Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn [Paperback]

Carol Sulcoski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

Providing technical guidance as well as fun, creative patterns, this resource tackles handpainted yarns, identifying the many challenges—and many opportunities—they provide for knitting socks. Focusing on how to make the most of these much-loved yarns, it explains how to design projects with hand-dyed material versus other types of yarns, how to avoid the pitfalls of pooling and splotching, and how to combine multicolored hand paints with other types of yarns. Fresh, modern sock patterns from a variety of contributors illustrate their successful techniques, showing that with creativity and a little technical know-how, knitters can fully take advantage of these beautiful, yet sometimes tricky, yarns.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Some really nice sock patterns, but it's the chapters at the beginning about how to use handpainted yarn that I really love."  —KnittingScholar.com

"Tons of tips and patterns designed specifically with handpaints in mind so you're sure to get a good result each time."  —About.com Guide to Knitting

"Photos are clear and enticing, with the socks shown in excellent detail. There's a sock for every taste and technique; mosaic, ribbing, lace sts, multidirectional, chevrons, intarsia, Fair Isle."  —YARN: The Australian Magazine for Knitting and More

"Examines the many ways sock knitters can use monotoned, variegated and self-striping handpaints to best advantage."  —Yarn Market News

"The cover photo will make you want to drop what you're doing and knit a pair for yourself. . . . even the most complicated pattern isn’t difficult, because the yarns themselves do so much of the work."  —Knit 'N Style

"5 out of 5 stars. This book has more interesting sock patterns than usually found in a sock book."  —Knitting News

"Sulcoski has put together a collection of patterns that enhances the color and striping effects of your favorite handpainted yarns. Some patterns even incorporate more than one type of yarn."  —Detroit News

"If you're new to hand dyed yarn or struggling with pooling, then you'll appreciate the information in the front of the book.... It'll help you understand why different yarns knit up so differently, and make it easier to choose the right pattern for each skein."  —Simply Knitting

About the Author

Carol Sulcoski is the owner of Black Bunny Fibers, an independent company that creates hand-dyed yarns and spinning fiber. Her knitting designs have been published in Big Girl Knits, KnitNet.com, Knitty.com, MagKnits.com, and MenKnit.com, and she is the coauthor of Knit So Fine. She lives in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596680989
• ISBN-13: 978-1596680982
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #443,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After nearly a decade as a civil litigator, I left the practice of law and began immersing myself in the world of fiber. My first book, Knit So Fine, coauthored with Laura Grutzeck & Lisa Myers, contains stylish patterns as well as helpful advice for working with fine yarns. My second book, Knitting Socks With Handpainted Yarns, contains valuable technical information about using handpainted sock yarns, along with a selection of beautiful sock patterns specifically designed for handdyed yarns. My third book will be published in fall 2012 by Lark Crafts.

I dye and sell handpainted yarns and fibers, and design my own patterns, at Black Bunny Fibers. My designs have appeared in Vogue Knitting, KnitScene, KnitSimple, Koigu Magazine, St-Denis Magazine and other publications while my technical articles frequently appear in Vogue Knitting and Yarn Market News. I live outside Philadelphia with my family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying!, December 16, 2008

By 

Seven Kitties "7kitties" (Blue Point, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn (Paperback)

Socksters, this is a no-brainer. You NEED this book. Even if you haven't (yet) drunk the sock-knitting Kool-Aid, this book is worth your while for how it breaks down the world of handpainted yarns. She classifies them two ways--by contrast colors and by dye-run length--and explains how they work with different patterns and how to grapple with that bugbear of handpainted yarns--pooling.

The bad news is: part of the answer is, ya gotta swatch. Errrrgh. I know. But her advice is sound, and she offers a number of ways to cope, everything from directional knitting to knitting with two skeins to certain stitch patterns.

Each of the 21 patterns in this book is rated according to which brightness of yarn you have to work with, everything from almost solid (those luscious kettle dyes), to moderate to brightly painted (which she at one point jokingly calls 'clown barf'). That means once you identify what type of yarn you've yanked out of your stash, you can find a pattern to work.

The patterns are from well known designers (Ann Budd, Charlene Schurch, etc) and look challenging enough to be interesting, but not too intimidating. (Maybe don't knit while watching your favorite TV show, but when it's not your own personal Must See TV, you can knit away with confidence). The patterns feature everything from directional knitting (but, strangely, no mitered squares) to color stranding to a teeny bit of intarsia to lace. It presumes basic knitting knowledge and a good bit of the basics of sock construction as well, but I wouldn't put it above an 'intermediate' knitter. Beginners might hold off to get a sock or two under their needles first, but none of these patterns have complicated massive charts or anything else too intimdating.

If, like me, you've bought a bucket of handpaints but dread knitting them up into a pattern where either the stitch pattern gets lost in the color, the colors muddy up, or you're plagued with pooling, this book is just what you need. Do NOT have any socks on your needles when this book arrives.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handpainted Sockahlics Dream Come True, December 20, 2008

By 

Tina Martinez (Athens, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn (Paperback)

Seriously, no hyperbole there. I know of few sock knitters who don't love sock candy, but it really is a pain sometimes to get it to look as good as a sock compared to its skeined up loveliness. Short of fiddling with stitch count or using the same old standby's over and over, what's a sock knitter to do?

This book is absolutely jam packed with great alternatives for feisty yarn. No matter if your taste runs from subtle to wild, you will be able to match your yarn up with a suitable pattern that will allow it to shine. I am extremely impressed with the range here. While there are a couple I just shake my head at, the vast majority are very well thought out and quite lovely.

This book is not for beginners, and for that I am also thankful. Why waste pages on 'how to' when there are so many other good resources out there, some of them free. I'm getting more patterns for my dollar here, or rather my brother did since he's the one who bought it for me for an early Christmas present. The book is a treat just for the gorgeous patterns and photos alone!

This book will hold a place of honor on my shelf, it has truly addressed a need in the sock knitting world.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knocked my (handpainted) socks off!, December 24, 2008

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: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn (Paperback)

I thought "Oh, ho-hum, another sock book about stripey yarn" but...no, this book REALLY has a lot to offer the sock knitter as well as yarn dyer or spinner.

The book discusses handpainted or varigated yarns and the problem of "pooling" or when blotches of color show up rather than stripes. The patterns are coded by whether the pattern is suited for wild multi-colors, muted multi color, or almost solid. So when you look at a particular model, there is a symbol to tell you what yarn might work the best. Some patterns, by using short and long stitches to break up the pool of color or to camouflage the effect.

Many of the patterns are textured. There are braids, zig-zags, and other patterns. Some are color patterns--like a flame orwaves of color accented by embroidery. The flame is great--looks like a custom Harley paint job (gray and flame-orange, with flames rising up the cuffs.)

I have a stash of all kinds of shaded yarns and I can't wait to try a number of the patterns. These are sufficiently different that I could confidently recommend this book to any sock knitter, even one with a huge library. If you have a stubborn "pooling" yarn or just a stash of shaded sock yarns, you are sure to find a wonderful pattern here.