Colorful Knitwear Design (Threads On) [Paperback]

Threads Magazine (Author), Threads (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1994 | Series: Threads On

In this collection of 19 articles from "Threads" magazine, knitting experts share design ideas and techniques to help readers create knits that flatter and fit and are enjoyable to make. Knitters will find practical information on how to: blend colours and fibres; make textural stitches; chart free-form geometric designs; make custom-embroidered embellishments, and inters; and create perfect ribbons, pockets and cardigan bands. It guides knitters through picking the fibre, colour and texture to choosing the finishing technique. The book is illustrated throughout and includes eight sweater schematics, two complete garment patterns plus numerous charts and stitch patterns.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (July 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561580821
• ISBN-13: 978-1561580828
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More inspiration than instruction, November 6, 2000

By 

"kangarex" (Keokuk, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colorful Knitwear Design (Threads On) (Paperback)

If you love looking at beautiful original knitting, then you will love this book. Despite never having knit anything from its pages, it is a book I come back to again and again.

The book is arranged into short articles, and each provides its own brand of inpiration. Most of the authors seem genuinely in love with their subject, and there is a lot of valuable information on color choices, patterned knitting, 3-dimensional knitting...almost anything to do with yarn and color.

While almost none of the pieces demonstrated are anything I will ever knit, many of them have provided springboard ideas for my knitting, and occassionally some valuable techniques. Generally speaking though, if you're looking for instruction, look elsewhere - this is inspiration.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute must for your knitting library. Wonderful detail on the how to of color knitting, August 20, 2006

By 

Unicornr "unicornr" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Colorful Knitwear Design (Threads On) (Paperback)

This book is one I couldn't put down, kept up my interest throughout. Explains in full detail while also providing great photos and drawings in color that are simple to follow. You will be amazed at the wonderful results. This undoubtedly will be a classic in the years to come. It teaches all you need to know in learning how to utilize different colors and yarn for your knitwear. I would love to rate this higher than 5 stars.

Included among the chapters are many various styles of sweaters, sweater coats, children sweaters, Norwegian Sweaters, and even cardigan borders in detail, or knitting without patterns at all, and even knitting your own color picture graph without any difficulty. Color blending so easy, you will find it hard to believe that you can do it as quickly as you do.

Also included, Embellished Children's Sweaters, an elephant, a ghost, a dinosaur and believe it or not, a "cute" snake.

Also included, a great section on Charting Lace, picturing Alice Starmore's design "Flying Birds", and how to accomplish the task of charting lace.

Terrific chapter by Nancy Marchant teaching the three basic techniques of Intarsia knitting, including wonderful photos and diagrams showing how to do perform this amazing art.

Ribbing that holds it shape, hems and pockets, and much,, much more.

This is a wonderful knitting book that should be in every knitter's library. This one is a keeper.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short articles about design and technique for knitters, January 31, 2003

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Colorful Knitwear Design (Threads On) (Paperback)

Threads Magazine used to publish an occasional knitting article. After much hemming (!) and hawing, they decided to concentrate on sewing only. This was a loss to knitters but the Threads publishers have collected the articles into a series of books. Thanks, Taunton Press!

This particular volume has articles on techniques such as strip-knitting, which is back in vogue right now. You make a garment in a series of knitted-together strips that form the shape of the garment by varying their lengths. Each strip can be a different pattern or offset patterns and lends a very nice ethnic look (think mudcloth or other handcrafted textiles.)

There are articles about design techniques such as symmetry, texture stitches with colorwork, some lace and a few intarsia things that look a lot like Kaffe Fasset style knitting. Mostly this book is ABOUT the design and not about the patterns, so if you like to design this is for you. If you are looking for a book of models to knit from patterns, you might be disappointed.