bookreviews
Twisted Woolly Toppers
by Woolly Wormhead
Arbour House Publishing
ISBN 978-09556-2063-8
In this, Woolly Wormhead's third book, she brings us a fabulous collection of new hat designs with its focus: cable, twist and bias techniques. Beautifully photographed on location in Italy, there are ten great designs for men, women and children. Each hat is sized to fit three or more head sizes so by altering the colour and sizing to suit, each hat can be made for a range of people including those with big hair, like me.
The hats have great names which reflect the designs such as the curved, windmillesque lines of Turbine which meet centrally at the top and the directional arrows of Freccia. There are a combination of styles to knit, some beanie-shaped, some with double points at the crown, some upright, some slouchy and yet others still, like Lollie, finishing with the flourish of an i-cord topknot. They all have a characteristic twist pattern in common either on the brim, in the body or at the crown.
 Turbine |
 Lollie |
 Freccia |
| All of the designs from the book can be seen here | ||
Unlike her previous book, Going Straight, there are no tutorials included, but don't let this put you off, as '...all techniques needed to complete the projects are available online or in general knitting techniques books.' Although some of the designs seem complicated at first glance, they are cleverly written with clear and concise instructions which are easy to follow. What's more, each pattern has both charted and written instructions giving an option if you prefer a visual over text, or vice versa. There is an excellent two-page abbreviations and chart key in one at the back of the book as well as useful sizing information and a resource guide.
I loved this book and look forward to knitting many of the creative, fresh and fun patterns within.
Book review by Ingrid Murnane
Twisted Woolly Toppers is available from the http://www.woollywormhead.com/twisted-woolly-toppers
Knit, Purl, Save the World
by Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong
David & Charles
ISBN 978-07153-3634-2
This new book from the presenter of Knitty Gritty and author of several well known knitting books, Vickie Howell, and co-author Adrienne Armstrong, owner of The Atomic Garden in California, features 31 crochet and knitting patterns all made with eco-friendly yarns such as soy, hemp, organic cotton and recycled materials such as old newspapers.
There are both simple and more complicated projects and certainly many practical, useful patterns which sits well with the theme of the book. The book is divided into projects for the body and for the home. My particular favourites are the 'Global Warmth' blanket knitted in organic wool which would take some time to knit and the 'Simple Clean' face cloth which could be knitted in a couple of hours and would make a great gift. I am also fascinated by the Jessica Mattingly Recycled Newspaper yarn used in the 'Extra! Eco!' pattern for a photo frame.
The book contains lots of supporting information about ecological issues and also tips on subjects as wide ranging as reflexology and how to knot a tie. Some of the information provided is biased towards the US, but this is natural enough as the authors are both from the states. All in all I found all these extra bits of information really added to the pleasure of browsing through the book and hope to knit several of the designs from the book, starting with my very own 'Simple Clean'.
To find out how to win a copy of this book see our Book Give Away.Review by Susan Crawford
The Culture of Knitting
by Joanne Turney
Berg
ISBN 978-18452-0592-8
The Culture of Knitting by Dr Joanne Turney makes a fascinating read and there really is a lot to take in. This book is an academic text and therefore heavy on text with few illustrations and no patterns. However, it is an engaging read that will cause knitters to think about various aspects of the craft that they might not have previously contemplated. Knitting as a narrative, knitting as a gendered pursuit and the power of political knitting are all discussed in detail amongst many other issues. The socio-economic impact of knitting in recent years is particularly interesting and Turney states that she aims to investigate '...the cultural impact and meaning(s) of knitting and its development since 1970.' No mean task. Using a wide range of source material and seen through British eyes, The Culture of Knitting really comes into its own towards the end, where Turney discusses knitting as material culture and weaves case studies, oral and written testimonies into the text. This book will be particularly useful to students of textiles and recent textile history as there is much discussion of the methodological aspects used in the study of knitting, such as gender, historicism and post-modernism. While not a book for every knitter, I would recommend it to anybody wanting to know more about the theory surrounding the craft.
Book review by Ingrid Murnane
