The Best of Vogue Knitting, 25 Years of Articles, Techniques and Expert Advice is not your normal knitting book. It is much more than that and is a must have book for knitters and people with an interest in knitting. This is not a knitting pattern book - in fact there are no patterns at all; however it is full of instruction and inspiration.
The Book
This is a top quality book. Each of the 244 pages has been exquisitely laid out, with plenty of images to inspire along with instructive text. The copies of covers from Vogue Knitting are not only beautiful, but also give a snapshot into the knitting and fashion trends over the last 25 years.
The best of Vogue Knitting is, as the title suggests, a collection of articles, techniques and advice from experts. The book is broken down into sections:
- Introduction – looking back over the last 25 years including pictures from old covers.
- Knitting History – a collection of essays from such knitting luminaries as Meg Swansen and Lily Chin.
- Fiber – essays about this important part of knitting.
- Starting Out – basic techniques from Elizabeth Zimmermann, Meg Swansen and Barbara G Walker.
- Working With Charts – hints and tips for working with charts and schematics.
- Casting On and Binding Off – as any knitter will know, there are a number of different techniques, some of these are described here.
- Expert Finishing Tricks and Techniques – many essays from some great knitters, including Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen.
- Knitting in the Round – exploration of this technique including an essay about the mobius ring.
- Design Process – tips and techniques from a variety of experts about all aspects of knitting design.
- Sizing and Shaping – articles about achieving the perfect fit.
- Caring for Knitwear
- Designing Men – about men who design including an article about Kaffe Fassett’s use of color.
- Designing Women – profiles of some of the key knitting designers who have featured in the magazine over the years.
The book is packed full of useful information – cabling without a needle, splicing yarn, making an invisible join, attaching a zip, finishing techniques, types of armhole styles – the list of useful information is extensive.
Conclusion
Best of Vogue Knitting is an ideal book for a knitter looking for a knitting read with substance. There are no patterns in this book, just a wealth of useful and relevant information plus lots of photos and images for inspiration. This book won’t disappoint and even the most seasoned of knitters will find something new and interesting - however it should be noted that the book contains reprints from Vogue Knitting magazines, therefore a collector of the magazines may well already own much of what is contained in the book.
This book comes highly recommended and would make an ideal gift or simply a special treat for a keen knitter.
Free Patterns:
To celebrate 25 years of Vogue Knitting, some of the cover patterns have been published as pdf files which are available free of charge from the Vogue Knitting website.
Reference Information:
- Publisher: Sixth & Spring Books
- ISBN-10: 1933027169
- ISBN-13: 978-1933027166
Kate Pullen - Kate Pullen is a freelance writer specializing in arts and crafts , and is an accomplished craftsperson. As well as being a designer / ...
