Simply Crafted Knitting

The Art of [Machine] Knitting

I've been going through The Art of Knitting: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces page by page for the past couple of days. The book combines close-up photos of various knit swatches with pictures of natural elements (rocks, water, etc.). In some cases, it can be difficult to see where the knitting stops and the background begins. Overall, the book provides inspiration rather than specific directions on how to duplicate the techniques. It also tends to focus on machine knitting more than hand knitting.  Still, it has definitely gotten me thinking about some new things to try and even possibly experimenting with machine knitting one of these days.

Barbara Walker's Books

A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, as well as Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns are my favorite sources for stitch patterns. Aside from the vast array of patterns, the best part of the books is the the commentary on each of the patterns. It's like having access to someone's personal notes on how each stitch knits up, how it could be used, and how it could be varied.

There is also a fourth pattern book, A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns that I don't have (yet). I also love another of her books, Knitting from the Top.

Loop-d-Loop

I am so happy that Teva Durham has her own book, Loop-d-Loop -- with over 40 patterns! I love how her modern stylish (but not too trendy) patterns tend to introduce a new way of looking at some aspect of knitting. Some of the patterns aren't new; I already own some of the ones that were on her website, www.loop-d-loop.com. But the beautiful photos and her commentary on how she approached each design still make the book well worth it.

Getting Started...

I've been meaning to get around to starting a blog for a while now, and what better time to start than when on vacation? It's actually more of a stay-in-town type of vacation...time to update my website, visit museums, and otherwise catch up on all of the knitting and other projects that have been piling up.

The best part has been taking the time to find some new inspiration for knitting projects -- I am really enjoying going through Loop-d-Loop, Unexpected Knitting, and The Art of Knitting  in detail (see my comments under Recent Reading).