Made in Brooklyn – a collection of original handknit designs in natural fibers, published with Classic Elite yarns and designed by Jared Flood from Brooklyn Tweed.

Some beautiful designs – sweaters for him and her, lace work and hats. As usual Jared’s designs are elegant with lovely detailing and without any fussiness or strange elements – and of course gorgeously photographed.

Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits by Wendy D. Johnson. Potter Craft; 1 edition (April 14, 2009).

Reviewed by: Dace lives in Tasmania, Australia, and loves to knit and sew for her grandchildren and many grand nieces and nephews.

A book for sock knitting enthusiasts.

This beautifully photographed and illustrated sock-knitting book by Wendy D Johnson caught my eye. I am a fairly experienced knitter of uncomplicated sweaters and jackets and baby wear but have not tried socks before, so was interested to see if this book would be a suitable guide for a sock starter.

My husband had been given 2 lovely pairs of hand knit socks as gifts but found he could not wear them as the ribbing was too tight around his fairly solid calves – so I got to keep both pairs, so I was especially interested to see if Toe Up socks would fit the bill and
not constrict the circulation.

My first impression in flicking through the book was of beautiful models sitting and standing in beautiful socks made of gorgeous yarns and it made me jealous of a life style where there are no chores! Are all hand knit socks designed to be worn for sitting around in or sleeping?

On closer examination I discovered a very good illustrated section on techniques perfectly suitable for beginners as well as experienced sock knitters who may not have tried the Toe Up technique before. Most socks had a smooth sole without a pattern, which was very welcome, as they would suit those of us with very sensitive feet. The Diamond Gansey style and all the vanilla styles could be worn with shoes or boots with reasonable comfort, however the Tribolite made me wince at the thought of wearing them inside a shoe. Casting off in loose ribbing and larger needles is much less likely to produce a tourniquet effect so this is a great style from that point of view.

The book would make a beautiful gift for a sock knitter with some experience, though it would be a lot easier to use if it were ring bound and sit flat while I was trying to test the pattern and had my hands full.

whilst reading purlbee I came across spud and chloe yarns – we featured their free cupcake pattern here last week and here is this delectable pattern for these tiny wee flowers. Their yarn is equally scrumptious.

There are so many wonderful crochet patterns available for beginners – but if you are truly a newbie – you might be wondering what the patterns actually mean …

Annie’s Attic has a great run down on standard abbreviations and how to go about translating a crochet pattern here : Crochet ‘n’ more has a good page on reading crochet patterns : I love nexStitch’s visual instructions on what the instructions say but also what they look like. : crochet spot has a good page on reading and translating crochet patterns and abbreviations : and here is some basics on how to read crochet charts : if you are not such a new crocheter and want to have a go at some Japanese crochet patterns – here is how to interpret those charts and instructions : and here are some UK v’s US crochet abbreviation differences.

After much scientific calculation – here are the most popular free patterns on ravelry. These patterns are all available online. Some fantastic designs from hats and socks to jackets and sweaters.

1. february lady sweater by pamela wynne
2. Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery published on knitty.com
3. Clapotis by by Kate Gilbert published on knitty.com
4. Saartje’s Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn (available in Dutch and English) Free Ravelry Download [image by hello yarn]
5. Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood
6. Owls Sweater by Kate Davies
7. Fetching mittens by Cheryl Niamath published at knitty.com
8. Jaywalker socks by Grumperina free ravelry download

Pattern Fitting With Confidence by Nancy Zieman. Krause Publications (July 21, 2008).

With so many people getting back into sewing their own clothing – there is an increasing need for books like this. Buying a pattern is all very well – but what if your body does not fit the stock standard shape your hips are size 12 but your bust in size 14 – what do you do?

This book, with really good diagrams throughout, takes you through the steps of fitting patterns to suit your body. How to take accurate measurements is a really good start – choosing styles that suit your body type, how to read the pattern correctly, orientate and know where you have ‘ease’ and where you don’t.

Then onto adjusting the pattern – advice is given on making changes to all areas of the pattern – increasing/decreasing the bustline/hipline/waistline, adding in extra darts, changing the sleeve shape or fullness, fixing the shoulder to fit etc… (using a piven and slide technique to adjust patterns).

The book does go into quite a bit of detail – and I am sure will be an excellent resource when trying out new patterns or when making a pattern from existing clothing.

Boutique Knits: 20+ Must-Have Accessories by Laura Irwin. Interweave Press (November 1, 2008).

One of the most visually appealing knitting books I have seen in a while – filled with super stylish designs (and gorgeous models). The stars of this book are definitely the hats – with beautiful 20’s style cloche hats with sweet ruffles, braiding, argyle lace, felted and fair isle with beads.

There is a definite 20’s flapper style / vintage romantic appeal to the designs throughout the book – with gauntlets, mittens, scarves, vests, wraps and bags (a beautiful little denim pleated purse and an unusual half felted bag with drawstring sides!). Not your everyday knits.

Mermaidia ankle socks by designer Christine Jeffery have a pretty lace pattern. Pattern here.

Knitty Gritty: Knitting for the Absolute Beginner by Aneeta Patel. A & C Black Publishers Ltd (August 1, 2008) (Distributed in Australia through Allen and Unwin)

I am an absolute beginner knitter, after being a crocheter for so long – I am excited by all the new possibilities, and am in the perfect place to review this book! Aneeta Patel runs knitting classes for adult beginner knitters, and all through her book is evidence that she really understands how adults learn, and how to teach knitting.

This book is full of very clear photos, diagrams and explanations for all sorts of knitting minutiae, like tension, needle sizes and yarns, casting on and off, increasing and decreasing, and most importantly picking up dropped stitches!

One of the best things about this book is the way the author views the reader as intelligent, but not assuming that a brand new knitter has any prior knowledge at all. My other favourite feature of this book how the projects are designed – using delicious yarns to make useful and gorgeous items, such as fingerless gloves, a lacy shawl, a cable bag and a child’s cardigan. No longer do complete beginners need to start out with ugly acrylic yarn to make endless squares or boring scarves!

Knitty Gritty is a wonderful companion for any beginner knitter.

About the reviewer: Kate is a busy mother of four and has far too many craft projects on the go at any one time. These could include, but are not limited to, crochet, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She makes babyslings in her freetime – find them here.

There have been a few staple online mags and resources on the scene for a while, but with new mags popping up here and there I thought I would try to do a bit of of a roundup and see how many I could find. If you know of any more please comment.

image: ‘lakeside’ lacy knee high socks from knotions magazine

knitty.com – quarterly knitting magazine with patterns and articles
ravelry.com - online knitting community – patterns, forums, wiki, and more
twist collective – new online mag with some really nice patterns [only a few free patterns] and articles
knotions - new online mag with some really cute patterns
the inside loopUK based mag – small range of nice patterns
teen knitter magazine – downloadable PDF – written by teens for teens.
meta post modern knitting
– stylish patterns
the anti-craft – lots of fun for the sinister crafters
who knits – some free patterns and articles – interesting article about the internet and free patterns
knitting pattern central – updated guide to free patterns available all over the web
knitting on the net – resource of patterns available on the web
popknits vintage inspired patterns
knitters review - resource guide and how-to articles
for the love of yarn – small online mag with a few interesting patterns.
black purl – ethnic inspired patterns
knit on the net - some nice patterns
free vintage knitting – resource for vintage knitting patterns
knitting help knitting videos
glamarama - vintage knitting patterns

Print magazines or yarn stores with a free online pattern section.
Rebecca
knit n style
coats and clark
elann
garn studio
lionbrand
lana grossa
sweater babe
jimmy beans wool
berroco
knitting daily - from interweave
vogue knitting online
knit1 magazine
rowan yarns
debbie bliss online
hello yarn
interweave knits
bernat
blue sky alpacas
yarn magazine
bead and opal wool queen
panda yarns
Patons yarn :: patons Yarns

other fibre craft online mags
spindlicity – for spinners
weavezine – for weavers
crochet uncut – new crochet mag
crochet me
joy of handspinning – for spinners

other resources:
diy life – extensive knitting tool kit guide

Languages other than English
Ulla (Finnish)
www.tejemanejes (Spanish)
pierrot (Japanese)