Book Reviews

Knitting Art

(Be sure to scroll to bottom for AWESOME PHOTOS)

Knitting Art is a beautiful and inspiring book authored by artist Karen Searle. It presents the work of 18 gifted artists who use knitting as their medium.  The variety of techniques shown here is astounding, but even more impressive is the tremendous range of aesthetics, scale, and message.  Some use knitting as part of constructed environments that carry political and feminist messages, some make sensuous objects, some are exquisite craftsmen working on a small scale, others create grand installations.  

Among my favorites is the remarkable work of Debbie New, including her Brain Hat, a knitted brain that really is a hat and Granny Square, a breathtaking, huge portrait of her grandmother created from individual log cabin knitted squares. New is exceptional in working in so many genres and levels successfully.  Other highlights are Anna Maltz Naked Suit, a full body sweater that paints a naked body on the wearer; the comical, expressive beaded figurines of Reina Mia Brill;  the subtle, innovative dying techniques of Jeung-Hwa Park and the technical feats achieved by Kathryn Alexander with her specially spun "energized yarns."  Every single artist is worthy of attention. Each artist has a lengthy interview, with ample examples of each one's work and very good photos. The details given by the artists on specific techniques they use in making their work is much to be appreciated.  The fact that the book is written by an artist is evident in the focused and informative content.

Studying a book like this makes one realize how constraining it can be to create only for a mass market, or only for the purpose of making patterns.  This is a book that's bound to spur many to stretch their own creativity.  I aim to take to heart the words of Lisa Anne Auerbach whose Knitting Manifesto, republished in Knitting Art, begins with these words:

This is a call for a dynamic, new direction for knitting! 

This is a call for a dynamic, new direction for knitting!

and ends 

Chart your message, and wear it proudly.  . .. Resist Fashion. Manufacture your own brand. Embrace Tradition. Learn from History. Shatter the present.  Create the future. Stitch by stitch, we can and will change the world.  The revolution is at hand, and knitting needles are the only weapons you'll need.  Stop making scarves; start making trouble.

Consume less.

Create more.

Knitting is political.

BEGIN IMMEDIATELY

Stirs me to the depths, it does. 

Shown below, from left to right: dress by Kathryn Alexander; fabric by Jeung-Hwa Park; Body Count Mittens by Lisa Anne Auerbach; Shell Canyon, by Debbie New; Woman Within, by Karen Searle; body suits by Anna Maltz

300 Classic Blocks for Crochet Projects

Review by Dora Ohrenstein

This is the third in Lark's series of three reference books by the same author, and the one I like best.  It may not be absolutely clear that the "blocks" in the title are in fact motifs, not squares -- and come in all shapes.  The great strength of the book is the sheer number and variety  of motifs, most very attractive, many original.  Instructions are well-written, shown in large text, and accompanied by Karen Manthey's elegant diagrams.  Unlike the other Schapper volumes, the photos are large and detailed and stitches very clear.  Some are beautifully stitched, but unfortunately, some don't meet the standard one sees in other books of this kind. Never mind, crochet's beauty still shines through. Chapters are organized either by stitch used -- one called Picots, another Bobbles, each showing a variety of shapes, while other chapters focus on a particular shape -- Hexagons, Triangles.  A bit confusing, but still, who would have thought that post stitches -- one of the chapters --  would find so many uses in motifs? There is a section called samplers that are simple stitch patterns worked in rows into squares, good projects for less experienced crocheters before they plunge into motifs worked from the center. While I have quite a few motif books already, I still found a good number of new and interesting shapes and techniques in this volume.  I would call this a classic that should be on every serious crocheters shelf. Three hundred Classic Blocks is a big basket of motifs, ripe for the picking! 

Learn a Stitch, Create a Scarf

Review by Dora Ohrenstein

Mary Nolfi is a very talented designer.  Each of the twelve scarves in this booklet is a real gem, a perfect balance of stitch and yarn, with wonderful fringes and edgings that really set them apart. A great variety of stitch patterns are used, including embossed stitches, crocheted rings, basketweave, and cables. Some are very feminine, some more rugged, and several are unisex, a nice touch.  Leisure Arts' presentation has stylish project photos and good stitch closeups, but no stitch diagrams. I am disappointed that Leisure Arts continues to support the myth that "Any brand of Light Weight or Medium Weight Yarn may be used"? These very lovely scarves deserve to made with yarns that are carefully chosen, as they clearly were for the samples in the book.  It's great to see a scarf book with such challenging stitches and well thought-out, classy designs. When I design my next scarf, I will hold myself to the standard set here.  I have a feeling Mary could design gorgeous afghans, and fashion garments too, and will be looking forward to more of her work.

Tasty Crochet: A Pantry Full of Patterns for 33 Tasty Treats

Review by Leslie Johnson

A friend recently gave me a “yarn and book” call --  for those who don’t know, it's when your friend calls to inform you that she is destashing books and yarns, and invites you to come get what you want.

As I went thought the bags of yarn like a child in a candy shop, she lugged over 2 shopping bags of books for me to go though. Of course there were reference books for crocheting and knitting which I pulled out of the bag to make “my pile”. When I come across Tasty Crochet I immediately said “Why would anybody spend precious crocheting time making stuffed fruit?” with much laughter in my voice. But something on the inside said put the book on the pile. And I'm so glad that I did. 

Later that night, I opened the bag and started to review my newfound collection of books. As I fanned though Tasty Crochet from the last page to the first, I came across enticing photos of ice cream sandwiches, a pumpkin pie slice with whipped cream, pizza, sushi rolls, apple slices, a P&J sandwich, Pop Tarts, bacon and eggs, a bagel with strawberry cream cheese on top, just to name a few of the eye-catching treats. 

I flipped back to the most perfect looking set of pears I have ever seen in the world of crochet and started to read the instructions, finding them just as appealing and easy to understand as the fruit itself standing perched on the plate.

Anyone who deals with young children will find these wooly treats quite attractive to make and use as learning tool, or props for a school play. How cool will it be to have crocheted chicken drumsticks, peas, green beans, salad and a slice of bread with pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving table or a horn of plenty filled with crocheted fruit and vegetables pouring out of it?

Therefore I give 4 tasty thumbs up to these crocheted treats.

Crochet in Color

Crochet In Color

Kathy Merrick

Interweave Press

Kathy Merrick's designs have been widely seen, and much admired, in publications like IC, vogue, and in countless book collections.  Perhaps her best known design is Babette's Blanket, which stimulated a whole generation of crochet colorists whose work flourishes on ravelry and flickr.  When someone of this reputation finally publishes her first solo book, it's cause for anticipation and maybe a bit of angst over whether such high standards can be maintained.  Have no fear, Kathy fans:  her superior design abilities shine in this stunning book.  She is comfortable in a wide range of genres, has a great grasp of tradition but efffortlessly transcends it, and offers an assured, elegant style. The designs have faultless construction, and many use the simplest stitches, relying on drape and form to make a statement.  Given this understated tone, the choice of high intensity colors -- pinks, magentas, yellows, oranges, greens  -- is a little surprising, and a real delight.

The first chapter, called "One or Two Colors", includes a lovely Pleated Hat in shades of rose that's gathered on one side, and a great, close-fitting Firefly Cardigan in bright yellow. This cardi is exemplary of a Merrick piece:  carefully tailored, simple stitches, beautiful detail at the collar and cuff, and one suprising element:  a tight gather of stitches in one spot at the back, two on the front, to create waist shaping -- very cool! The second chapter focuses on Stripes, a fine vehicle for experimenting with color combinations, my favorite being another fabulous sweater, called Butterfly Turtleneck, striped in lilac, orange, golden yellow and olive.  It features raglan shaping and a really special collar that's much more butterfly than turtle. The openwork at the collar, bottom third of the sweater and cuffs, shows a refreshingly contemporary take on lace too.  

The next chapter, Color Blocks, has a stylish jacket of large rectangular color blocks, and a Chain Lace Big Fat Scarf that shows some real stitching innovation: using chain lace to create an unusual, flowery 3D texture. The last chapter, Color Adventures has one winner project after the other, but I must single out a real tour de force:  a stuffed, intensely colored Triangle Tuffet, (which I would call a pouf and others might call ottoman). I  remember an item like this in my parent's living room when I was a child, but this crochet version is much hipper and more fun. 

What I admire most about Kathy's work are several qualities:  her fresh eye, real sensitivity to fiber and yarn, and the ability to make crochet completely contemporary, not an easy task, but one she pulls off magnificently.

This Interweave book is laid out nicely, though I have some minor quibbles.  Stitch diagrams are enormous, but there are too few good closeups of actual stitches. For me, seeing stitches in detail is as important as a diagram for achieving what the pattern says, especially with Merrick whose stitchwork is not the usual.  Another issue is that the columns are narrow but font size is large, making the contents of the materials pages sometimes hard to read.

Kathy gives excellent advice throughout on color work in general, and picking and arranging colors for each design, and there are very useful technical pages at the end of the volume. This book brings the art of crochet to a very high level indeed.

Contemporary Crochet: 37 European Designs

This book has some strong positives to recommend it:   very stylish and wearable designs for all seasons, and a large number of varied projects.  The stitching and construction are quite simple, the shaping sophisticated but not fussy, a variety of yarns and fibers are used, and the projects are nicely photographed.  Sys Fredens is a Danish designer who first published this book in a Danish edition.  Other than her instructions, the text is written by Martingale staff, in magazine-style go-go prose that supplies more hype than information. 

There are several beautiful skirts, awesome fishnet stockings in hot pink, openwork tops for layering, numerous jackets, sweaters and cardigans, shawls and bags, and a dress. The European sense of style is seen in the attractive combination of casual and chic.  Most items come in 3 sizes and none are larger than typical American large.  

This fine designer deserves to have her work shown in a more artful fashion than it is here. The design of the book is bare.  Instructions are written in a European shorthand style that some Americans will find hard to follow.  Also problematic is a statement made in the book's introduction, which claims that the models shown are

"crocheted with yarn available in Europe, but we've made it easy to find yarn beautiful yarn that's similar, close to home.  Rather than limiting you to a specific fiber and manufacturer, each project lists the type of yarn to use.  Simply refer to the "standard Yarn-Weight system. . . and you'll find the perfect materials for every piece."  

What this means is they tell you the fiber content of the yarn, and its weight by CYCA Yarn Standards number. This limited information is not sufficient for making yarn substitutions.  Yarn weights are notoriously variable, and even if one stitches to gauge the difference in the appearance can be marked if the yarn is slightly thinner or heavier.  The texture and construction of the yarn -- for example, how many plies, can also have a great effect on how stitches actually work up.  The bottom line is, substituting yarns is an art, and doing it casually without much thought to precise yarn-matching will often end in an unsatisfactory outcome, after considerable expense and labor by the crocheter.   I wish publishers would take a more honest approach to these things and help educate consumers, rather than supply the usual platitudes.

Despite reservations, I like this book for its very attractive garments that look they could be worn for years to come, and salute designer Sys Fredens for reaching out to the American public. By Dora Ohrenstein

Crochet Tips & Tricks

Lily Chin's new book, Crochet Tips & Tricks is chock full of information that any crocheter will find useful.  Lily is not only an expert designer, her teaching experience is so extensive that she knows just what issues are on the crocheter's  mind.  In this book Lily addresses everything from basic stuff about hooks, fibers and how to hold yarn while working, to nagging issues like dropped, joining, blocking, matching up edges for seaming, and much more.  The advice is always practical and specific, leaving nothing to chance, with good illustrations, and Lily's sense of humor comes through on every page.

There are excellent pages on finishing and seaming techniques, and extensive material on how to correct mistakes, even how to do major surgery on a piece.  Lily has some innovative solutions to problems, for example, how to end off a spiral with no bump.  One or two places in the book appear to be pasted in from a knitting book (where needles are referred to instead of hooks) and I did find some tricky things not answered.  For example, there is a page about finding the center of a ball of yarn, something we've all struggled with.  It describes exactly how to put your fingers into the ball and search for the end, and then says, "you should be able to pull out just a pinch of yarn."  Yeah, right -- shoulda woulda coulda.  What about all the times when you get a big glob of yarn instead of a pinch -- what then?  Come on Lily, don't hold out on me!

Of course, if Lily hasn't answered the question there probably is no good answer.  That's how confident I feel about Lily's advice, and therefore I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants the definitive book on crochet technique. Though I feel my crochet knowledge is pretty solid, I always learn something new from Lily.

Crocheted Gifts

by Deborah Burger

Who do we crochet for?  Ourselves? Our friends and family?  Many or most of us probably make a majority of our projects especially to give as gifts.  The new book, Crocheted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give, by Kim Werker aims to help us with that goal. Like all the Interweave Press books, this one is layed-out well and formatted in a readable type, with clear photographs and excellent written directions and stitch diagrams. It’s also a handy size and shape for flipping through, or for laying out flat while working the patterns.  

The collection of projects includes work by a stellar line-up of some of my favorite designers, from Doris Chan’s afghan on the cover, through wristies by Myra Wood, socks by Robyn Chachula, and elegant wraps by Kristin Omdahl and Annie Modesitt, just to name a few.  The variety of projects represents all skill levels, and ranges from very cute (Berry Baby Hat and Booties, p. 30) to absolutely elegant.  There are projects aimed at children, men, babies, girlfriends/sisters/moms, and more than a few that each crocheter may want to make as gifts for herself. (I will certainly be making myself a gift of Annie Modesitt’s Trinity Lace Shrug, p. 42)   Some of the projects introduce or explore “cutting edge” techniques in crochet, such as using hairpin lace with wire instead of yarn to create baskets! (p. 24, a design by Donna Hulka).  And whether you need a “quickie” project to make a gift in a hurry, or have plenty of time to prepare for that wedding, graduation or birthday, you will find possibilities abounding here. The yarns listed in the projects cover a wide range of prices and availability, and in every case all necessary information is given for successful substitution.  

All that said, I was a little disappointed in the organization of the book… which appears to just be lacking!  As a catalog of “gift ideas and projects”, I think it would serve readers better if divided into sections or chapters, each containing gifts geared for a particular audience; for instance, grouping all the baby gifts together, and all the menswear or housewarming items together with others of their type.  When I’m looking for a gift project for a particular person or occasion, it’s easier for me to find the correct section and look there, than to randomly flip through the whole book, hoping some project will jump up and volunteer to be the right one for the person I’m wanting to create for.  On the other hand, if you are by nature more of a “window shopper”, you will probably really enjoy using this book to browse your way through your gift list for the next year or so!     

Crochet Adorned

Review by Deborah Burger

No matter how you look at it, Crochet Adorned by Linda Permann is a beautiful book.  If you are a casual observer, your eye will be caught by the vibrant colors, not only of the cover photo, but of all the large, clear photos filling the pages.  If you are mildly interested in crochet, you will find appealing projects at all levels with which to experiment, develop your skills, and express yourself.  If you are an experienced crochet artist, you will find inspiration and ideas, delightfully presented, to inform and elevate your art.

At first glance, the whimsical floral cover project invites further exploration.  Easy-read type faces and titles and clear organization make the Table of Contents a useful tool, instead of mere space filler.  Reading Linda’s Introduction is like meeting a new friend—she lets us know where her ideas come from, and invites us to join her in an adventure of painless exploration and experimentation.  The projects she will present are all “embellishments” that can be used to decorate and enhance, to customize purchased items we own or buy for the purpose.  She states a reason for this approach… a reason that invites everyone from beginners to designers to join: 

… if you start with something that fits, you won’t have the typical worries that come with crocheting a garment….start with a garment you want to refashion, then look through the book for the perfect embellishment.  Remember, you don’t always have to use the same blank I did—a trim shown on a jacket here could be just as pretty on your skirt.

So, if you’ve never crocheted a garment, because of fears about your skill with shaping and fitting, you are included in the group who can have fun with this book, and make GREAT looking clothes and accessories.  On the other hand, if you are an expert stitcher and not thrilled with following the dictates of patterns and directions, you, too are included, and invited to re-design, re-position, and express your own artistic and fashion sense with these projects.

There is enough basic instructional information that this book could be successfully used by a beginning crocheter (all basic stitches are discussed and illustrated, as well as tools, materials, blocking and other finishing techniques), and also a particularly well-illustrated dictionary of stitch patterns at the back.  Sandwiched between them is a buffet of “delicious” project choices in Fashion, Accessories and items for the Home.  Each project has a beautiful photograph, clear (boxed) information on material requirements, suggested yarns, sizes and gauge, and excellent schematics wherever they apply.  An added bonus is that both the stitch diagrams and the written directions for each project are easy to read.  If you’re used to using one form of pattern, and wanting to learn the other without pain and frustration, this book is an excellent resource.

Careful attention has been paid to all the details, from the vibrant color and excellent photography, through clear diagrams accompanying the text directions, even to the built-in page markers to help you keep your place in two projects at once, or a project and a reference page.  Because of its wide appeal, this book would make an excellent gift to any crocheter, regardless of skill level.

After drooling my way through the whole book, I made a dozen or so of the flowers and leaves from the cover project… although I used different colors, different yarn, and used them to embellish a shell I had just finished crocheting.  I was happy with my results, and delighted with the way the book met my need of the moment.

Linda’s Introduction concludes with her toast to her readers:  “HERE’S TO CREATIVE CROCHETING!”  Certainly she has provided the inspiration and expertise to help us all achieve that aim! 

Pop Goes Crochet by Vicki Howell

by Andrea Truitt

 In Pop Goes Crochet, Vicki Howell,  allows the reader to literally play dress-up with projects inspired by a wide range of pop icons. Each designer has translated a pop icon and his or her characteristics into a project, sometimes more literally, sometimes using the icon merely as a starting point.  This is a book geared to younger crafters and touches on the concerns and goals found in the current craft resurgence: personal empowerment, ethical production practices, and sustainability. The projects are delightfully diverse.

The book’s layout echos Howell’s goal of gathering inspiration from the multitudinous elements of vernacular culture. Pages have a scrapbook/collage effect, with layered photos of the projects in various contexts and photo backdrops, the celebrities who inspired them, and the photo shoot for the book, all intermingled with text. 

Most notable for its cool, sophisticated look was the Marc Jacobs men’s sweater, designed by John Brinegar.  The Jacobs name evokes a clean yet sharp alternative style, and Brinegar lives up to it.  Another standout is the Clint Eastwood poncho, where Nikol Lohr has created a crocheted piece that, through felting, imitates a woven item.  She also uses felting for a larger-scale project, something one hardly ever sees.  The decoration at the neck and bottom edges captures the essence of Southwestern style and Clint Eastwood’s badass spaghetti western characters.  For women, Jeanette Sherritze’s Paris Hilton cover-up, with its meshwork and motifs, shines as a glamorous piece.  I’m also taken with the asymmetry and bobbles of Mary Jane Hall’s Heidi Blum scarf, which is bold and surprisingly versatile, to be worn with many outfits.   

However celebrity-inspired these projects may be, the book contains a variety of looks, sizes, and accessories, plus men’s and children’s clothing along with the requisite women’s fashions.  Old Hollywood, new Hollywood, high fashion, and funky fashion, this book has it all, in a very wearable way.