Great Knitted Gifts [Hardcover]

Andrea Shackleton (Author), Gayle Shackleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Two leading knitwear designers, who have created classic pieces for private collections and galleries for more than 20 years, present an eye-catching assortment of intarsia projects, perfect for gift-giving.

Handbags and gorgeous garments for adults, plus adorable doll clothes, hats, and sweaters for children--that's what knitters will find inside this remarkable collection of gifts to knit. They're made using intarsia, an easy-to-work two-color technique that's especially popular with a new generation of knitters. Each item features a pattern in bold geometrics, stripes, or florals, and all the designs are young and fresh and beautiful enough to qualify as wearable art. Choose a Circles Scarf and Hat with pom-poms, Cherry Blossom Mittens, a Ruffle-Edged Drawstring Bag, Big Squares Knee Socks, a Wee Striped Cardigan, and many more. Every project includes full-color graphs, which make following the design fool-proof. A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Initially, the list of patterns for gifts offered here seems basic: gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, stockings, a few sweaters. But for novices, items such as gloves and socks, which are knit on more than two needles, can be complicated. And even simple items such as scarves involve intarsia knitting, which uses several colors. That said, the projects are so attractive that even new knitters will want to give them a go, and the good news is that the instructions couldn't be clearer. Unlike many knitting books, the patterns are offered in a good-size, readable typeface, and each step is given its own line. Abbreviations are kept to a minimum. The instructions flow so easily that readers will feel as if the authors are taking them by the hand. The colorful charts are equally easy to work with. An attractive, inviting offering. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Sisters Andrea and Gayle Shackleton have been designing and knitting sweaters by hand for nearly 20 years. Their company, Hot Knots, boasts a line of sweaters, dresses, accessories, and children's sweaters. Through their Tara designs, the Shackletons aid a nonprofit women's knitting cooperative in Nepal. The women there hand-dye the woolen yarns used in the designs and knit the items for the line.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sterling/Chapelle (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402713231
• ISBN-13: 978-1402713231
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful patterns, however...., July 6, 2005

By 

Mom4boyz "Chel" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Knitted Gifts (Hardcover)

At first glance this book is wonderful- beautiful patterns- clear instuctions. I was excited about using up scraps for some of the patterns. All projects use handspun yarn- wonderful since I am a spinner. BEWARE!!! There are NO yardage requirements for any of the projects period! No weights of finished projects or anything other than your best guess! This is very frustrating for the sweaters (multiple sizes)- who wants to guess, spend all the time knitting then run out of yarn?? Yardage requirements are really a must- as professional designers they should know better. This is definitely NOT a beginner book for this reason- book description is VERY misleading.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book - for intarsia, April 17, 2005

By 

anon-new-yorker (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great Knitted Gifts (Hardcover)

Only buy this book if you are interested in knitting complicated intarsia charts with no row numbers. Some of the projects are attractive, but you will need to buy about eighteen different colors of yarn for them.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice but what about the yarn?, March 20, 2006

By 

Bitsy Von Trapp (CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great Knitted Gifts (Hardcover)

This book has some beautifull knits in it, and I don't think it's too complicated for the average knitter. However, the yarn they use for all the projects is some specially made yarn just for them? I think? Because I can't find it to order it anywhere, and they don't really give any equivalents other than the weight (worsted, DK, etc.) The colors they use are so beautifull that it would have been nice to be able to match them exactly.