Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits

by Jen Geigley, Joelle Blanchard (Photographer), Joey Leaming (Photographer)

'Weekend' is a collection of 12 simple, modern knits for women, men and children. Knits you can live in on the weekend; knits you can create in a weekend. Knit using bulky and super bulky yarn, these sweaters and accessories exude comfort and ease. My mission is to create casual, contemporary, wearable handknits that can serve as foundation pieces in anyone’s wardrobe. Approachable patterns that aren’t too complex, making knitters say, “I want to make that!” I’m a minimalist at heart and I truly believe less is more, and simple is good. To me, simple equals wearable. Simple equals doable. And there’s no greater satisfaction than finishing a hand-knit piece, trying it on and falling in love with it. My goal as a knitter is to make go-to pieces that feel just right, like my favorite soft gray pullover from college. If you spend precious time knitting a garment, you want to love it and wear it a lot. It’s as simple as that. That, to me, is the definition of hand-knit success. And that’s what I hope to share with you in this collection.

Genres: Knitting

Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2015

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

she knits super loose compared to me. have to make tons of adjustments to match gauge to get similar sizes. love all the super bulky patterns though.

[Lee Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weekend - Gen Geigley, Joelle Balnachard & Joey Leaming (photographers)

I picked up Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits because the photography immediately caught my eye — which, ironically, turned out to be the book’s biggest flaw.

This feels far more like a styled photoshoot than a knitting book. The photography is clearly the priority, often at the expense of actually showing the knitted pieces properly. In multiple shots you can’t even see the full garment, because the focus is on “artsy” posing rather than on the design or construction of the project. It becomes frustrating very quickly when you’re trying to evaluate patterns and instead feel like you’re flipping through a lifestyle lookbook.

The heavy emphasis on aesthetic over practicality made it difficult to take the book seriously as a pattern collection. I wanted to see the knits — not a series of moody, stylised images where the garment is almost an afterthought. The patterns and garment photos also don’t always match up clearly, so for anyone wanting to try something from this book, I’d strongly suggest double-checking that you’re following the correct pattern for the garment pictured.

That said, the Debut Kimono pattern did genuinely stand out to me and is one I am considering making. It’s a strong design, and I do love a good kimono. 👘❤️

Overall, this book may appeal to those who enjoy the vibe and photography as much as the knitting, but if you’re looking for clear, practical presentation of patterns, this will likely be a disappointing read.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're looking for a modern entry level collection of patterns then this is a good place to start. They really take the "simple" from the title and run with it, plus the use of giant roving yarn does provide an easy and quick statement piece, but these are not items that are going to withstand daily wear and tear and washing cycles for basic weekend wear. I suppose I should stick to Ravelry, though the photography was nice!

[Angela Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for younger people

I found only the basic oversized sweater pattern in the book interesting. Younger people may find this revamp of early 2000s bulky knits (think Wenlan Chia - Twinkle) new and hip.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun easy quick knits using large needles and bulky yarn