| NEW! Vogue Knitting: Stitchionary 6 |
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| Written by Barbara Rottman | |||
Title: Vogue Knitting: Stitchionary 6
Author: The Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine Date Published: November 2011 Review Date: November 7, 2011
Who is this book for? Edgings solve a host of design problems, from correcting fit to adding a novel embellishment to an otherwise plain garment. Stitchionary 6, the latest installment in the much relied upon Vogue Knitting series, is filled with more than 200 knit edgings. It proves once again that knitting is a nearly inexhaustible topic that has yet to find the “last word”. The Stitchionary series is based on stitches used by designers for garments previously published in Vogue Knitting Magazine. Previous books were devoted to knit and purl, cables, color, crochet, and lace. The editors themselves were amazed at the wealth of material remaining in the archives. In assembling Stitchionary 6, they selected the best trims and edgings from thousands of published designs.
What Yarn Does it Feature? All swatches in the book were knit using color coordinated Cascade Yarns. Like past books in the series, the entire book is based on a color theme; here it is soothing shades of grape, periwinkle, lavender, and mauve. The smooth surface of the Cascade Yarns photographs with clarity, making it very easy to study the stitches and compare one stitch to another. The perfectly knit swatches aid knitters in checking for accuracy. No gauge is given; knitters must knit their own test swatch using the yarn for their project. This important step should not be overlooked as it helps you decide if the stitch is right for your yarn.
What's Inside Stitchionary 6 presents full color pictures and detailed instructions for over 200 edgings and trims. Beyond the several variations on ribbing, there are lace, textured, cabled, embroidered, colorwork and crocheted edgings. Abbreviations are defined and techniques described at the beginning of the directions for each swatch, so you don’t have to flip back and forth between the appendix and the swatch page. That said there is an appendix with a list of all abbreviations, illustrated tutorial on yarn overs for lace making and a glossary of technical terms.
Using It The book is arranged in seven chapters, and within each chapter the stitches are arranged by level of difficulty, from simple to challenging. A large colorful photograph of the swatch for each stitch accompanies the line by line directions. Charts are also provided for color and lace stitches. The chapters are introduced with fashion shots of finished garments featuring one of the edgings found in the chapter. Wouldn’t we love to know where to find those patterns? There are no project patterns in Stitchionary 6, but we’d sure like to know where to find the pattern for the lovely mohair scarf with the crocheted flower edging and the lace edged raglan shrug.
Best Advice Edgings are a good way to learn new skills and try out new stitches, so knitters should experiment with them. The trims in Stitchionary 6 can be used on hems, cuffs, necklines, pockets and cardigan bands or any other knitting. There is no ironclad rule that requires hats, sweaters or mittens to be edged in ribbing. Explore the many choices in Stitchionary 6 to find the edging that makes a personal statement, and you can turn a plain project into a unique garment that you will enjoy wearing. Remember that you don’t have to start with an edging. As the editors remind us, you can start with the edging and knit the rest of the garment, or pick up stitches and knit the edging after the garment is finished. Alternatively, you can knit or crochet an edging separately and sew it on. Finally, it is possible to knit on or graft an edging to live stitches.
Recommendation Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume Six: Edgings is an essential reference for every knitter's library. Use Stitchionary 6 as a designer’s tool, a technical reference, and a prod to creativity. This book offers an indexed selection of stunning edgings. All you have to add is the inspiration. Overall Recommendation Add Stitchionary 6 to your knitting shelf today. It rates #10.
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