Customer Reviews

Knitting Vintage Socks

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Socknitters should put this on their Must Have Christmas list--if they can wait that long! Nancy Bush has done several books on sock knitting--folk socks, and Knitting on the Road--in which readers get to explore different sock knitting traditions. Here, she takes us on a journey through time, into the Weldon's Needlework series. It's an amazing experience to contemplate knitting a sock pattern that your grandmother or great grandmother very well might have knitted herself out of the original Weldon's.

She has adjusted the sock needle sizes to something slightly more in tune with the materials and patience level of the modern-day socknitter. All of the patterns can be done in easily available yarn weights, and most are doable on your trusty old size ones. Men's socks, women's socks, and even a few baby socks are featured. She gives clear discussions of a wide variety of sock heels and toes (not *all* as someone else mentioned--for example, there is no discussion of the Balbriggan heel in this book but I'm a total sock pedant so forgive me for that minor correction) which should encourage knitters to break out of their same old same old heel and toe (though I love my dutch heel!) It's another great sock knitting release from Ms. Bush, and certainly offers great challenging patterns (and some quite beginner friendly ones as well) for the hungry sock knitting public. It hits the spot!

Put "vintage" in the title of anything and I am there, though usually I am not pleased with the result. This book does NOT dissapoint. It is everything it promises to be and then some!

If you have ever tried to read very old knitting patterns, then you have discovered that they are written in a very different manner than the patterns of today. Nancy Bush has taken the time to work through these wonderful, essential patterns that our grandmothers (and their mothers and grandmothers) used and make them workable for today's knitter.

Patterns range from basic socks (with three styles of heel and toe) to lacy, dressy women's socks to a men's dress sock, and they run the gamut in between. Included with each pattern is information on the original yarns called for and for whom the sock was designed. (There is at least one pair that was originally a child's sock that has been reworked to fit a woman's foot.) Furthermore, the yarns Ms. Bush has chosen for the projects are fairly easily accessible. If you don't want to find the yarns recommended (or you want to raid your stash), there is plenty of gauge information to make a good substitution.

There is something in this book for everyone! Well worth the wait, and well worth the price.

I generally have a policy of not buying knitting books unseen - it's always a good idea to look before you leap to avoid cluttering your bookshelf with patterns you don't care for or instructions you find unhelpful. I broke that rule for Knitting Vintage Socks, and I'm happy I did. The historical sections are enlightening, the discussions of technique are clear and helpful, and the patterns themselves are interesting and attractive. The simple, elegant lace and color stich motifs featured will hold a knitter's attention without being needlessly complex. I can see myself turning to Knitting Vintage Socks again and again, as will beginning and experienced socknitters alike.

Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists On Classic Patterns is a hardback, spiral-bound how-to guide illustrated with full color photography throughout. Each sample sock is presented with specifications as to the finished size, recommended yarn, needles, notions, and gauge, as well as explicit step-by-step instructions and trellis patterns. The introduction to sock-knitting basics at the beginning, and depth of detail describing knitting techniques makes Knitting Vintage Socks easily applied by beginning to intermediate knitters. An excellent resource for creating personal, hand-crafted gifts.

Don't let the title fool you on this book, the vintage patterns are still in style today. If you are a sock fanatic, grab this book, the section on the different styles of heels is well worth it.

I am a casual book flipper and when I first saw this book, I picked it up, said to myself: "too many infant, kid and men's socks" and didn't buy it. However, when I saw it again and had more time, I realized that the headers for each sock designate the original pattern, not the re-worked one. There are plenty of adult sized patterns here to make gorgeous, sophisticated socks. For one sock pattern I craved that was an infant one, I easily adapted it for a woman's size.

I've made 5 pairs of socks from this book and I think they are the finest patterns I've used. Excellent discussion and instruction on a variety of heels and toes. Not only one of the best sock books I own but one of the best knitting books I own.

Nancy Bush is well on her way to becoming the official sock guru of today's knitting world. Her beautifully researched and illustrated Folk Socks got the ball rolling, and now, with Vintage Socks, she contributes even more to the knitting tradition and its sparsely documented history. Ms Bush's study of Weldon's Practical Stocking Knitter,a resource published in 1886, provides valuable information about and discussion of 19th century practices, materials and techniques. Suggestions for improving the quality of one's knitting are provided, and after a lifetime of knitting, I've found that this is a topic that has seldom been specifically addressed until very recently. Other reviewers have very nicely described the patterns included in this volume, so I won't belabor that aspect. This wonderful resource is about to become part of my permanent library.

I love this book, even though the title says Vintage socks, for me these are still on my list of favorites. There is so much to like about this book, all the different heel selections and designs.

I predict this will be one of those timeless books that will get passed down from generation to generation, hurry and get yours.

I was impressed with the large number and variety of sock patterns for men. Being a male knitter, I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to find more than the basics for men. This book is wonderful. I plan on making most of the designs in the book.

Although I have knitted for many years, I had always been uninterested in socks. Published patterns looked too much like artifacts from ancient bog burials, or else like something worn with knickers for golfing. Recently, under duress, I made my first pair. Ah, the joy of a well-turned heel, the ecstasy of a perfectly mitered toe! Nancy Bushes' new volume give the best researched and condensed discussion of heel and toe technology that I have found. Based on the Weldon's volumes, she has beautifully adapted historic patterns to accomodate modern materials and knitting conventions. A book for the serious knitter