In our Good Books

There are times on my long scrollings through Ravelry in search of a just-right raglan for a customer, that it’s tempting to ask if there’s any room for anything new anymore. Hasn’t everything been designed already? If you’re slipping into a similar jadedness there’s no better antidote than a rifle through the new releases from the knitty press, where it turns out that the imagination of knitwear designers is in fine fettle, and has as much energy and ingenuity as ever it had. Still not convinced? Here are six that we think really deserve a closer look…

Made by You by Melissa Kanerva and Noora Arantola.

Promoted as ‘tailored for beginners and designed for thick yarn’, this Finnish collection speaks to new knitters who want a bit of proper garment action, but could do with some fairly speedy fabric-growing gratification to keep them motivated and on track. The patterns which include a handful of accessories, but mostly sweaters and tanks, call for needle sizes from 7mm to 10mm so we are firmly in chunky and super chunky land here. The designers have plainly decided to keep their offering clear and uncluttered by sticking only to patterns. But what the book lacks in not having a techniques section, it definitely makes up for in layout-clarity and manageability. There is a really accessible pleasure in how the patterns are presented. Given the ample help and support knitters can now find online and in other titles, I think they’ve made the right call.
So if you want to tempt a potential new knitter into the pool (or are one yourself, and fancy diving in), or you’d like to encourage someone stuck up the Sophie-Scarf Tree, to come down and try something more interesting instead, a copy of Made By You, some 8mm circulars and a skein of Zagal, Malabrigo Chunky or Bulky Light could be the making of a really beautiful friendship.

Nordic Sailors’ & Fishermen’s Sweaters by Lotte Rahbeck and Gitte Verner Jensen

In his foreword to this hefty tome, Thorbjørn Thaarup, a historian at the Maritime Museum of Denmark gets straight to the enduring appeal of fishermen’s sweaters: ‘There is something genuine about sailors’ knitwear.. [who lived] a life that was simultaneously a pact with and a fight against nature; steeped in the scents of waves, salt water, and air so fresh one can scarcely imagine it today.‘ The designers have imaginatively and beautifully captured that spirit in this smashing collection. Taking traditional motifs of maritime stripes, rope-ish cables, as well as seaside themes like sails, fishing nets, bubbles and waves, they have created patterns which seem properly worthy of the overused timeless fashion cliche. They’ve also properly thought about how to make the sweaters gender- and age-neutral so that almost everything can be made for everyone. Knitting-wise, the patterns are unfussy and look finishable for a reasonably confident knitter-purler. Yarns err on the lighter more wearable side – mostly 4ply, Sport and DK with a couple straying into worsted gauge. With the exception of one sweater, they are all worked bottom-up. Why? I’m really not sure but with this much thought having gone into the collection, I’m letting that one go. I’m sure they have a worthy reason.

Peter Rabbit Baby Knits by Debbie Bliss

Debbie Bliss’s regular collections of kids’ knitwear were a staple on our shelves when the shop opened 12 years ago, but over the years have been upstaged by the rise of indie designers’ seamless knits on Ravelry. Now I’m happy to say she’s back with a completely enchanting collection of unapologetically nostalgic knits based on the iconic characters from Beatrix Potter’s stories. The book’s licensing by the original Frederick Warne & Co publishers means it’s illustrated throughout with the original watercolours that are such an integral part of our memories of the characters and their adventures. DB has made ingenious use of duplicate stitch embroidery to transcribe these pictures onto blanket squares, cardigans and hats. This genius move allows for exquisitely intricate colourwork detailing – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter all have their little jackets and Jemima Puddleduck wears a proper bonnet and even her shawl is complete with flowers – without the knitter having to resort to stranding in multiple colours . More importantly there are no floats on the back, for small fingers to get caught up in. The knitting itself is largely beginner and intermediate friendly, with textured areas created using knits, purls, simple cables and bobbles, all of which are covered in an amply illustrated techniques appendix at the end. For traditionalists, there’s a pleasing old fashioned-ness to her layette approach to garments, with motifs running through the classic trio of bonnet, cardie and booties. On the yarn front, she’s also on home turf with patterns calling for DKs (WYS Morris and Pure are perfect options for softness and palette) and her own label sport-weight which is easily substitutable with Ulysse or Cautiva.

The Art of Knitwear Repair by Minttu Wikberg

In many ways it feels like there’s never been a better time to be a hand knitter in east London with its choice of yarn shops, yarns, knitting groups etc.. No surprise then that word has now spread to the dastardly community of east London moths. If like me, you’ve unpacked much loved and carefully hand made sweaters at the end of the summer, to discover that they’ve been snacked on during their hot weather hibernation, MW’s Art of Knitwear Repair should offer some welcome comfort. By focusing soley on mending knitting, she provides detailed illustrated instructions for a range of different techniques. including traditional woven mends, knitting across gaps, and the mysteriously perfect art of swiss darning. Using projects from her own pile of wear-worn and moth-eaten mending to illustrate her approach, she uses a careful, steady and measured tone which chimes in a very reassuring way, with the subject of the book. It’s clear from her writing on wool and repair, that she comes to this project from a thoughtfully wide angle. Mending is part of a bigger picture attitude and philosophy, and finding your way with it, can also be a route to changing our patterns of consumption and the unresolved and unsatisfying feelings they leave in their wake.

Island Knitting by Erika Åberg

Regular readers of this newsletter will know that there is a special place in this shop’s heart for far-flung small wool makers, so when news reached us about the publication of the English translation of Erika Åberg’s celebrated Swedish knitting book about yarns from small islands, we were more than a little excited. Such anticipation can swing both ways as we know high hopes can also lead to to disappointment. But if anything, Island Knits surpassed our expectations – with beautifully observed details about the Hebrides, Shetland, Gotland and Blödo, photography and patterns to match. EA is clear that her’s is not a project to present a collection of traditional patterns, but rather an attempt to bring something of ‘the scent, weather and wind‘ to the designs. And she does that in spades – proof, in case it were needed, that thoughtfully produced island wool in the hands of a designer who really understands place, can result in patterns that have a coherence and beauty which is obvious long before you understand why. And just in case we didn’t love it enough already, it turns we have absolutely the same taste in yarn, with Birlinn Yarn Co, Uist Wool, Jamieson & Smith, all making appearances in the recommended yarns lists.

]The Sock Obsession by Summer Lee

Long-time favourite sock pattern writer, Summer Lee, is back with a sequel to her enormously popular Sock Project. Yes, it’s more of something similar, but what she does is so great, it feels like we’ve got plenty of room for that. This time she takes a much deeper dive into colourwork, with clearly illustrated guidance on how to manage stranding and striping in the context of such small circumference knitting and the techniques provide a rich seam for new patterns and her charmingly told stories of the inspiration that prompted them. As SL writes of her Fisherman Fade socks, ‘Put them on, cancel all your plans, and retreat into your home with a plate of pizza rolls and that book you’ve been excited to read all day… Let the wind batter the walls and the rain tramlle your garden. You are quite content with what the world may hurl your way because you have the most perfect pair of ribbed socks.‘