New Knitting book for 2012

I’ve been taking a much needed break from blogging the past couple of month but now, hopefully I’m back to my knitting. Does it seem to you that you’re more interested in knitting in the winter time? The readership for Spinning Alpaca Yarns goes way up in the fall and winter and I know that many people are furiously knitting in the winter time to make gifts for Christmas. Maybe now though it’s time to start knitting gifts for the coming holidays so you aren’t in such a tremendous hurry come November.

Before the end of the summer, I’ve decided to reorganize my craft room and rearrange my yarn so I can figure out exactly what I have in my stash to work with for knitting gifts. Right now, my stash is in a bit of a mess.

I found this new knitting pattern book on Amazon called Knit Noro: Accessories: 30 Colorful Little Knits which was published in January, 2012.  I love Noro yarn and this knitting book offers 32 patterns for small projects which would make great homemade gifts this year Leg Warmers, Cabled Mittens, a Lace Flap Hat and an iPad cover. These patterns can be completed in a weekend so if we get started now, we can have something for everybody on our list by the holidays.

One reason I took a break from blogging was that I’ve been traveling the past month. My husband and I took a week long cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary to Belize and Honduras. This was our first cruise and it was very relaxing, although we did eat too much. One of the things we did though was walk the jogging track after every meal, plus on our shore excursions, we walked for miles so that made it possible to enjoy the good food without feeling guilty.

My other trip was to Oregon for 2 weeks to visit family, which I do every spring. The weather was beautiful and I visited my favorite yarn store in Ashland, Websters. So much beautiful yarn there!

Now that I’m home there is lots to do in the back yard. We missed out on planting spring tomatoes but I didn’t want to leave too much for my husband to do while I was in Oregon so I held off on putting in any type of garden. I think this year we’re finally going to put in raised beds in the back yard and plant a few more veggies.

I hope now to get back to blogging regularly and I also hope to hear from readers about your current knitting projects. Have you taken a break for summer or are you working on holiday gifts-either for others or for yourself?

Related posts:

1. Happy Knitting in the New Year from Spinning Alpaca Yarns Do you have a knitting resolution for 2012? If you...
2. 10% of Earnings from Spinning Alpaca Yarns is Donated to Animals 10% of the total earnings from my blog go to...
3. Merry Christmas from Spinning Alpaca Yarns Merry Christmas from Spinning Alpaca Yarns. Enjoy my Christmas pet...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Knitting is an activity which you can easily do on your own, but as with so many things, it is often more fun in the company of others. Joining a club can give you the opportunity to meet others who share your interest, and enjoy spending time with them whilst you indulge in your hobby. In the same way as you might chat to friends whilst playing online games of CheekyBingo or visiting local art exhibitions, this is a great way to catch-up with people whilst also doing something that you enjoy. It can also provide you with the motivation you might need to work on your latest knitting project between each club meeting.

Being part of a club can be a useful way to find out about different knitting styles and techniques. Knitting techniques are often easier to explain in person, rather than just reading up on the theory of certain stitches. Therefore, being part of a group of knitters with varying levels of experience can be a great way to develop upon your own ability. You may also find yourself inspired by their various projects and designs.

Lastly, joining a knitting club can give you the opportunity to be part of bigger knitting projects. Keen to knit clothes for the homeless, or a local hospital? Many knitting clubs take on group projects, which can offer a way to put your skills to good use within the local community.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

65 things to Do when You Retire

I’ve written on this blog a few times about how to turn your passion for knitting into profit by building a knitting business. This process can basically be used no matter what your passion in
life might be. 65 Things to Do When You Retire contains articles by writers from many different fields and the result is a wonderfully comprehensive book to help you make the most of your retirement years.

Retirement used to be seen as an ending. People who retired did indeed sit on the front porch, in their favorite rocker, and didn’t aspire to do anything special. All that has changed. The main theme of 65 Things to do When You Retire is how to re-define your retirement years to suit yourself and how others are doing just that. Your retirement years can be the best of your life, offering an opportunity to live out dreams you’ve always had but didn’t have the time to pursue.

I was very familiar with some of the contributors to the book, such as Gloria Steinem, who wrote about “A New Freedom to be Yourself” and jimmy Carter, who wrote an article under “Doing Good by Giving Back.” However there were also articles by some of my “blogging buddies,” terrific people I’ve gotten to know through reading their blogs, who also read and comment on my boomer blog. Bob Lowry of Satisfying Retirement, wrote a great article about his volunteer work with a prison ministry called, “Enrich Your Life: Push Back Against the Box.” another friend, Bill Birnbaum, of Adventure Retirement who wrote about volunteer work in Peru.

65 Things to do When You Retire contains inspirational stories by real people who are making the most of their retirement years. The sections have titles such as “Go for It!” where authors talk about living their dreams of writing a novel, doing stand up comedy and planning a round the world trip. In the section, “A New Freedom to Be Yourself” offers articles on Saving the Best for Last and Becoming Whole, while “Family Matters” contains stories about going fishing with the grandchildren and how you and your spouse can come to terms on a retirement that suits both of you. Even if you have to, or want to, work in retirement, there is a section offering articles on starting a home based business and how to find your dream job in retirement.

The main theme of 65 Things to do When You Retire is how to re-define your retirement years to suit yourself and how others are doing just that. Your retirement years can be the best of your life, offering an opportunity to live out dreams you’ve always had but didn’t have the time to pursue. What’s your own retirement dream? It’s never too early to begin thinking about it.

Another nice thing about 65 Things to do When You Retire is that all royalties will benefit cancer research and prevention so I was doubly glad to be asked to contribute.

Reading 65 Things to do When You Retire will be very thought provoking and you’ll come away inspired by fresh ideas and plans for your own retirement years.

What’s your own retirement dream? It’s never too early to begin thinking about it.

You can order your copy of 65 Thing to do When You Retire on Amazon.com.

65 Things to Do When You Retire, 65 Notable Achievers on How to Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Small Space Container Gardens

The spring sunshine is warming the back yard and my thoughts always turn to gardening. It seems to me that many knitters, even avid knitters, turn to yarn crafts more in the fall and winter (maybe
knitting Christmas gifts?) In the spring, we like to be outdoors, soaking up the sunshine and creating in our garden. Well, my eagerness to start planting things recently got a big shot in the arm with a great book called Small Space Container Gardens by Fern Richardson. This year, particularly, I plan to do all my gardening in containers because we are putting our house on the market in May so we can finally downsize. Containers are perfect because they will look nice when we show the house to potential buyers, but I can still take them with me to the new house.

The subtitle of Small Space Container Gardens is “Transform Your Balcony, Porch or Patio with Fruits, Flowers, Foliage and Herbs” and this book is for truly small spaces. Do you live in an apartment or condo and only have one small balcony for your plants? That doesn’t mean you can’t grow some of your own food or herbs or have lovely flowers and plants to look at, just outside your door. Fern Richardson is an expert at transforming  small spaces to maximize your growing area to create a lush, beautiful, private space which you can enjoy looking at and relaxing in.

Even if you have some gardening space, like me, you might prefer to plant in containers or maybe you just want to focus on transforming a patio space with useful plants. The photos in the book are by various photographers but they are beautiful and inspirational.

Richardson discusses many practical matters in her book, like where to put your fertilizers, plant food and tools when you only have a small amount of storage space and how to choose color, furniture, lighting and containers to beautify for your garden area. The ideas are truly innovative. I loved her instructions for building a glass top table and putting plants under the glass. The table is functional and a very pretty way to display plants.

Some of the topics discussed in Small Space Container Gardens are:

1.  How to start designing your space. Know the size you have, draw it out on graph paper and make copies of it so you can make changes or design in layers.

2. working with Weather and Climate

3.  Attracting wildlife to your garden – Butterflies, beneficial lady bugs and even how to build a bird feeder and bird bath

4.  Growing gorgeous food – Did you know you can grow edible flowers? Also, a great list of plants for food which can be grown in pots. There are lots more than you might think

5.  Succulents and scented plants – how to create your own succulent and scented garden path

It's easy to grow herbs like parsley in a container to beautify a small space

6.  Planning and planting for privacy-which is very useful if you live in an apartment or condo

7.  Creating upward, vertical garden beauty

8.  Learning the essential gardening secrets for success-These tips can turn the most plant challenged people into successful gardeners

9.  Dealing with pests and diseases in your plants

There are also lots of gardening resources at the end of the book.

In reading Small Space Container Gardens, the information is detailed and the photos show the results so even someone who finds growing things challenging could easily envision a thriving garden space on their balcony or patio.

Small Space Container Gardens is filled with inspirational and beautiful photos that are sure to get your creative gardening juices flowing.

Fern Richardson also has a very informative and entertaining gardening blog, called Life on the Balcony, which also offers dozens of photos and garden tips for the small space gardener.

Related posts:

1. Chick Lit – Review of Free Range Chicken Gardens Thinking of starting a backyard flock? Free Range Chicken Gardens...
2. Book Review – Sweet Shawlettes by Jean Moss Sweet Shawlettes, 25 Irresistible Patterns for Knitting Cowls, Capelets, and...
3. Book Review – Classic Elite Quick Knits Classic Elite Quick Knits, available October 18, 2011, is a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One of my favorite online yarn shops is Darn Good Yarn. I discovered Nicole Snow’s site when I went in search of recycled silk yarn for a bag I wanted to knit. Nicole started Darn Good Yarn in 2008 and she imports and sells fair trade yarn, which supports artisans and farmers in developing countries so that they earn a fair wage for their products. Darn Good Yarn specializes in quality yarn at the lowest prices. I was thrilled with the recycled silk I bought. The colors and quality were outstanding.

Recycled silk from Darn Good Yarn

Learn more about Fair Trade Products

Another place I purchase from all the time is Good Shop. This is a site where you can sign up and select the charity of your choice to receive a donation every time you shop or search. I selected an animal rescue group to get my donations. You’ll find pretty much every kind of store, from Amazon.com to Entirely Pets. If you install their tool bar, when you go to a site to shop, the tool bar automatically shows their donation percentage and any coupons that are offered.

You can also buy yarn from shops on Good Shop. If you go to the home page and click on “products” and then put “yarn” into the search box, you’ll come up with a list of stores where your yarn purchase will benefit the charity of your choice.

The Animal Rescue Site also offers yarn for sale, which

benefits, of course, animal rescue. They don’t offer a big variety of yarn but if you visit, you might want to purchase a gift or something you need from among their products. Through this site, you can also go to sister sites of the Greater Good Network where your purchase benefits Veterans, Breast Cancer research, Hunger, or other charities. These sites offer hundreds of products from clothing and accessories to jewelry and garden and patio stuff. You’re sure to find something you need. I bought my mom a gift from here last Mother’s Day and she loved it.

World of Good on Ebay offers over 17,000 eco-friendly products from fair trade global artisans too. World of Good offers lots of different yarns, as well as unique items which make wonderful gifts. I’ve bought handmade items for my daughter’s Godmother and she really loved them. You can rate the sellers and even read a bio of each of them so you feel very connected to the person or group which made your yarn or other items.

These aren’t all the sites which donate to charity by any means. 10% of the earnings from this site goes to my local Animal Shelter to help save the lives of pets in my community. My earnings come from advertising.

If you know of a site which donates to charity through purchases, please let me know and I’ll add it to my list.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Knitting with Beads

I love knitting and I love beads so it’s natural to want to try knitting with beads woven into the work. Pictured is a scarf I knitted with a lacy pattern and size 6 beads woven into it. You can find the pattern here. Knitting with beads requires stringing the beads onto your yarn before you start the project, which is why I used the size 6 beads for their large holes.

Most techniques for bead knitting say to use a small piece of thin wire to string beads. Another method I’ve used for adding beads to knitting, instead of using a wire or needle, is to take about 2-3 inches of the yarn or thread you’re using and smear a small dab of glue on it.  Smooth off excess, straighten the thread to create a needle at the end. Let it dry and string your beads then cut off the glued piece.

Yarn with beads already in it.

If you don’t mind spending the money and you want to save yourself the trouble of stringing the beads, you can also buy yarn with beads already in it, like the Artyarns – Beaded Silk Knitting Yarn – Blue Moon (# YC06) pictured on the left. This is available on Amazon.com for just over $35 for 100 yards. This beaded silk comes in several colors as well.

Bead Knitting – Free Resources

I’ve also rounded up some other resources for knitting with beads that I think you’ll find useful. Amazon has some terrific books on the subject and there are also some free knitting with beads tutorials and patterns on the internet. A new book is coming out March 7, 2012, Betsy Beads: Creative Approaches for Knitters which is available for pre-order from Amazon.com. There aren’t any reviews of it yet but if you order it, let me know how you liked it.

Knitter’s Review offers this clear, concise tutorial on how to knit with beads. It advises using a thin wire to string your beads.There is also a string-as-you-go method which requires a tiny crochet hook with can go through the hole in your bead. For this method you’d need a bead with a rather large hole and not a seed bead.

About.com offers a tutorial on knitting with pre-strung beads, which you can purchase in a craft store like Michaels or Joann.

You can also sew beads onto the finished project

Vogue Article on Knitting with Beads – good basic info on bead knitting. It also advises that if your yarn is too thick, you can always sew the beads onto the finished piece like I did in the scarf on the left. My pattern wasn’t all that intricate-lol.

Videos on Knitting with Beads

YouTube of course has some great videos on knitting with beads. Here is a couple basic ones:

Jimmy Bead Wools

Karen’s Artistic Touch

Knitting with Beads Available on Amazon.com

Knit One, Bead Too: Essential Techniques for Knitting with Beads I haven’t ordered this book yet but it did get great reviews on Amazon. It contains 16 original designs by Judith Durant and reviews say the instructions are very clear and concise, encompassing several methods of knitting with beads.

Bead Knitted Bags: 10 Projects for Beaders and Knitters – This little book got great reviews and is available on Kindle as well. These beaded bags look like the traditional ones the Victorians used to make and are very pretty.

Beaded Bracelets to Knit (Leisure Arts #4786) – 15 bracelet designs using embroidery floss and beads. Mixed reviews on this one, some loved it and some didn’t but the bracelet on the cover is pretty.

Once you learn the basic technique for knitting with beads, you can apply it to pretty much any pattern if your yarn is small enough to thread the beads onto. If you’re using embroidery thread or even wire, knitted jewelry is particularly suitable for bead knitting.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Knit Easy begins with basic knitting techniques like casting on and off, knitting your first row, your first square and then it ends with knitting your first scarf. The lesson on knitting your first scarf offers a

Knit Easy Scarf Pattern

link to a beautiful open weave scarf which uses large needles and 8 oz of yarn for the project. This easy beginner knitting pattern can be completed in about two hours so you can quickly see your progress. This easy knitting pattern is pictured on the right.

Knit Easy also features a knitting blog with tips and techniques which you can read here.

Anna Stewart also offers a knitting ebook that is a treasure trove of information. Besides more learn to knit information and tips, this knitting resourse also offers information on:

• Techniques to increase and decrease
• How to knit a button hole
• How to design your own patterns
• Which needles to use for which yarns
• Knitting for babies
• Knitting for dolls
• How to make your own blocking board
• How to make money with knitting
• Cable knitting
• Left handed knitting
• Continental and  English knitting methods
• Easy knitting Patterns
• And much more!

There are lots of bonuses with Knit Easy too.  Visit Anna Stewart’s web page to see the full list but here are some of the bonuses offered:

• Knitting Socks
• Knitting Shawls
• Knitting Ponchos
• Knitting for dolls
• Knitting hats
• Vintage Patterns
• Learn to Crochet  – a valuable yarn technique to learn for adding beautiful edging to your knitting projects.
• Knitting Sweaters

Anna Steward has been knitting for over 40 years so she has a good idea of what beginning and advanced knitters need to know to enjoy knitting, rather than getting frustrated and giving up. A great way to preview the valuable knitting techniques offered by Anna, sign up for the free “Learn to Knit” ecourse.

Learn more about Knit Easy by Anna Stewart. This easy to understand knitting guide is only $29.95 with a full 60 day return guarantee if you aren’t totally satisfied.

Related posts:

1. Learn to Knit – Free Resources I've been writing this knitting blog for quite some time...
2. Free Hat Knitting Patterns – Easy Enough for the Beginner If you're a beginner or want an easy hat knitting...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Lovely Knits for Little Girls

Lovely Knits for Little Girls, 20 Just-Right Patterns Just for Little Girls is by UK based knitwear designer Vibe Sondergaard. In her work, Sondergaard focuses on creating
contemporary patterns which provide durable comfort, combined with pretty details and nowhere is this more evident than in her newest book. In the introduction to the book, Sondergaaard says she hoped to combine her love of knitting, children’s wear and photography into one book and I would say she’s greatly exceeded that hope. The designs for the knitting patterns are beautifully showcased by the romantic feel of the project photos.

Rowan Alpaca Cotton in Smoked Salmon

In keeping with the alpaca spirit of my blog, I was happy to see the Clara Alpaca and Cotton Butterfly Sweater. The pattern calls for Rowan Alpaca cotton in smoked salmon, which is pictured at the right and available through Amazon. This soft, feminine sweater has puffy sleeves is a classic which would look beautiful on a little girl.

As to the difficulty of the knitting patterns, Sondergaard doesn’t rate the patterns specifically from easy to advanced but she does give ideas on some of the patterns. For instance, the Matilda Round Neck Textured Sweater is called “a bit advanced” but once you get into the pattern, it is repetitive and not difficult to follow. The Zoe Fan Stitch Textured Jacket and the are “easy”. The Penelope Garter Stitch Vest is stated to be “basic and stylish.”

I really liked the Sophie Elf Cardigan which has fabric around the bottom to create a beautiful effect. Sondergaard suggests attaching the fabric with button so you can change it if you find another fabric you prefer. It would be a perfect idea to get fabric coordinated with different skirts and change it to suit the outfit. Other patterns offer variations as well, like the Marie Cardigan with Lacy Edges. If the lace stitching is daunting for you, the designer suggests knitting the sweater and adding sown on edge lace to complete it. You can also knit the Isabel Cable and Little Branch Dress pattern as a dress or shortened to create a beautiful little sweater and the Mia Raspberry Leaf skirt can also be worn as a snood.

In Lovely Knits for Little Girls the variety of knitting patterns include:

• 5 Sweater patterns
• 6 Cardigan Patterns
• 5 Dresses and Tops, including 2 vests
• 2 skirts
• Accessories such as scarves, hats and a poncho

Each pattern in the book also offers size variations for different ages from 3 to 8 years of age and multiple photos so you can see it from front and back. Also included are tips on choosing yarn and where to find the yarns called for in the knitting patterns.

If  you have a young daughter or granddaughter who loves to dress up and look pretty, Sondergaard has come up with beautiful designs perfect for that  little girl in your life.

Vibe Sondergaard studied fashion design at Kingston University’s renowned fashion program. She has won accolades worldwide for her skill in designing knitwear with contemporary appeal and her eye for color. Vibe currently works for Zinc Design Ltd, designing and producing hand-knitted swatches that are sold to fashion companies in New York, LA, Paris, Barcelona and London.

Related posts:

1. Book Review – Classic Elite Quick Knits Classic Elite Quick Knits, available October 18, 2011, is a...
2. Funky New Fantasy and Science Fiction Knitting Book – Knits for Nerds If you're a fantasy or science fiction fan and you...
3. Book Review – Sweet Shawlettes by Jean Moss Sweet Shawlettes, 25 Irresistible Patterns for Knitting Cowls, Capelets, and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Knitted leg warmers were very fashionable in the 1980′s and guess what? They are back! If you’re searching for free leg warmer patterns, you’ve come to the right place. Winter is upon us and there is lots of time to make a pair of knitted leg warmers to keep your legs toasty when you’re or in exercise class. I’m headed to a yoga retreat next month and thought I’d knit some to take along so I went searching for the perfect easy pattern. Many leg warmer patterns are simple and quick to make, requiring only basic knitting knowledge so they are great for beginning knitters. I’ll add some other patterns here too for more advanced knitters because you can also make your leg warmers in cable stitching or other more intricate patterns.

Since I wanted yoga knitted leg warmers, my featured pattern, and the one I’m going to make for my yoga retreat come from a UK blog called YogaHound. All you need is 2 skeins of  skeins Cotton Twist  Aran to knit them and they are done in stockinette stitch. The cotton twist gives them a really fashionable, unique look.

Knitted Leg Warmer Pattern by Yoga Hound

Lion Brand has several different leg warmer knitting patterns like these Londenderry leg warmers, which are rated “easy” for the beginning knitter. Besides the traditional length, they also have some thigh high leg warmer patterns. Lion Brand requires registration to see the patterns, but it is free to register.

KnitontheNet offers these extra thick, extra warm knitted leg warmers by High Fibre Design. The yarn they used in the pattern comes from the UK and is beautiful but if you didn’t want to order it, you could substitute any bulky yarn.

Graceful Legwarmers, pattern by Luciana Young

If you want to knit a fairly easy pair of legwarmers in twisted moss stitch, try these Graceful Leg Warmers by Bible Apologetic, Luciana Young. They are really pretty as you can see by the photo on the left.

Fun and Funky Knitted Leg Warmer Patterns

If you like really funky, fluffy leg warmers, try these Clydesdale-Style Leg Warmers made of Crystal Palace Nubbles Yarn, which you can find on Amazon.com for a really good price. This thick and thin type yarn is beautiful! I hadn’t seen it before but would love to get some to make a scarf with.

Another frizzie pair of leg warmers in Fun Fur.

Cable Knit Leg Warmer Patterns

The Thrifty Knitter designed these cabled leg warmers knitted from chunky handspun Merino yarn. I really loved the yarn chosen for these. I found similar yarn on

Handspun Merino yarn made by FeelingTangerine on Etsy.com

Etsy.com in a shop owned by FeelingTangerine and it’s pictured at the right. I love shopping on Etsy because you are directly supporting the artists who made the articles in their shops.

KnitPiks offers a pretty cabled leg warmer pattern made of superwash Merino wool, which you can also order on their website in quite a few gorgeous colors. I like the look of these, which flare out over the shoes in the picture.

 Lacy Leg Warmer Knitting Patterns

These lacy leg warmers are featured on Laylock.org, which takes you over to Ravelry to download but it’s all free. Called “Rambler” leg warmers, they remind me of something that would be worn by a heroine in a British novel. Made of angora yarn, they would be very comfy to wear too. There is also a pattern on this blog for some fringe arm warmers that I love! They look very easy to make too.

Of course, Knitting Pattern Central offers an entire page of free leg warmer patterns. I’d love it if they added a photo feature to this site so you could see how the patterns look without clicking on each link. Still, it’s a wonderful resource for free patterns of any kind.

Ravelry.com also offers 202 leg warmer patterns which are free, plus there are dozens more you can purchase for a couple of dollars. One thing I love about the pattern search on Ravelry is that there are photos of nearly all the patterns. You can specify too if you want only free patterns, those with photos, etc.

These were just a few of my favorite free knitted leg warmer patterns. If you’ve designed any legwarmers and would like to share, please post a link in the comments and I’ll add it to the post.

Related posts:

1. Where to Find Free Knitted Slipper Patterns Knitted slippers make a wonderful holiday gift - or make...
2. New and Free Knitted Dishcloth Patterns – 2011 What's new in dishcloth patterns for the past year? Find...
3. Where to Find Free Sock Knitting Patterns Sock knitting patterns always seemed complicated to me, just looking...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Sweet Shawlettes, 25 Irresistible Patterns for Knitting Cowls, Capelets, and More, is a recently published book of beautiful and fashionable knitting patterns by designer Jean Moss. If you want something special beyond the usual shawls and cowls, this book is for you. Author Jean Moss is a designer, knitting teacher and writer who lives in York, England, where she has created her own collections of hand knits for the past 25 years, in both Europe and North America.

The book is divided into four sections, Country, Couture, Folk and Vintage with half a dozen beautifully photographed patterns in each part. The patterns themselves are an assortment of yarn neck pieces, capelets, cowls and collars, all using fairly small amounts of yarn. As Moss says in her introduction, if you’re a fiber lover who can’t resist buying a skein or two of luxury yarns, but  then you wonders what you can make with this small amount, you’ll love these patterns, which are the perfect way to show off that specialty yarn. They are also good for using up your stash as well, and since many of the patterns are quick to knit up, they would make much appreciated gifts.

A great many stitches are explored in Sweet Shawlettes, including Fair Isles, cables, lace, applique and more. As for the yarns used, the author states she tried those which were were easily accessible to any knitter, both online and in stores. Some patterns work better with cottons and linens and some with more luxurious yarns and Moss gives her recommendations for each pattern.

These fashion statement knitting patterns lend themselves to embellishment with buttons or antique jewelry so you can use your creativity with the closures and decorations.

There is a nice mixture of easy patterns, if you’re fairly new to knitting, but many are for the intermediate or experienced knitter. In fact, the index lists only four easy patterns of the 25. The Enigma Shawl in the Couture section is marked easy and is a frothy beauty made with stockinette stitch.  The Harlequin Cape, which is pictured on the cover, is intermediate. The patterns in the Folk section, such as the lovely Arabesque Shawl could easily become an heirloom in your own family.

My favorite section was the Vintage patterns, where the author features pieces from the Tudors up through Hollywood style fashion icons of the 1950′s. Want to feel like Grace Kelly?  The delicate Grace Cowl is, of course, named after the classically beautiful actress and you could easily imagine her wearing it. The Bronte Fichu was inspired by the Emily Bronte novel, Wuthering Heights, and received several mentions in the book. This shawl for the experienced knitter features an exquisitely lacy look.

The easy pattern in the Vintage section was the Vamp boa, made with the stockinette stitch and mohair yarn.

The appendix to Sweet Shawlettes features techniques, such as how to add beads and how to read a chart, and knitting stitches. There is also information on all the yarns used in the book.

Sweet Shawlettes by Jean Moss just recently was published this January, 2012 and would make a unique addition to your knitting library.  I would recommend it for either intermediate or advanced knitters. Beginners will drool over and be inspired by the lovely patterns but might get frustrated at not being able to actually make them. Sweet Shawlettes is available on Amazon.com and other book outlets.

Sweet Shawlettes: 25 Irresistible Patterns for Knitting Cowls, Capelets, and More

My thanks to Taunton Press for providing a copy of Sweet Shawlettes for Review.

Related posts:

1. Review of Circular Knitting Workshop – A Comprehensive New Knitting Book by Margaret Radcliffe Circular Knitting Workshop: Essential Techniques to Master Knitting in the...
2. Book Review – Classic Elite Quick Knits Classic Elite Quick Knits, available October 18, 2011, is a...
3. Knitting Book Review – All Wound Up by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee All in all, All Wound Up is a just what...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.