From simple single row patterns to complex all-over motifs, you’ll find colorways that will thrill and inspire your knitting, whether you’re a beginner or experienced knitter.By using the easy-to-read charts, columns to illustrate color changes, and clear photographs of each sample swatch, you’ll find yourself creating beautiful Fair Isle designs in no time. Organized by row count and stitch count, 200 Fair Isle Motifs makes it easy for you to find the perfect motif for your projects.Confidently infuse colorwork into your knitting with 200 Fair Isle Motifs.

    They share their knitting triumphs and disasters as well as their life triumphs and disasters…These essays will break your heart. They will have you laughing out loud." —Ann Hood, from the introductionWhy does knitting occupy a place in the hearts of so many writers? What’s so magical and transformative about yarn and needles? How does knitting help us get through life-changing events and inspire joy? In Knitting Yarns, twenty-seven writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them to grow. Barbara Kingsolver describes sheering a sheep for yarn. Elizabeth Berg writes about her frustration at failing to knit. Ann Patchett traces her life through her knitting, writing about the scarf that knits together the women she’s loved and lost. Knitting a Christmas gift for his blind aunt helped Andre Dubus III knit an understanding with his girlfriend. Kaylie Jones finds the woman who used knitting to help raise her in France and heals old wounds. Sue Grafton writes about her passion for knitting. Also included are five original knitting patterns created by Helen Bingham.Poignant, funny, and moving, Knitting Yarns is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike.

    Full-color reproductions of original pattern swatches, sweaters, and accessories from the Bohus workshop in Sweden, along with the history of the women who designed them.

    You may also know that knitting as a hobby can verge on obsession—be it the compulsive purchasing of stunning hand-spun wool, the desire to rip out nearly finished sweaters because you dropped a stitch, or the need to knit wherever, whenever, or however you can. Most important, though, knitting offers a camaraderie, a society of women and men who converse in a language all their own, flock to yarn stores with religious devotion, and can recite the time and place where they first learned to purl. These feelings are what KnitLit is all about. In this charming collection of stories, essays, anecdotes, and recollections, knitters of every “color” celebrate their hobby and share with you the joy it brings into their lives.From the touching tale of a caring woman whose hand-knit dolls bring security to young hospital patients, to the hilarious story of a woman scorned who sends her ex-boyfriend a scarf knit with wolf hair only to have it torn to shreds by his dogs, to the moving recollection of a man whose grandmother’s dying wish was to knit all the wool in her knitting stash, to the finely wrought account of a man who keeps alive the memories of his companions and friends who have succumbed to AIDS by wearing the sweaters they left behind, KnitLit is a gift from knitters to knitters—crafted with as much love and care as an afghan or a wool scarf. Wrap yourself in KnitLit, and be inspired.

    With needles clicking, they weave together not just garments to warm the body but also comfort and companionship to nurture the soul.This tradition is flowering today through knitting ministries, a worldwide ecumenical movement of small groups of women who gather to pray and knit for those in need. As they create shawls for people burdened with illness and sorrow, their handiwork becomes an expression, not only of their love and concern, but also of the loving care of the God who works through them.In this beautifully illustrated book, the authors--a United Church of Christ minister and a Roman Catholic laywoman--share stories of how the knitting ministry has touched lives and hearts around the world. They offer directions for knitting the shawls and for starting a parish or community knitting ministry. The book also provides a selection of prayers, written from many faith traditions, to offer along with each completed shawl.

    It then offers a comprehensive alphabetical listing of all the abbreviations, words, phrases and symbols typically encountered in patterns.

    Some knitters are discouraged by the thought of baggy hemp sweaters and droopy cotton socks when they consider vegetable fibers, but this authoritative, fun, and light-hearted guide promises that, while wool has no equal when it comes to elasticity and warmth, the right tricks and techniques produce non-wool fashions that fit well, wear well, and hang beautifully. Knitters are taught to knit swatches to study the behavior of a yarn, to choose an appropriate pattern, and to master techniques for reinforcing stitches and inserting knit-ins of springier yarn to keep cotton, silk, and other fibers from sagging. Key information about durability, weight, pilling, and special handling is provided for acrylic, bamboo, cotton, hemp, Ingeo, linen, lycra, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, soy, Tencel, and viscose yarns, and a chapter of helpful tips advises on needles to use (and avoid), how to start new balls and weave in ends, how to work intarsia and Fair Isle patterns, smart ways to control the cost of materials, and the right methods for washing, drying, and blocking the finished pieces.

    When women posed with their knitting in the earliest nineteenth-century photographs, it demonstrated their virtue and skill as homemakers. Later, knitting became fashionable among the wealthy as a sign of culture and artistic ability. During the two world wars, images of nurses, soldiers, prisoners, and even knitting clubs composed of very serious small boys—all with heads bent down, intent on knitting items (especially socks) for the troops—abounded. In the 1950s and 1960s, as snapshots became ubiquitous, knitters took on a jauntier air, posing with handiwork held proudly aloft. People Knitting is a quirky and fascinating gift for the knitter in your life.

    You'll find patterns to keep your needles clicking whether you're lounging by the pool or taking a break at the beach:5 sleeveless tops4 short-sleeved tops4 lightweight long-sleeved tops6 summer-weight cardigans2 skirts, a sleep set, and a wearable bathing suit9 accessories ranging from a beach hat to a cotton wrap to a beach chairWhether you're new to knitting or a seasoned stitcher, you'll find fresh patterns and compelling designs to create gorgeous lightweight pieces that will make a splash on sunny days.

    Walker in her renowned tome Knitting from the Top. But never have the results looked as glamorous and city-chic as they do in Modern Top-Down Knitting. In this sophisticated wom­enswear collection, designer Kristina McGowan presents streamlined, feminine dresses, tunics, and skirts; elegant cardigans and pullovers; and stylish go-to accessories such as hats and mitts. Also included are step-by-step photo tutorials that make top-down techniques easy to understand and sizing and style adjustments a cinch to achieve. Detailed instructions are also included for finishing garments with couture-quality trims and linings, so they look just as elegant on the inside as they do on the outside.
"Kristina McGowan presents a charming collection of original designs in knitwear, to inspire knitters of all levels of skill. Her work incorporates the two essential qualities of good knitting direction: (1) her ideas are fresh, fashionable, and interesting; and (2) her instructions are clear and easily followed. Hers is an excellent book." Barbara G. Walker

    Presented beautifully. --Kristin Omdahl, www.styledbykristin.com "This is the book that pulled me in and set the hook (quite literally). SO well written. If you haven't gotten it yet, you should." --HookMeUp, Ravelry Tunisian crochet, sometimes called the Afghan stitch, combines the ease of crocheting with the appearance of knitting. This instructional pattern book brings Tunisian crochet into the realm of high fashion with exquisite stitch patterns, meticulous shaping, and attractive finishing. Sixteen chic projects for apparel, accessories, and home decor are explained in detail. Readers will learn how to make wearable items such as a chain mail scarf, child's jumper, honeycomb skirt, and man's vest. Home decor projects include an ottoman cover, placemats, afghan, pillow, and more--all using Tunisian crochet techniques.Detailed instructions with full-color photographs and illustrations teach the art of Tunisian crochet Stylish, contemporary patterns for apparel and home decor Includes instructions for 16 projects