Fiber Crafts

Bag Style and Folk Style are the latest entries in Interweave's series of themed pattern collections by well-known knitwear designers. Bag Style features 22 detailed patterns for knitted bags in a variety of styles and constructions that make for a constantly engaging knitting experience. Designs range from a simple iPod pocket necklace, to a purse based on a circular lace doily knitted from the center out, to a knitting bag featuring large wooden knitting needles as closures. There are also felted bags, colorful intarsia creations, Fair Isle, and cabled designs—all with numerous photographs and step-by-step instructions.

Folk Style focuses on garments and accessories with an ethnic flair, many featuring the bright colors, appliqués, embroidery, and intricate stitching that give a one-of-a-kind look to many folk textiles. Projects include a beautiful mohair wrap reminiscent of the traditional log cabin quilt block and a colorful knitted skirt embroidered with felt appliqués. Each book features a "Design Notebook" with suggestions for knitters wishing to expand their skills to knitwear design. Most of these patterns require at least intermediate knitting skills. Highly recommended for large public libraries.

Knitters who think of a scarf as a boring beginner's project may rethink their aversion to knitting this handy garmant when they see this collection of 27 imaginative patterns. Employing optical illusion, inventive structures, and clever shaping, Barr (Sweaterscapes of the American West) expands the definition of scarf to include knitting techniques (such as short-row shaping and knitting around on two double-point needles) that may be new to even experienced knitters. She emphasizes structure more than color with designs—some of which are based on architectural detail—that will appeal to knitters of all levels of expertise. An excellent choice for large public libraries.

Amigurumi—the crocheting or knitting of small, funky, cute stuffed toys that take the shape of animals, humanoid figures, or inanimate objects like cheeseburgers or cupcakes—has long been a popular pastime in Japan; books on the subject in English are just beginning to hit the U.S. market. This introduction, with 14 projects ranging from a simple crocheted carrot to a wide-eyed doll with crocheted-in clothes and shoes, will appeal to the beginning crocheter. The easy going, humorous style; step-by-step instructions; and clear photos of each design make this a good choice for YA collections.

Druchunas, who explored the lace knitting of native Alaskans in her earlier Arctic Lace, here turns her attention to knitting in other ethnic traditions. What is ethnic knitting? Ethnic knitters usually knit from a basic understanding of the process of knitting learned at an early age. Using techniques passed on by family and friends, they create distinctive pieces without using written patterns. Proof that with solid content a knitting book doesn't necessarily have to include glossy color photos, this includes 12 small skill-building projects (e.g., caps, scarves, sweaters) that teach texture and color knitting in the context of traditional knitting of the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and the Andes region of South America. An excellent choice for public libraries with strong knitting collections.

Photographed against the sun-drenched background of Portugal, this collection of patterns for 20 gorgeous quilts reflects the color inspirations of master colorist Fassett, with quilts by the author and by other leading quilt designers, including Liza Prior Lucy, Amy Butler, and Mary Mashuta. Bold geometric designs and the richly patterned fabrics characteristic of the Fassett style feature prominently; included are a marvelous free-style log cabin quilt in brilliant colors and the Chelsea Quilt with stylized flowers appliquéd on a pieced-quilt center with a border of striking print fabrics. Many quilters will use these projects as jumping-off points for their own explorations of color, but for those who wish to reproduce the quilts, there are step-by-step instructions, full-size templates, and color photos. Recommended for large public libraries and academic textile collections.

Gschwandtner is an artist and founder of KnitKnit, a limited-edition journal exploring the links between fine art and crafts. KnitKnit the book is a fascinating read, profiling a new generation of art knitters motivated more by ideas than by the technical aspects of their craft. Artists profiled range from creative mainstream knitwear designers like Norah Gaughan, who bases many of her designs on abstract forms found in nature, to avant-garde artists like Dave Cole, who used heavy-duty construction equipment and knitting needles made of 25-foot aluminum poles to knit a 25' by 20' American flag. Each of the 25 knitters profiled has contributed an original project to the book to encourage the reader to explore the possibilities of knitting as an art form. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.

In knitting, a cable is created when stitches are knitted out of order. Knitters of any skill level wishing to teach themselves this technique will find this workshop-in-a-book invaluable. It includes basic, detailed cable-making information as well as 20 different cable patterns with close-up photos, charts, and complete step-by-step instructions. Ten projects, including a colorful laptop computer cover embellished with cables and bobbles and a hemp messenger bag, illustrate how cables can add to the appeal of a knitted piece. This title should find a place in all public library knitting collections, along with Melissa Leapman's Cables Untangled: An Exploration of Cable Knitting.

There are more manufacturers of rigid heddle looms than books on the subject, so any new title on rigid heddle weaving may be of interest to libraries. The rigid heddle loom is a simple, relatively inexpensive, and remarkably versatile loom used to weave fabric for clothing, accessories, and household textiles. Betty Linn Davenport's Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving has long been the standard introduction to this craft and is the best book to put in the hands of the novice weaver. Creative Weaving will appeal to the weaver who already owns this type of loom and is eager to experiment with combining a variety of colors and textures to fashion a unique fabric. This richly illustrated idea book includes general instructions for creating 30 different fabrics as well as basic information on warping the loom. A good choice for public libraries where demand warrants.

Plus-size pattern designers fit roughly into two camps: the flaunt-your-curves designers and the disguise-those-figure-flaws-and-look-slimmer" designers. In this book—one of the few titles available on crocheting for the plus-size figure—Hubert, a longtime crochet teacher and author, places herself squarely into the second camp. The book contains 20 figure-flattering designs for cardigans, jackets, and accessories for sizes 1X to 4X, all with complete step-by-step instructions and clear photos of each project, plus close-up photos of garment details and the yarn used in the designs. Enthusiastically recommended for public libraries.

Many longtime knitters are not all that knowledgeable about the yarns they use in their craft and would be hard-pressed to distinguish a cellulose from a synthetic yarn, let alone expound on fiber characteristics. Parkes, publisher of the wildly popular KnittersReview.com weekly, has made it her mission to explore the potential uses and quirks of yarns, from simple two-ply yarn to chenille and bouclés. She has visited large manufacturers, importers, small dye shops, and sheep farms and learned how fibers are prepared, spun, and plied and what types of projects might best bring out the assets of a particular yarn. She tells all in this readable book that also includes a variety of projects suitable for each type of yarn. This marvelous resource belongs in every knitting collection.

You are working your way through a knitting pattern, and all of a sudden you come face to face with instructions that tell you to "pm." There is no indication of what "pm" means. Many pattern books, especially older ones, assume that you know any number of esoteric abbreviations, and abbreviations are difficult to look up in knitting reference books unless you already know their meaning. That is where Knitspeak comes in. This small compendium of knitting terminology and abbreviations not only tells you that "pm" means to place a marker in your work at that point, but it also shows you pictures of common markers used in knitting and gives advice on when to use them. A quick, useful reference recommended for all collections.

Floorquilting is a new fabric decoupage technique for making dazzling patchwork floor quilts by piecing fabric onto artist's canvas, sealing it, and applying protective coatings and nonskid backings to make an extremely durable floor covering. Living in a household with rug-chewing dogs, Silver came up with the idea of durable floor quilts as a substitute for conventional throw rugs. Twelve projects with step-by-step instructions are supplemented with a gallery of examples of other uses for the technique, including making place mats, coasters, luggage tags, and bookmarks. Quilters will find this a good way to use up fabric scraps while creating wearable art for their homes. An excellent choice for public library craft and quilting collections.

Square, author of the popular Knitter's Companion and two pattern compilations based on folk traditions, Folk Bags and Folk Hats, here turns her attention to the kimono, a traditional Japanese garment with a soft drape that adapts well to a knitted fabric and is flattering on almost any figure. The featured 18 kimonos, both long and short, are notable for a variety of stitch patterns and yarns, including a "Fan Kimono" knitted with a lacy stitch pattern resembling a fan shape and a striking "Medallions & Scrolls" kimono featuring repeated motifs worked in a combination of Fair Isle and intarsia techniques. All patterns are within the skill range of intermediate knitters and are photographed from several angles, with close-up shots of details, schematics, and charts. Highly recommended for public libraries.

As more and more creative young DIYers take up the hook, crochet is becoming the "new knitting." Werker, the editor of Interweave Crochet magazine, founded the online magazine crochetme.com, and many of the crochet designers featured here got their start on that site. Featured are complete step-by-step instructions for 18 fashion-forward projects for crocheted clothing and accessories, plus a wealth of instructional material and inspirational designer profiles. The projects are rated in difficulty from one to four, with one being "crochet it at a party" and four meaning "crochet it in a quiet room." Recommended for public libraries.

Quilters can get so wrapped up in choosing beautiful fabrics and following patterns that they ignore the creative possibilities of their art. What better way to free themselves than to create a small quilt a week with found objects like clothing labels, tree bark, old sock fragments, and cupcake wrappers. Williamson, who once made a quilt a week for seven years, guides readers in completing 52 small quilts via clear instructions, good color photos, a materials list, and commentary. An excellent choice for large public libraries and academic art quilt collections.