February 2009

Review: The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook

by --Deb 02.23.2009
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This is one of those kinds of books that almost makes you rethink everything you know about knitting.

It was written in 2002, at just about the time that sock knitting started becoming popular, and spinning hadn’t taken off. Seven years ago, most people who knit automatically headed to their local yarn shop or craft store to buy yarn–the concept of making their own was still new. (New to our generation, that is. Obviously, people have been spinning their own yarn for quite some time.)

Enter Lynne Vogel.

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Magazine Poll

by --Deb 02.16.2009
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Okay, we’ve got a new poll … should Knitting Scholar review magazines? Or just stick to books?

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Review: Knitting in Plain English (1986)

by --Deb 02.15.2009
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It’s a 20-year old book, and times have changed … but, I beg you, don’t let its lack of hipness keep you from at least taking a look at this book. The current crop of learn-to-knit books are edgier, hipper, trendier, and there’s nothing wrong with that or with them, but this book was miles ahead of the dry, textbook-like books I’d seen before. And if it weren’t for this book, I would never have become hooked on knitting. That should tell you a lot, right there.

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Review: The Intentional Spinner

by --Deb 02.10.2009
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The subtitle is “A Holistic Approach to Making Yarn.” Now, I don’t claim to be an expert in holistic anything, so I’m not entirely sure where that came from, but what I can tell you is that this is one of the most in-depth books on spinning I’ve seen in a long time.

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Review: Crochet Bouquet

by --Deb 02.08.2009
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Knitters like to embellish things. And while you can knit flowers to attach to a hat or a bag, you can also crochet them … and if you do, this is the book you’ll want to have nearby. After all, crocheting is sometimes faster than knitting, and there’s no denying that you can do things with one that you can’t do with the other, so why limit yourself?

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Review: Victorian Lace Today

by --Deb 02.04.2009
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The point is that Jane Sowerby took these vague if authentic patterns and reinterpreted them for us modern knitters who barely have time to knit, much less to think.

The best part, though, is that even though the 21st century is rife in clutter, stress, and jam-packed schedules, these lovely lace patterns–almost entirely shawls–can let us recapture part of the serenity and slower pace of the Victorian past.

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