Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Color for Needlepoint & Knitting [Paperback]

Kaffe Fassett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

A simple collection of eye-grabbing costumes and tapestries to make and a lesson in style by an original and fearless designer, bursting with brilliant photographs of objects that inspired his work. Compare luminous blue-and-green Persian pots with a similarly shaded blue patch crewneck—and then knit the sweater yourself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806958839
• ISBN-13: 978-0806958835
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #639,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kaffe Fassett, an accomplished painter and designer of textiles, is widely acknowledged as a visionary in the use of color. In 1988 he was the first living textile designer to be given a one-person show at the V&A in London, where he lives. He is a fabric designer for Rowan Patchwork and Quilting and the primary knitwear designer for Rowan Yarns.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back, Kaffe, February 2, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Color for Needlepoint & Knitting (Paperback)

This is a reprint of the original Glorious Color, which was a groundbreaking knitting book. Kaffe Fassett, a London-based artist, discovered that he could use a rainbow pallette of yarn as well as paint to express his particular artistic ideas. The rest is knitting history.

Kaffe also pioneered a new type of "less technique, more design" knitting. He uses cut strands of yarns to create wonderful repeating patterns of circles, tumbling blocks and multicolored stripes. The ends are woven in as he goes along --or not. Finishing on the back is not so important; getting a wonderful colorway and exciting visual pattern is the objective.

Likewise, the shape and structure of the garment is not the focus although I really like the swing of the long coat and the shape of the peplum-styled jacket. But Kaffee Fassett is first and formost a colorist and painter, not a designer of couture. So the patterns are better for inspiration and finding your own path than for being followed with the exact yarn and exact pattern. But these patterns can be made successfully, and most people who've made them report that it has been an exciting adventure.

In summary, I'd recommend this book if you like to design your own knitted garments, if you want color and pattern inspiration and new ideas, and if you just like to read gorgeous books. If you want couture and shaping, or knitting instruction this is not the best book on knitted garments.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gave a new dimension to my knitting, July 5, 2002

By 

Britt Arnhild Lindland (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Color for Needlepoint & Knitting (Paperback)

I met Kaffee Fassett for the first time through the first edition of this book, and my knitting life totally changed. From then on I have seen colors and patterns everywhere, and love to blend and mix colors in my knitting.

The book is a great pattern book, but even greater book for inspiration. Filled with color pictures there are so many wonderful items to look at you hardly get time left for knitting.

Fassett started from scratch when he learned to knit, and he shares his way to become a master with us. And with his explanations everybody can become a knitter, everybody can become an artist.

Good luck with your colors and needles.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

4.0 out of 5 stars same book, different cover, December 30, 2010

By 

CL (midwest) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Color for Needlepoint & Knitting (Paperback)

When the book came, I realized I owned it in hardcover. I passed it on because it is valuable for sharing an artist's eye of the world. He is a master of color.