Yarn Pr0n

Over the weekend I did go yarn shopping and bought a couple of balls.


and this


and then I heard about what This is Knit had in...


A few balls of Malabrigo and a ball of Debbie Bliss Amalfi lost in the corner...

Everyday Style - Classic Knits for Women

Name of Book: Everyday Style- Classic Knits for women
Author: Carol Rasmussen Noble
Any other info: 156477595X, Martingale, 2006

Types of patterns: Garments with a few accessories

Number of Patterns: 14: Jumper (6); Top (5); Shawl (1); Cardigan (2)

Split of patterns: Women

Size Range: 34-52 (these sizes aren't reflected in all patterns but are a random sampling)

Colour/Black & White: Colour

Schematics: yes

Target Audience: Beginner to early intermediate

How to knit guide: Yes, with some advice on things like buttonhole placement and other useful hints, however the author takes on a little bit of a "my way is best attitude"

Experimental/Classical/Modern: Wavers between Classical and Modern

Comments: does not feel like a 2006 book, comes across as earlier. For me it commits one of the cardinal sins of knitwear books, several of the patterns have no pictures on real people, this often leads me to wonder if there is something fundamentally wrong with the design. Some of the designs are quite interesting, none made me want to reach for my needles, and some just made me want to ask the author what she was thinking.

Pleated Shirt: It's a JUMPER not a shirt, a jumper with a collar, knitted in shetland wool (Aran weight) with an interesting stitch detail, it claims that it's flattering due to the patterning and slimming, however no picture of a real person in it means we have no way of judging this, the cuff and collar detail is interesting.

Peonies: An interesting top, listed as worsted weight yarn, the shell/fan pattern will cling to "assets". This top features on most copies as the cover. Could be a good pattern, could be too clingy for some

Desert Lichen: Square top with collar. No person pictured, light worsted weight yarn

Gansey Gold: this gansey with a long rib looks interesting and has potential, no person pictured in it. Knit in worsted

Highland Mist: A Crest o'the Wave stole in laceweight, modelled

Mrs Laidlaw's Pattern: A pretty typical fingering-weight jumper in a pretty typical pattern. Looks okay.

Spring Surprise: Fitted vest or top. CHUNKY NOVELTY YARN alert, with ribbon ties. This is actually modeled by a person... and it's actually FITTED!

Sand and shore: A cardigan in DK, with a pretty simple overall pattern, round neck cardigan, not modeled.

Pralines and Cream: Chunky Thick and Thin yarn., boxy jumper with a small detail around the neck.

Tweed Comfort: DK polo-knit jumper with moss stitch overall pattern, boxy, modelled

Sea and Seashells: While this is also boxy, the pattern helps fit it to a person, light worsted weight, slash neck jumper, modelled.

Blue Hawaii: Bottom Lace and turtleneck, this is actually begging to be given a different neckline. Pretty on some it would be unflattering on others, modelled. DK weight

Starburst: Fluffy yarn tank top, unmodelled (I wouldn't have)

Watercolours: Round neck cardigan that's almost a v-neck, raglan sleeves. Modelled in a size that looks a little small for the model. Worsted weight it's a good pattern for variagated yarns and the fronts and back are knit in one piece to the armholes.

Overall not a bad read but really let down by not having some not modelled. A mixed bag of patterns that are possibly more beginner or beginner stretching their skills than where I'm at.

Buy/Borrow: Borrow, you might like it enough to buy but to be honest there are better patterns on Knitty.

Where found: Interlibrary Loan via Borrowbooks from Donegal

Name of Book: One Ball Knits: Accessories
Author: Fatema, Khadija and Hajera Habibur-Rahman
Any other info: 0823033228, Watson-Guptil Publications, 2008

Types of patterns: accessories & garments mostly

Number of Patterns: 20; Jewelry (3); Belt (2); brooch (1); scarf (2); Shawl/wrap (3); Fingerless Gloves (2); Hat (1); Legwarmer (1); Bag (2); socks (1); Caplet (1); Shrug (1); Vest (1); Poncho (1)

Split of patterns: womens

Size Range: no size or one size fits all; vest only sized garmetn in 32-38"

Colour/Black & White: Colour photos, black and white schematics

Schematics: Yes

Target Audience: mostly beginner, some intermediate stuff

How to knit guide: Yes

Experimental/Classical/Modern: Pretty classical

Comments: Take one ball make some accessories and you might get this book, there are some unusual stuff here, like the hand jewelry or Panja and the earrings and necklace, the stuff isn't very edgy but is quite classical, the kind of book that could sit on your shelf until you had that oddball looking for a project.

Buy/Borrow: I'd take a look at it and see if you like it, I liked some of the projects but it's nothing I don't already have really. If I had come across it earlier in my career I might have gone for it.

Where found: Donegal libraries via Borrowbooks

25 more Bags to Knit

Name of Book: 25 More bags to knit
Author: Emma King
Any other info: 1843403722, Collins & Brown, 2007

Types of patterns: accessories: Bags

Number of Patterns: 25

Split of patterns: Women's bags

Size Range: Small to large

Colour/Black & White: Colour

Schematics: No but dimensions are given

Target Audience: Mixture of beginner and intermediate

How to knit guide: A guide on some of the more advanced techniques like inartasia and bead knitting

Experimental/Classical/Modern: Classical

Comments: Nothing here made me want to reach for my needles but that's more a reflection on me than the actual patterns. There's a good variety of handbags in this, particularly the hand-held variety with a few shoulder bags as well. A good place to start for some interesting bags and possibly to get inspiration, some of them could be adapted with some changes and different stitch patterns used.

Buy/Borrow: I'd borrow this one to see if it's to your taste, if you're a bag knitter this one isn't a bad example of that genre.

Where found: Meath County Libraries have a copy I borrowed through the Borrowbooks (borrowbooks.ie) scheme

100 afghans to Knit and Crochet

Name of Book: 100 Afghans to Knit and Crochet
Author: Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss
Any other info: 1402740271, 2006, sterling publishers



Types of patterns: Afghans

Number of Patterns: 100

Split of patterns: Knit: 14 patterns Crochet 86

Size Range: baby rugs to throws

Colour/Black & White: Colour

Schematics: No

Target Audience: A mixed bag of experience but some knowledge of US terms vs UK terms is advised (listed in the back of the book)

How to knit guide: No, some guides on some of the more complicated stitches

Pretty classical stuff

Comments: Throws fall into three real categories here: Squares sewn up, strips sewn up and work it all in one go starting at the side or bottom. Most of the knitted ones are single units with a few strips thrown in, a lot of the crochet ones are squares, which makes it a good thing for people trying to use up leftovers and also useful if you want to change the size. It is more crochet than knit so wouldn't be as useful to most knitters as crocheters. Some of the Afghans are pretty basic and I do like how many of them look.

Buy/Borrow: I'd borrow to see if it's what you want, if you're into making afghans or throws this is possibly one of the better ones out there, particularly for crocheters.

Where found: Dublin City Public Libraries have a few copies and I got them to note the UK vs US terms issue on the barcoded front page of the book.

Designer Knitting

Name of Book: Designer Knitting
Author: Hugh Ehrman ed.
Any other info: 1986, Century, 0712630236

Types of patterns: Garments

Number of Patterns:

Split of patterns: Men/women/children

Size Range: Oversized

Colour/Black & White: Both in the photos and B&W hcarts, mostly hand drawn.

Schematics: No

Target Audience: intermediate to advanced

How to knit guide Yes

Mostly classic 80's some could survive into now.

Comments: Sue Bradley; Sue Duckworth; Kaffe Fassett; Annabel Fox; Mary Hobson; Zoe Hunt; Sasha Kagan all have patterns in this.

Sue Bradley:
Japanese Stripe - jumper with a button-on collar, false buttoning for a double breasted look and batwing sleeves. While she claims Yoshimi Kihara it could also be inspired by Mondarin
Batwing - a side-to side, asymetric cardigan that makes my head hurt, described as "roomy"
Crisp Cotton - I looked at it and wondered what the collar looked like under the frill and then read the description, the frill is the collar *headdesk* Loose fitting with fair isle in a "fine mercerized cotton so it will be quite time-consuming to knit". Time possibly spent in wiser pursuits

Susan Duckworth:
Ruched Cardigan - if the title wasn't enough can I also throw in Fair Isle motifs, she did
String of beads - cotton jumper with bobbles and horizontal stripes, together
Basketweave Sweater - Could be interesting, entrelac piece with fairly small squares, I think that leaving the pattern out could be a good thing, the 3/4 length sleeves actually compliment it.
Tartary - Big Flowers on a cotton jacket. The photographer found matching trousers. My brain hurts.
Peony - "roomy" with leaves and flowers and "wide full sleeves"

Kaffe Fassett
Jeweled Stripes - a sleeveless pullover with multiple stripes, only for the thin
Feathers - Kaffe's Classic Feathers pattern, interesting and complicated but with a very boxy look here in a unisex cardigan.
Chintz - busy large flower big fitting sweater. Not one of my favourites of his.
Star Jacket - Big bulky jacket with large stars


Annabel Fox
Viking - boxy heraldic jumper that you could possibly knit for a man by eliminating most of the designs in favour of one or two.
Caribbean Cotton - Abstract fruit and flowers on a cropped jumper

Mary Hobson
Scottie - a cardigan with a high FRILLED collar a row of scotties, puffed sleeves and applied frill. *shudder*
Florentine Check - roll neck sweater with a grid pattern emphasised by metal studs, without them this would be quite a boring jumper.
Harlequin - an almost polo shirt but with 3/4 length sleeves and a busy diamond pattern in vertical stripes.
Geometric - Blocks of colour in a boxy jumper with a collared neckline. Quite busy but has potential for subtler shades
Purely Pretty. Well if your pretty has slit sleeves, anghora, cabled ribs and puff sleeves, yeah, pretty.
Bobbles for two - Squares of bobbles interspersed with plain squares, and there are multiple colour bobbles.
Honeycomb - Pink, Mohair, dolman-sleeve, frilled ruff collar, tasselled ties.... need I say more?

Zoe Hunt
Chinese Puzzle - Kids jersey with tangram style shapes.
Peacock Jacket - Zoe Hunt - puff sleeved, short cardigan with mohair
Nordic Jazz - I'm really not sure where the nordic comes in here but this is a pretty busy kids jumper, you might convince a kid into it but I'm not sure that many adults would be convinced into the adult version.

Sasha Kagan
Aztec - slipover with horizontal stripes that uses interesting textile mix and ideas.


Buy/Borrow: If you own any Kaffe Fasset books you have the patterns, this is a trainwreck of a book

Where found: Dublin City Public Libraries has a copy.

Knitability

Name of Book: knitability
Author: Linda O'Brien and Gyles Brandreth
Any other info: Collins, 1987, 0004122429


Types of patterns: Garments

Number of Patterns: Jumper (14); childrens jumper (9); vest (2); Cardigan (2); Childrens cardigan(3)

Split of patterns: Men/women/children

Size Range: Adult 86-112cm (34-44"); Children's 66-81cm (26-32in)

Colour/Black & White: Colour photos Black and white charts

Schematics: No

Target Audience: Intermediate, much colourwork lurking

How to knit guide: A basic guide

Classical 80's

Comments: While there are a few patterns here that would work well as Halloween Costumes/jumpers most suffer from being from the 80's and mohair. The Kids patterns would be marginally acceptable but most of them would get the kids teased, possibly rightly so.

Buy/Borrow: Borrow to understand how nasty it can be. and why complicated inartasia and mohair should NEVER happen.

Where found: Dublin City Public Libraries have a copy.

Bainin Hemlock

This weekend I'm going to Galway for my Nieces' Christening. The yarn was from an Aunts' collection. She died a few years ago from Breast Cancer and was my brother's (the father of my niece) godmother. I thought it would be apt and continuing history with family.



It's the Hemlock ring Blanket, basically an adapted doily pattern, a very clever idea.

Hat Knit

Ireland had a cold spell recently and I was sick for a week which led to some knitting getting done.

Cabled Ringoli Hat link to PDF


from the top:


In some yarn dyed by the Dublin Dye Company who sell through This is Knit This was an aran weight yarn that they don't really do anymore but it was fun to knit. Several people have asked me how I managed to get the variety of variagation on it, I just knit it straight from the ball and I love how it worked.

Amazon.com link: Inspired to Knit: Creating Exquisite Handknits

Name of Book: Inspired to Knit
Author: Michele Rose Orne
Any other info: 9781596680418, Interweave Press, 2008

Types of patterns: mostly women's garments a few accessories.

Number of Patterns: 21: Cardigan/Jacket (8); Caplet (1); Gauntlets (1); Shrug (2); Coat (1); Tunic (1); Jumper (1); Blouse (1); Top (2); Camisole (1); Halter (1); Skirt (1)

Split of patterns: Women

Size Range:34.5"-55.5" (87.5-141cm); not all garments cover these sizes, they were taken from a random sampling of sizes

Colour/Black & White: Colour photographs and sketches; colourwork charts in colour, other charts in black and white

Schematics:yes; and with a lot of detail. Bottom to waist measurements, waist to underarm, underarm to top, waist, bottom and bust information, makes it easier to change any details you want.

Target Audience: Intermediate with some advanced ideas thrown in.

How to knit guide: for some of the more complex concepts

Some of it is pretty classical with some modern twists, some of it will date.

Comments: There are three levels to this book. The first is the patterns, more of which later, the second is the idea of moving from design sketch to design; some design notes that would give you further ideas and some notes on making it your own, how to change some things and retain the concept. The third are the Design workshop ideas, four in all reflecting the four parts the book is divided in (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer); all asking people to look further at what inspires you. There are times though that the author comes across as a bit pretentious.

The patterns are divided by season, first being Autumn
The Indian Summer Cardigan is an interesting but boxy cardigan, wouldn't suit everyone but has potential, the leaf shapes on the tip are inerestingly contrasted by the step concept below the waist, it has the 3/4 length sleeves that many people like

The Amber Beaded Cardigan is in gold with beads, quite a nice piece with a little lace on the bottom and a contrast around the edge. The sleeves are flared and full.

Walk in the Woods Jacket. Leaves and flowers in colourwork, you either like this or hate this, again the sleeves are flared and full.

Coral Roses Jacket - long jacket with a belt and inartasia large roses along the hem with a single rose on the back. Could be interesting on the right person, the sleeves use some cablework to pull them in at the bottom and some colourwork at the bottom

Fair Isle Caplet and Gauntlets. This got the most mockery at the Friday Fiber Fun session I brought this to. It isn't pictured with outdoor wear under and I think that detracts from it's possible usefulness. Very not my sort of things

Winter has: Shimmer Lace Shrug, more a cropped cardigan really and it would be cute as either an evening-wear item or possibly a wedding wear item. nice stuff

Snowdrift Cardigan, Cabling at the cuffs and collar that's quite bulky, nice concept but I don't know that it would be all that practical.

Winter Wonderland Coat - cables on the bottom, plain top, cabled cuffs to the elbow, deep collar to show off a nice scarf, this has a lot of potential, though, you'd have to make sure that the end of the cables hit you in the right place, it would be a spectacular piece. Usefully the schematics do show the different "hit" points so pretty easy to adjust.

Evergreen Sleeve Tunic - BIG Bulky knitting for a huge jumper. Looks big on the model, not my sort of thing.

Whisper Cuff Cardigan - torn on this one, large collaring with cables and sleeves with some inset details make it look interesting but I'm not sure that it would stay on well.

Frost Flower cuff Pullover. Interesting lazy daisy stitch embroidery with beading jazzes up this moss stitch jumper, the raglan sleeves with the cabling are also an interesting touch. The beads are sewn in afterwards so you could leave it out or substitute. The bead placement and embroidery are shown as concept rather than clearly worked out.

Spring has: the lily of the valley shrug, shaping created by the stitching, edging added, this isn't a bad design

Seed-Stitch Poet Jacket is a cardigan with an attached scarf with lacework, quite nice looking piece and could work well to dress up a summer dress for a spring or autumn wedding.

The Victorian Lace Blouse also provoked some discussion. It's quite fussy in places but I could see myself getting rid of the flouncing and knitting it as an under-shirt for some of the corsets I own. Underwear as outerwear and it would need careful planning when wearing as the lace needs camisole or such under it.

The Vintage Linterie Top is not the best, the contrast piece underbust doesn't quite work for me, that could be just the photos. Not a bad piece, again could be useful as a corset underwear.

Summer has the Tiny Twists Camisole, interesting detail for the strap, not so sure about the body of the piece, still if that's what you enjoy...

Ribbed Halter - if you like halter tops this might be the piece for you. Made from the centre out it would be easily adjustable for most bodies.

Papillion Cardigan a short-sleeved cardigan with lace skirt andd contrast trip on the edge and cuffs.

Wedding Ensemble is a two-piece garment with a short sleeved top with lace caps and hem and a tiered skirt. I like the top but the skirt is too fussy for my taste.

Buy/Borrow: I own a copy, there are also copies in the Dublin City Public Libraries, if you're looking to start adjusting and designing it's a good book to kickstart ideas. It also helps that some of the patterns are quite pretty. The design notes and make it your own along with the well-drawn schematics make many of the patterns very adaptable, a feature not enough books have.

Where found: Dublin City Public Libraries have some in stock.