Shibori Knits: The Art of Exquisite Felted Knits by Gina Wilde, published by Potter Craft (August 26, 2008).
What a gorgeous cover, I was really drawn into this book by the hat that is featured on the cover. And indeed there are some really fabulous projects within the book too. But first up, what is shibori knitting? Shibori is basically a shape resist method from Japan used to dye textiles. This shape resist method has been borrowed to work with knitwear to create new possibilities for 3D design.
The fabulous and scary thing about the shibori shape resist method is the process of chance encounters, even when you follow the directions exactly it will not turn out the same – due to all the variables involved – heat, yarn, washing – but it is this process of chance that makes this method exciting and interesting.
Basically shape resist involves using hard objects such as wooden blocks, marbles or golf balls and tying the fabric/wool up around the objects, then washing/fulling and when the material dries and the objects are removed it leaves an interesting texture and 3D shape. All of this and more is explained in the introduction to this book: Types of yarns, understanding the process, how to swatch etc.
There are some really lovely simple experiments in shape resist with marbles and stones and other resist methods such as sewing in pleats leaving some wonderful organic textures. I found that some of the designs are more successful than others, and the term ‘shibori’ has been used quite loosely with many of felted knitwear projects. But over all it is a luscious book with lots to inspire.
Link, worth checking out other posts at this blog, a lot of tutorials.
Great idea for all those bits and pieces of left over wool. Link
Link
– If you have any tutorials you’ve created or found please feel free to email them
to whipup.tutorials[@]gmail.com
This is not your normal pattern book (though it does have 20 patterns) the real attraction is the inside view of the ten Fibre Farms and the different fibres they produce. (book website link)
Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn by Joan Tapper (Author), Gale Zucker (Photographer), published by Potter Craft (April 15, 2008).
Each chapter concentrates on a different fibre farm, I found each and every one of them totally enthralling. Anne from Meadowcroft Farm in Maine is working on a degree in Agriculture and Resource Economics while her husband restores the old house on their farm. She says running the farm is “part inspiration and part planning”. She loves to create systems and has essentially taken on the entire production process: growing her feed, selling livestock, selling wool and products like sweaters and blankets that create piecework jobs for home knitters and showcase her hand spun and hand dyed yarn. The images of her hand dyed wool left me wide eyed. She goes into some detail of the dying of the wool in that she carries salt water from the river up to the farm. She does quite a bit of experimenting with some natural dyes and some authentic aniline carbon based dyes, though she still favours indigo which she grows. But even with the detail she has gone into, it has certainly wet my appetite to read more. She offers two patterns which show off her use of dyes. I truly loved reading this chapter and wanted a whole book on each – in fact I wanted to jump on a plane and go visit!
This image is just one of the lovely patterns featured in the book – Montana Tunic –
Each of the ten chapters is about a different farm, different animals, different fibres and different skills and experiences in different areas in the USA. Each chapter, is a sample of the lives each of the people live on their so different properties. These are people living out their dream, something we are
not all able to do.
Each farm offers a couple of patterns from bags to adults and children’s cardigans, shawls and berets and socks all from different animal fibres. I personally liked the Mariposa Cardigan for a child from the Victory Ranch, and simply loved the photo of the child with the alpacas. The Welsh Travelling Socks from Autumn House Farm would be an inspiration for anyone to even learn to knit and possibly dye their own wool as well. For those who like weaving Kai Ranch show some hand dyeing and a photo of one of their lovely natural coloured rugs from mohair fleece.
Its a book I would recommend to anyone who themselves wanted their own little corner of the world and to those who enjoy various crafts and seeing what others have made and possibly make themselves its certainly inspiring.
About the reviewer: Janette lives in suburban Australia living out her own dream in her retirement. She spins, knits, and surrounds herself in all sorts of fibre related crafts.
