Customer Reviews

Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Fortunately for knitters, Elise Duvekot is a curious and persistent investigator. The unique "knit 1 below (K1B)" technique which emerged during her patient explorations inspired her to find ways to use the resulting cushy, non-curling fabric in a wide range of garments and accessories.

The technique is not, as one Amazon reviewer wrote on November 28, the same as slipping a stitch. A slipped stitch leaves a float and the K1B technique leaves no floats. In fact K1B fabric is reversible, with both sides resembling stockinette, although they are easy to distinguish (and both look great). I hope this reviewer will take a longer look at the book so as not to miss the surprising result of the actual method.

Elise presents her K1B technique with clear illustrations, tempting photos, and detailed instructions for using the simple method in many circumstances, including cables, intarsia, edgings, bands, borders, seams, shaping, and working flat or in the round.

But what is most inspiring of all are the hand-painted colorway combinations. K1B fabric tames hand-paint's tendency toward color chaos, leaving it harmonious and calm, as if its tangles have been combed into columns of beautiful drifting colors.

The designs include vests, jackets, sweaters, skirts, tops, a necklace, scarves and shawls, a set of pillows, baby blankets and outfits, hats, wrist-warmers, and particularly fascinating to me, socks. My one complaint about the book is that the sock information is more of a tease than a full set of instructions and designs. Once you see the delicious photos you will know what I mean. There is enough instruction for adventurous sock knitters to use happily, but I suspect that the publisher is going to begin receiving lots of emails from less adventurous sock knitters begging for a whole book on K1B socks. I think they should say yes.

I highly recommend this book.

I am a knitting teacher/knit shop owner, and I am always looking for something new. This book caught my eye right away. This technique may have been around before, but it is new to me!

I had to try one of the patterns the same day and started with the reversible vest. I don't normally wear vests, but this is turning out great!

It is a very simple technique, but definitely NOT just a slip stitch. The resulting fabric is very soft and flexible. It also lies flat and doesn't curl. I tend to work in the round because I am not a fan of purling, and I was pleased and surprised to find that although worked flat on straight needles, every row is knit (it doesn't resemble garter stitch in any way). You can get a rythm going with the Knit one, knit one below, and it becomes almost meditative.

(Almost) mindless knitting, and lots of fun. The only problem I can see is that it is more time consuming than many techniques, but it is enjoyable knitting, and I am not in a rush for the work to be over.

Please folks, if you are going to give a negative review, be accurate about your information!

This is a great book that introduces a new technique (or re-introduces a "lost" technique). On the up side, this isn't a blah knitting book that's full of the same old sweaters, baby blankets and socks you've seen a bazillion times and could get for free on [...] or Ravelry. If you're sick of entrelac, intarsia, and Fair Isle, this book opens up a brave new world of color work.

On the downside, the technique is easy but it's tricky and fiddly to fix errors. I'm an intermediate knitter who has knitted enterlac, Fair Isle, and intarsia. My first time out with K1B, I tried knitting the basic scarf once, twice, three times and then rip-rip-ripping it out. I exhausted my patience and my yarn. I tried again a few days later and, so far, am happily halfway through the scarf. [As of 8/2009, I finished the scarf and liked the technique enough to start the reversible vest.]

So, if you're a casual knitter who likes finished work over learning new techniques, this book may not be for you. If you have time, patience and problem-solving skills, this technique may be a great new challenge for you.

I can't say enough how grateful I am that Ms. Duvekot and XRX Books have come out with this book. The k1b is really a simple stitch that has endless possibilities. The book itself is clearly written and illustrated. As usual, the photography by Mr. Xenakis is stunning and shows off the projects and the stitch wonderfully. The patterns are accessible by all knitters, and I really appreciate that Ms. Duvekot stayed away from raglan shoulders which could be unflattering for certain figures. The instructions by Ms. Duvekot are clear and precise, and the first few pages really shows off the design possibilities of this stitch for those who want to design their own projects.

The k1b stitch needs some getting used to, but after a few swatches, one gets an a-ha moment and the knitting just flows. In my first few swatches, I mistakenly mixed colors in the column pattern. However, this is easily resolved when one realizes that when knitting with color A, one knits below into color A, and when knitting with color B, one knits below into color B. The fabric that this stitch produces is non-bulky, and there are no long floats or an unattractive wrong side, which is great for things like scarves. As always with everything that XRX Books comes out with, the book is professionally produced, with high quality stock, a clear type set, and a pleasing layout throughout. Even if you don't knit, this book makes a wonderful coffee table book. This is a book that every knitter should have in his knitting library.

Like many of the other reviewers, I've been knitting for decades. And although I always glean inspiration from those intrepid and talented souls willing to put their imaginations to paper, Elise Duvekot's Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics is a true gem, the best addition to my library in the last ten years.

Of course I was familiar with K1b; most seasoned knitters are. But I'd only thought of it as a corrective or preventive measure, such as in avoiding 'jogs' in bands of colour worked in the round. Otherwise, it simply wasn't a technique I thought about, much less as an actual 'stitch'.

How wrong I was! The fabric this technique creates is a delightful stocking/stockinette with smooth, polished edges and a marvellous drape. The reverse is interesting in its own right, but really comes to life when using two or more colours, which creates an almost 'hounds-toothy' effect. And when alternating between smooth and rustic or matte and shiny fibres, the possibilities are endless.

To those experiencing difficulties, my suggestion would be to work a few swatches using a sport weight mercerised cotton in two very different colours. I suggest this as it is an easy way to keep an eye on your work, and when you've got the technique down, your success will be dramatically obvious. Don't give up - knit at least forty rows. Eventually you'll get it right.

And to those who've read and reread the instructions and are still shaking their heads and muttering 'That CAN'T be right!', please, read them just one more time, try again and trust Ms. Duvekot. Once you've mastered K1b, you'll be so delighted at the potential it unleashes in your own designs, you may well find yourself writing a 'thank you' note of your own.

Knitting clothing for family and friends is a time-honored activity. In "Knit One Below", needlecraft expert Elise Duvekot focuses on showing aspiring knitters how to combine colors, weights, fibers, and types of yarn into versatile fabrics suitable for a divers series of step-by-step illustrated projects ranging from vests, jackets, and sweaters, to shawls, scarves, socks, and more. Each project is rated as to level of difficulty (beginners, intermediate), and full-color photographs by Alexis Zenakis of the finished garment. Even the most novice needlecrafter will quickly master the k1b stitch and each of the more than 36 designs, providing a basis to go on and create their own unique patterns and garments. "Knit One Below" is a welcome and highly recommended addition community library needlecraft reference collections in general and to personal knitting instruction in particular.

This book has a new way to knit with different applications like for afghans, to get vertical stripes, mix colors in a new way. The text is well written, easy to understand. It not only explains how to do it but also tips on what to look out for to get the best results.
The designs of all projects are attractive in colors and style, and the whole book is a pleasure to look at.

I bought this book on the basis of reviews. I have steered clear of color-work because I haven't wanted to have to deal with carrying multiple colors along at one time. As a result, I've been more of a cable and lace knitter.

However, looking through this book, the projects are just beautiful and so inspiring. I've looked at the directions throughout to achieve the effects for the cover sweater and some of the other projects and it sounds pretty straightforward but I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and I definitely plan to try it -- I have lot of yarn that would be perfect for this technique.

One of the things that should be noted is that many of the projects use hand-painted yarn which would raise the cost of the projects (here's a fun experiment -- price out 100 grams of solid Lamb's pride yarn vs 100 grams of Great Adirondack yarn -- HUGE difference) so while there are lots of colors in the projects, you are basically achieving that effect by using 2 different colorways of hand-painted yarns like Noro which make the finished projects look more complicated than they are.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing since I'm a big fan of using simple techniques to achieve a complicated look (that's why I love cable knitting!). However, if you want to do one of the projects in the book, just be aware you are going to be using premium-priced hand-painted yarn.

I agree with the other reviews that this book is definitely aimed at intermediate to advanced knitters. I've been knitting since the mid 80s and it is going to take me a little while to play with the technique and become confident enough with the concept to actually attempt a project.

One of the things that really appealed to me about this technique is that (at least according to the author), it does not produce an overly stiff "stand-up-by-itself" fabric. To quote the author, the fabric is "never tight, stiff, or unyielding. On the contrary, it is supple, drapes well, and can be worked loosely or tightly, thus making it suitable for many different purposes."

If you have ever seen shaker stitch sweaters (see Shaker Stitch Sweater Ameican Made for an example), you'll know those tend to be very heavy and very warm and I always thought shaker stitch was basically achieved by knitting in the stitch below. Shaker stitch sweaters rely on the same technique only with one color as opposed to 2 colors...

FYI -- shaker stitch pattern
Row 1: Knit 1, knit 1 in the stitch below (aka k1, k1B) repeat across row. (if necessary, end k1)
Row 2: Knit every stitch.

Anyway, if you are looking at trying multi-colored knitting but don't want to deal with the complexity of Nordic designs or Kaffe Fassett, then this is a great way to dip your toe into the multi-colored water. You'll find a lot of inspiration and you'll learn something new. Not many knitting books published these days hold that promise!

[NCJAR]

When this book arrived, I dove in right away. The sweaters and projects inside are all very tempting, the mix of yarns, yarn weights, the end projects are all so beautiful. I'm excited to get started on the projects in the book and using the stitch in my future designs.

If you are a life long knitting student, looking for new and interesting ways to do things, this is the book for you. Well written, well photographed. Do check out the index in the back of the book to under stand what some of the terms mean, you will have an ahhhh moment to two.

I have made two items from this book, a vest, and fingerless gloves. I used a turquoise yarn with a turquoise/brown/beige blend, and got a fabric with a bit of a plaid feel to it. This stitch is not for beginners. But, the fabrics are beautiful, the pattern is easy to remember, and the results get compliments everywhere. I would advise using waste yarn to experiment with the new patterns before setting out on the real thing. The reason is that ripping back to fix a mistake is tricky, and tedious. So, a bit of practice before setting out on the project is a good idea. If I could suggest one addition to this book, it would be instructions on how to fix mistakes.