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Decorative Knitting: 100 Practical Techniques, 200 Inspirational Ideas and 18 Creative Projects
This easy-to-use guide introduces knitters to 100 decorative techniques for embellishing simple designs; it also features 125 ideas for using the techniques and 20 original projects for a variety of items.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Kate Haxell
59 books8 followersKate Haxell learned to sew at an early age, making clothes for her long-suffering teddy bears. Her skills have sharpened since and she now sews for real people. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 22, 2017
This one deserves a place on the reference shelf. I appreciate the forays into these effects: Three-dimensional yarns, alternative 'yarns,' beading techniques, embroidery, edges & trimmings. The title is correct in saying that it's inspirational because I want to experiment with all of them!
What pulls down a couple of stars, though, is that the font is ill-suited for study. The curved characters blend together into bubbles of text that tires the eyes, especially in the swatch library sections where the print is even smaller (is this 9-point?)
The patterns are clever, but I wouldn't spend my time on any of them. I much prefer playing at swatching, which the book provides ample opportunity.
What pulls down a couple of stars, though, is that the font is ill-suited for study. The curved characters blend together into bubbles of text that tires the eyes, especially in the swatch library sections where the print is even smaller (is this 9-point?)
The patterns are clever, but I wouldn't spend my time on any of them. I much prefer playing at swatching, which the book provides ample opportunity.
February 16, 2012
BOTTOM LINE: Excellently put-together book, simply *chock-full* of good ideas, with terrific instructions, for those knitters who wish to go beyond "plain vanilla". Easy enough instructions for beginners-to-intermediate knitters, but enough wonderful possible uses for even the most experienced knitter.
The cover and subtitle don't lie, everything is just as advertised! Plus the set-up of the book is easy to use and also very nicely cross-referenced as well. And the diagrams and photos of stitches and techniques are to-die-for - superbly done! If you're into embellishment of your knitting projects, then you simply MUST have this book, it has instructions for pretty much everything you might wish to try. It's a great jumping-off point for more advanced knitters, and the authors' lovely attitude is generally one of "why not try....", and this book is filled with wonderful suggestions as to how knitters *might* use these techniques. And yet the instructions are so carefully given and well-illustrated a knitter with minimal experience ought to be able to progress through the book fairly easily, picking up lots of good hints/instruction all along the way.
A real learning experience, and a lot of fun-as-you-go as well. If you enjoy the varieties of possible embellishments in knitting, then you definitely NEED to get this book for your home library. Each section has a part devoted to the actual techniques with how-to instructions and illustrations, then a gloriously detailed swatch library offering many variations on a technique, and then several projects that utilize those techniques. There are sections on:
Three-Dimensional Yarn Effects (cables, bobbles, textures, differing thicknesses i.e. pleating, ruffles, etc.)
Yarn Plus (working with different weights of yarns together, using unusual kinds of yarn i.e. hemp, fabric, leather, straw, etc.)
Knitting In (beads, buttons, "found" objects, etc.)
Embroidery (ways to embroider on knitted fabrics, with many easy instructions for designs that mimic intarsia or fair-isle knitting patterns)
Edgings and Trimmings (tassels, insertions, edgings)
The cover and subtitle don't lie, everything is just as advertised! Plus the set-up of the book is easy to use and also very nicely cross-referenced as well. And the diagrams and photos of stitches and techniques are to-die-for - superbly done! If you're into embellishment of your knitting projects, then you simply MUST have this book, it has instructions for pretty much everything you might wish to try. It's a great jumping-off point for more advanced knitters, and the authors' lovely attitude is generally one of "why not try....", and this book is filled with wonderful suggestions as to how knitters *might* use these techniques. And yet the instructions are so carefully given and well-illustrated a knitter with minimal experience ought to be able to progress through the book fairly easily, picking up lots of good hints/instruction all along the way.
A real learning experience, and a lot of fun-as-you-go as well. If you enjoy the varieties of possible embellishments in knitting, then you definitely NEED to get this book for your home library. Each section has a part devoted to the actual techniques with how-to instructions and illustrations, then a gloriously detailed swatch library offering many variations on a technique, and then several projects that utilize those techniques. There are sections on:
Three-Dimensional Yarn Effects (cables, bobbles, textures, differing thicknesses i.e. pleating, ruffles, etc.)
Yarn Plus (working with different weights of yarns together, using unusual kinds of yarn i.e. hemp, fabric, leather, straw, etc.)
Knitting In (beads, buttons, "found" objects, etc.)
Embroidery (ways to embroider on knitted fabrics, with many easy instructions for designs that mimic intarsia or fair-isle knitting patterns)
Edgings and Trimmings (tassels, insertions, edgings)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews