- Latvian Courting Folk Song

In my opinion, is one of the most resourceful and interesting techniques to appear in any knitting tradition. The art of using two two strands of yarn simultaneously is not unusual and can be found in every knitting tradition where people had access to dyestuffs. What is done here, though, takes the process a step further by twining the yarns as they are knit. The result? A fabric that is wonderfully warm, sturdy though soft, with design characteristics that embody both color pattern knitting and textured knitting at one and the same time.

If you haven't already tried it, the technique does take a bit of getting used to -- the yarns are carried over one finger of the right hand and then the finger is moved to present alternate strands in a way that twines them as you knit. It's well worth the effort of learning something new as the results are both gorgeous and practical -- and it isn't all that difficult once you get the rhythm of it. Try it, you'll love it!

I never thought I could love a technique like this - from where I sat (notice the past tense) this sort of knitting seemed a bit too contrived, lacking some of the heart-warmth that draws me to knitting in the first place. That was before Cat Bordhi showed up at my door wearing a Rainbow Jacket she had made (instructions are in the book - kits are also available at several places online). I confess I was blown away by the fluid beauty of it. What you can't see in the photos, though the photos in this book are outstanding, is what happens when a shadow knit garment is worn and the wearer walks across the room. The whole garment comes to life, the colors move and flow in and out of each other, patterns jump to the surface and disappear just as quickly. The overall effect is gorgeous and tantalizing and ultimately very beautiful in the way that a flowing brook is very beautiful. The heart and warmth of this knitting technique lies in its ever-changing color and texture brought about when these carefully planned designs spring to life as they are worn. What could be better! I'm now planning my own sweater and can hardly wait to see it emerge between my needles.