Artful Color, Mindful Knits: The Definitive Guide to Working with Hand-dyed Yarn Author: Visit Amazon's Laura Militzer Bryant Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1933064269 | Format: PDF
Artful Color, Mindful Knits: The Definitive Guide to Working with Hand-dyed Yarn Description
About the Author
Laura Militzer Bryant is a designer and fiber arts crafting teacher whose work has appeared regularly in
Interweave Knits,
Knitter’s Magazine, and
Vogue Knitting. She is the founder of Prism, a popular line of hand-dyed yarns and the author of
A Knitter’s Template,
Knitting with Novelty Yarns, and
The Yarn Stash Workbook. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Elaine Rowley is a former editor of
Knitter's Magazine and the current editor of XRX Books.
Alexis Xenakis is a photographer and the publisher for
Knitter's Magazine and
XRX Books. They both live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Xrx Books (June 1, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1933064269
- ISBN-13: 978-1933064260
- Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
ARTFUL COLOR, MINDFUL KNITS is not a book for beginning knitters, but it's a major new technical reference for knitting with hand-dyed, multicolored yarns. It needs to be studied to be understood--but it's the first book I've seen that (1) clearly defines the important terms (striping, stacking, blotching, pooling, flashing, spirals, argyles, meanders) with photographs that show the real differences, and (2) fully explains how to control the look of the finished fabric when you're using one of those expensive yarns that looks so beautiful in the skein but so messy and ugly when knitted.
Master dyer Laura Bryant is the genius behind Prism yarns (e.g., Wild Stuff). The key to understanding her book is the Magic Number, defined as "the number of stitches that will use an entire repeat of color exactly once". To determine a yarn's Magic Number, you must identify the color repeat by laying loops of yarn out on a table (photos and written instructions explain exactly how), measuring the length, determining whether the colors read across or around the skein (depends on how the skein was dyed), and calculating the stitches used by one repeat (use any of three methods--mathematical, counting, color-control cast-on).
Once you have your yarn's Magic Number, you swatch, and swatch again, until you find the needle size and tension that works for the effect you want (e.g., stacking, lightning-bolt flashing, argyling). If you note down the gauge, it will help you change effects as desired. At this point, you can try the basic patterns for scarves (half magic, fisherman's rib, K1P1, bias garter) and begin studying--and understanding--how the colors in hand-dyed yarns move and shift as you knit through the color repeats.
How many accomplished knitters have discovered to their dismay that those scrumptious skeins of variegated yarn don't translate easily to lovely garments? As I'm one of them, I'm guessing many have had my mixed experience with these beautiful but temperamental yarns.
Enter Artful Color, Mindful Knits which first analyzes how variegated yarns are dyed, whether they tend toward muted kettle dyes of one or or more complimentary colors or rainbows which will pool, splatter and splotch if not handled correctly. First the knitter must analyze the color pattern, repeat and dye pattern using the magic number. The first section of the book is devoted to analyzing various yarns, determining their color repeat and magic number and how to swatch with them. Variegated yarns can be used alone or in combination, in plain stitches or complex stitch patterns and more time is spent analyzing how and shy different choices might be made. I own the other two books on using handpainted yarns to pattern garments and socks, and while both are worthy additions to the knitters library, neither comes close to this book in terms of technical information and yes, genius.
Then there are the patterns, which are pretty, but for me not the main source of utility and inspiration in terms of this book. I like to design my own patterns and will study the techniques assiduously but at most use the patterns as a jumping off point. Some of the kimono style jackets are lovely and could use virtually any handpainted yarn. From a technical point of view, I was deeply impressed with an argyle patterned skirt and shell. As for expense of materials, again, there are many independent users offering amazing handpainted yarns at good prices, in addition to the established companies.
Artful Color, Mindful Knits: The Definitive Guide to Working with Hand-dyed Yarn Preview
Link
Please Wait...