Oh my goodness! It’s been 3 days since my last post and I’m going crazy! I’ve been working long days (14+ hours after travel time) on a commercial for CVS drugstores. Luckily, it’s finished now and I was also able to get started on Jason’s sweater. I made quite a few new friends as well and have quite a few orders for items to be knitted – lol. They range from everything from booty shorts to sweaters. It still amazes me how many people don’t realize that everything they are wearing can be knitted. I mean, in the beginning, everything we wear was woven, sewn, or knitted, right? Even when you look at a regular polo shirt, you can sometimes see that it is knitted fabric that has been cut and sewn together. I do enjoy teaching people about knitting though, so it’s always fun. I also have a few people interested in learning to knit, so hopefully they take me up on my offer and come out with my regular Sunday group – Knit1Take2. I also got some good ideas from comments and suggestions that were flowing around – among them, knitting naked! Chris, do you have any ideas on what we can do with that one? Anybody? It seems like it would fit right in there with it takes balls to knit!
So I’d like to do a book review for today’s post, because I think this is a book everybody should have. I found it in the library and started reading it a couple of days ago and couldn’t believe all the information in it. It’s always humbling to realize how much you don’t know and how much more there is to learn. The book I am talking about is Designing Knitwear by Deborah Newton, published by Taunton Press in 1992. I will have to check to see if there is a revised version before I purchase it, but I will definitely purchase it. I know there are a lot of good books about designing out there, but what makes this one so good is that it’s a great learning tool for knitters – whether or not they want to design their own garments. Deborah does a great breakdown on fibers, needles, techniques, and fits even before she gets into designing with colors, textures, sizes, fibers, etc. I learned a lot of information just skimming through it and am now reading it as if I were reading a beloved paperback. Going through this book will give the non-designer a better understanding of garments, techniques, and the way things fit in such a way that they will have the confidence to alter specific patterns to fit their own needs. If you’re a designer, amateur or professional, there is still enough information in it to make it an essential addition to any library.
Here is a picture of the back of the book – now available in paperback. The ISBN # is 0-942391-06-3. The paperback edition was released in 2002 but I haven’t seen it to be able to compare it to the original. I suspect that much of the information (if not all) is the same as in the hardcover. Value wise it is well worth the $20 price on Amazon (the hardcover sells for $22 used, and $40 new if you can find it) and much more as well. In the 260+ pages, Deborah goes through almost every aspect of design calling upon her years of experience. I guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed with this book, but if you’re still skeptical, simply check it out in your local library. I bet you’ll end up buying it shortly afterward.
Hugzzz 😎
