Colour

Recently I've made two pairs of fair isle mittens, the first took longer than normal because I kept ripping it out when I wasn't happy with my colour selection.  I spent time planning the second pair of mittens and was much happier with the result (and process), but I concluded I'd like to learn more about colours and how they work together.  I ordered some books from the library (I love the library), and this week one of my holds came in, Exploring Color in Kitting.

It's a quick read (I read through the entire thing during one of Caleb's naps), but gives a really good overview of selecting colours and things we can consider when deciding on colour combinations.  I like that it's specifically about colour in knitting, they point out that a painter can mix different colours of ink  but that knitters have to chose from available yarns (unless you're cool and dye your own and are good enough to tweak the dye to get exactly what you want, I am not that cool yet).

I like how they talk about how different stitch patterns can play with colour, and how to break down what's happening in a colour way so you can understand it better, which in turn can inform our choices about how we're going to change it.

They show swatches in multiple colourways to demonstrate what they're talking about which is fantastic and doesn't get too far away from the concrete.  The book is well written, well photographed, and well organized.

I'm going to read it again and take a few notes.  I like this one a lot.

Design It, Knit It, Babies

I love knitting books and am always interested in what other people have been looking at so I've decided to start reviewing the ones I've been reading.

Recently I've read Debbie Bliss' Design It, Knit It, Babies. I really love her magazine and I thought the fact that she talks about the design process was really interesting.  That being said, it includes some lovely patterns that are worth checking out even if you're not interested in the design aspect of the book.

I found the book was approachable and well organized, it addressed both visual aspects such as mixing texture with colourwork as well as practical concerns, like making sure a sweater's shape accommodates the bulk of a diaper at the bottom. I really appreciated the fact the the book isn't simply a version of her Design It, Knit It with baby patterns substituted for adult ones, but that the content addresses concerns that are specific to babies such as the importance of being able to wash things easily and that the yarn recommendations reflect that as well.

There is at least one pattern that also appeared in one of the Debbie Bliss magazines, so if you have all the issues of that you'll have some repeats. 

I do find that her sizing is quite big and usually end up knitting a size down. Caleb's average size and when I compare her schematics to his store bought clothes Bliss' patterns consistently come out bigger. That's not a problem but something to be aware of when picking a size to knit.  She also tends to make sweaters in many peices that have to be sewn together at the end. It's not my favourite way to construct a sweater but the patterns are so beautiful that I usually follow her instructions anyways. They could be altered to be knit in the round without too much trouble.

I got this book from the library but now it's on my list to buy, I plan to make a number of patterns from it and will enjoy this book for quite some time.

I'd love to hear what you're reading in the comments!