Teach Yourself Visually – Knitting Design
Teach Yourself Visually – Knitting Design
Monthly Archives: March 2017
Knitting Around the World
Knitting Around the World
I would love to blame the complexity of this book for my lack of blogging, but truth be told, I finished the book some time ago. I have no valid excuses other than life!
This slim volume was put together by the editors of Threads Magazine in 1993 and includes a wealth of material for those interested in the history of the knitting craft.
Knitting Around the World – back cover
Knitting Around the World includes more than a dozen different topics that were once articles in Threads Magazine.
Aran Knitting – Alice Starmore
Starting out with the renown Alice Starmore and Aran knitting is a great way to introduce the reader to historical knitting. Alice, who lives in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland and has written extensively on the subject is the perfect person to author this feature. Included on the next few pages are Aran cable patterns and an outline of how to design an Aran pullover.
Bohus Stickning – Margaret Bruzelius
The less well known Bohus Stickning from Sweden is written by an old associate of mine who seriously researched this colorful knitting style. With charts on the following pages, the reader can easily experiment with Bohus knitting.
Another Swedish knitting technique
Also called “two-strand knitting”, this technique seems mainly used for sturdy mittens and socks. A pattern for the socks shown in the photo is included in the book.
Illustrations drawn and photographed
After Fair Isle knitting and Argyles, there is a short article with illustrations and photos of techniques for managing stranded knitting by author, Maggie Righetti. I have included here as an example of the clarity used in Threads Magazine on each subject. They always go above and beyond to make the reader understand techniques.
Historical Shetland Lace
I loved the inclusion of historical articles with photos, illustrations and a workshop on creating simple versions of the knitted lace.
Knitting from the Faeroe Islands
While not as well known as knitting techniques from the British Isles, this is nevertheless and interesting style of knitting and well-written piece of history.
Fair Isle Tam making – Alice Starmore
Knitting Around the World begins and ends with Alice Starmore – coming more or less full circle.
Should I keep this book? I’ve thought long and hard on this one. The subjects are interesting and varied. Would I knit from the book – probably not. I’m hoping the next knitter who gets it will love it! Sadly, it’s not going back on my shelf.
nancyjthomas 