Book picks similar to
Defarge Does Shakespeare by Heather Ordover


extra-special-books
knitting
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Knitting in Circles: 100 Circular Patterns for Sweaters, Bags, Hats, Afghans, and More


Nicky Epstein - 2012
    Two, and you have a unique handbag or cover-up. Knit more circles, and you can make show-stopping scarves, capes, sweaters, afghans—even a stunning lace dress. Only Nicky Epstein, always on the cutting edge of knitwear design, could dream up these innovative garments and accessories that all start with a simple shape. In her bestselling book Knitting Block by Block, Nicky elevated the humble block to outstanding fashion, but that was just the beginning. Now she takes on a new challenge and shows you how to make a statement with circles. Mix and match to your heart’s content with 100 circles and 20 inspiring projects that feature everything from cables to rich colorwork, delicate lace, and over-the-top embellishments in Nicky’s signature style. You’ll find step-by-step techniques on how to knit circles, both in the round and flat, plus expert guidance on customizing the projects, with unique cut-and-paste circle templates to design your own styles. With this groundbreaking book, you’ll never look at circles the same way. Once again, Nicky Epstein has outdone herself, opening up a world of creative possibilities with a gorgeous knitting reference that will have you knitting in the best of circles over and over.

KnitLit (too): Stories from Sheep to Shawl . . . and More Writing About Knitting


Molly Wolf - 2004
    They speak their own language, and they harbor a passion for their craft that takes a strong hold, blocking out troubles and worry, whenever they pick up the needles. But knitters are not exclusionary—all are welcome into the warm circle once you appreciate the beauty of hand-spun and dyed yarn, the sense of focus that comes with starting a new project, and the joy of creating something beautiful to share with a loved one. In their first book, KnitLit: Sweaters and Their Stories, Linda Roghaar and Molly Wolf brought together a heaping stash of stories by knitters and for knitters that spoke to the power of knitting in people’s lives. Now, without a single dropped stitch, here is KnitLit Too: Stories from Sheep to Shawl. Featuring another rich array of contributors, KnitLit Too includes folksinger Christine Lavin and writers Perri Klass, Lesléa Newman, and Suzanne Strempek Shea. Featured as well are stories by a third-grader who picks up the needles for the first time, a mother waiting to wrap her soon-to-be-adopted child in the blanket she made for him, a sister upstaged by her Merchant Marine brother who just so happens to be a natural knitter, a man who is forced to admit to the new woman in his life that, yes, he knows how to knit, and a young girl living with her mother in a battered women’s shelter who is brought back from the brink when she learns to knit. Rounding out these heartwarming true tales are original poetry, meditations, fiction, and even a mystery, all about knitting. KnitLit Too features more than 70 pieces, some sweet and touching, others inspirational or hilarious, and all woven together by the dedication and devotion that knitters feel for a cherished hobby that is for many a way of life.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Knit Fix


Lisa Kartus - 2006
    Beginners and seasoned knitters alike are promised that learning from mistakes improves the technique and inspires personal style and that sometimes the best solution is to let the mistake stand. This sturdy, spiral bound book explains the correct way to cast on and bind off, decipher charts, choose fibers, and more.

Knitting 24/7: 30 Projects to Knit, Wear, and Enjoy, On the Go and Around the Clock


Véronik Avery - 2010
    They knit while traveling or commuting, while waiting for their kids, while socializing. Times like these call for projects that are easily transportable and have stitch patterns that are simple to memorize. Véronik Avery has created 30 such projects for Knitting 24/7, a collection of stylish clothing and accessories that make use of those “in-between” times when we’re busy, yet our hands are free. Ranging from sweaters, scarves, and shrugs to hats and mitts, the projects represent both what women want to wear and what they actually have time to knit. The book’s gorgeous color photographs capture women in a range of settings—a morning at work, a dinner with friends, a relaxing weekend afternoon—evoking the time of day when each wardrobe item might be worn.

Knitted Socks East and West: 30 Designs Inspired by Japanese Stitch Patterns


Judy Sumner - 2009
    In this, her first book, she recounts how she came to study hundreds of exquisite Japanese stitch patters and then apply her new knowledge to the sock designs showcased here. Whether short or long, fine or bulky, simple or complex, each of the 30 designs in Knitted Socks East and West is named afer an intriguing aspect of Japanese culture. For example, the leg of the Origami crew socks appears to fold in and out; the Sumo slipper socks are named after the heavy, organic movement of the cables in their thick yarn; and the Ikebana knee socks highlight a textural floral design. Step-by-step text and easy-to-read charts are included for each design, along with illustrated directions for the Japanese stitchwork introduced in the projects.

Mary Thomas's Knitting Book


Mary Thomas - 1938
    . . Mary Thomas's Knitting Book. It's a veritable encyclopedia of knitting, clearly and definitively explaining and illustrating every method, operation and stitch, and a good number of the patterns you are ever likely to need or use. After an engaging history of the craft and its implements, Miss Thomas carefully lays the foundation of knitting in the opening chapters ― how to hold needles, wind yarn, gauge stitches, control tension, etc. ― and builds gradually upon it in the following sections. These explain in lucid progression every operation in common knitting, from basic knit stitch and purl, casting on and casting off, shaping by decreases and increases to turning, triangular shapes and mitres, and knitting on the diagonal or bias. For the reader who has mastered these fundamental procedures, Miss Thomas devotes the remainder of the book to fancy knitting stitches and techniques, including color knitting by stranding and weaving; pattern weaving; knitting woven, by frame with its complement of stitches (plain, raised, rib, etc.), looped, beaded, embroidered by chart, using cross stitch, honeycomb, etc.; and making patterns for garments and working out their details (armholes, belts, buttonholes, collars, hems, necklines, pockets et al). To put what the reader learns into practice, she offers instructions and patterns for making various Shetland shawls, gloves, and socks. More than 250 technique diagrams clearly illustrate every operation and pattern as to position of hands, yarn, and needle, so the knitter will have no trouble in following along. For all knitters, whether beginner or adept, a chapter of helpful knitting hints on blocking, picking up dropped stitches, lengthening, knitting up, mending, taking-back (correcting), etc. completes these invaluable and personalized lessons.Unabridged republication of original (1938) edition.

Patterns of Murder: Crewel World / Framed in Lace / A Stitch in Time


Monica Ferris - 2005
    So, too, does the art of detection. Just ask Betsy Devonshire--who's learning that life in a small-town needlecraft shop can reveal an unexpected knack for knitting ... and a hidden talent for unraveling crime.When Betsy arrived in Excelsior, Minnesota, all she wanted was to visit her sister Margot and to get her life in order. She never dreamed her sister would give her a place to stay and a job at her needlecraft shop. In fact, things had never looked so good--until Margot was murdered...In a town this friendly, it's hard to imagine who could have committed such a horrible act. But Betsy has a few ideas. There's an ex-employee who wants to start her own needlework store. And there's the landlord who wanted Margot out. Now Betsy's putting together a list of motives and suspects to figure out this killer's pattern of crime...Framed in LaceThe art of needlecraft requires patience, discipline, and creativity. So, too, does the art of detection. Just ask Betsy Devonshire--who's learning that life in a small-town needlecraft shop can reveal an unexpected knack for knitting ... and a hidden talent for unraveling crime.When the historic Hopkins ferry was raised from the bottom of the lake, who would have thought they were literally raising the dead! But there it was--a skeleton--right before their eyes. Unfortunately, the evidence is slim and soggy: The boat sank in 1949, the victim on board was a woman, and near the body is a piece of unidentifiable lacelike fabric. Sounds like a job for Betsy Devonshire. Betsy knows there's more to this story than what's on the surface. And once she and patrons of her needlecraft shop start lending a hand, they're sure to stitch together the details of this unnerving mystery ...A Stitch in TimeThe art of needlecraft requires patience, discipline, and creativity. So, too, does the art of detection. Just ask Betsy Devonshire--who's learning that life in a small-town needlecraft shop can reveal an unexpected knack for knitting ... and a hidden talent for unraveling crime.The cold, blustery Midwest winters don't exactly agree with Betsy Devonshire, but since moving to Excelsior, Minnesota, she sure has met a lot of warm, friendly people. So she isn't too surprised when the town's most talented needleworkers volunteer to restore a dam aged tapestry that was found in the basement of a local church. Betsy even offers to donate materials for the project, thinking that the free publicity will boost sales at her financially troubled needlecraft shop. But soon Betsy is afraid of losing more than her business because her good intentions have unleashed some deadly secrets...

400 Knitting Stitches: A Complete Dictionary Of Essential Stitch Patterns


Potter Craft - 2005
    But every knitter from age 5 to 95 needs a good dictionary of stitches.  400 Knitting Stitches is a comprehensive guide that invites knitters to experiment with a variety of new stitch combinations. The book is conveniently divided into eight categories: knit-purl, crossed and cables, slipped, lacy,double, twisted, cast-off, and fancy stitches.  Making a romantic lacy wrap or a classic cable sweater? Whatever your style, there's a stitch in here for you.  Each of the 400-plus featured stitches is accompanied by easy-to-follow written and charted instructions,as well as a full-color photograph. A section on basic knitting information and techniques at the front of the book makes this volume even more invaluable. From advanced knitters experimenting with their own designs to beginners looking for clear instruction and explanation, 400 Knitting Stitches is an essential reference for knitters of all kinds.

One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit


Leigh Radford - 2009
    Radford’s fascination with the creative potential of these raw materials is evident throughout One More Skein, where she melds the alternative approach to knitting and felting she introduced in AlterKnits and AlterKnits Felt with the magic she worked with a single skein of yarn in the bestselling One Skein. One More Skein features 30 diverse projects that can be completed with one or two average-sized skeins of yarn or multiple bits of leftover yarn. Projects include an earflap hat sized for the whole family; fingerless mitts; sweaters, britches, and capelets for baby; hemp jewelry embellished with jump ring “beads”; a felted, pleated sleeve to dress up a vase; and a multicolored blanket worked from assorted stash yarn. All of them are quick and relatively easy to make, without sacrificing beauty or ingenuity.

Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting


Marianne Kinzel - 1972
    Kinzel. The new designs include "Maidenhair," "Diamond," "Grand Slam" (a special feature for bridge players), "Arabesque," "La Traviata," "Maple Garland," "Lilac Time," "Trifolium," and a set of three of Mrs. Kinzel's noted floral patterns, "Daffodil," "Balmoral," and "Rose of England."Marianne Kinzel, well known to knitters in the United Kingdom and the United States, has long been admired for her clear presentations and original designs. In this second volume, she begins with basic instructions, allowing the average knitter to work easily from the instructions in the patterns. Other chapters outline many new designs in lace knitting for two needles, for knitting with wool, for oval and oblong designs, and for round designs. Over 29 complete projects include lace by the yard, altar lace, dress trimmings, tea cloths, scarves, stoles, dinner cloths, and cheval sets. Instructions are presented both in the traditional written-out method and in the chart-and-symbol method. There are keys to the charts in the three languages, lavish and helpful illustrations, and sound practical advice on knitting techniques plus finishing and laundering each piece. There are also instructions for altering the patterns to your own special needs.The designs in this book are among Marianne Kinzel's most requested. Amateur and professional knitters alike will note the extraordinary virtuosity underlying such a design as "Lilac Time," which can be adapted to so many different forms, and the contemporary appropriateness of such designs as "Grand Slam," "La Traviata," and the "Daffodil," "Balmoral," and "Rose of England." You will also find the projects comparatively short in time and low in cost to accomplish.

Northern Knits: Designs Inspired by the Knitting Traditions of Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Shetland Isles


Lucinda Guy - 2010
    The traditions of the quintessential knitting cultures of Iceland, Shetland, Norway, and Sweden are examined, from descriptions of the wools and yarns to the history of the clothing traditionally made from them, including breathtaking photo montages of these classic vintage styles. Exploring a range of techniques and knitwear construction, the projects in this guide feature knitting in the round, steeking, lace, cables, Fair Isle, twined knitting, and embroidery and show how to create pieces such as cardigans, sweaters, blouses, scarves, and hats. Note: The paperback edition is now out of print, but the book is still available in epub ebook and kindle formats.

Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition


Terri Shea - 2007
    What started as a dare became an icon of Norwegian knitting and started a snowball of knitting traditions across the North Atlantic. Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition follows the story of these beautiful mittens and gloves, from folk tradition to major regional industry to national symbol, and passes the tradition on with over 30 patterns taken from actual antiques. Every aspect of business today can be found in the story of Selbu knitting. And above it all, thousands of women and men, using spare moments to create spectacular designs that are as fresh today as they were 150 years ago.

Knitting Heaven and Earth: Healing the Heart with Craft


Susan Gordon Lydon - 2005
    The first book without knitting patterns to capture the knitting audience, it has been widely imitated, but no other book has endured so well. With Knitting Heaven and Earth, Lydon again breaks new ground, this time following the emotional ties that become bound up in her handicrafts when a series of wrenching events—a heartbreaking romance, the death of her father, a devastating diagnosis of breast cancer—leave her reeling. Through it all, Lydon finds new reserves of strength in knitting, in the skeins of sumptuous yarn and colorful thread that help her make sense of the trials of the heart.

Knitting


Anne Bartlett - 2005
    Sandra, a rigid academic, struggles to navigate the world without her husband, whom she has recently lost to cancer. Martha—a self-taught textile artist with her own secret store of grief—spends her days knitting elaborate projects charged with personal meaning. As the two women collaborate on a new project, surprising events will help heal them both.

Glorious Knits: 35 Designs for Knitting Sweaters, Dresses, Vests and Shawls


Kaffe Fassett - 1985
    120 full-color photographs.(GLORIOUS KNITS is the title used for U.S. editions of GLORIOUS KNITTING, first published in the U.K. Content is reported to be identical; both have 160 pages.)