Customer Reviews

Mosaic Knitting

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a self-taught left-handed knitter. I bought "Mosaic Knitting" when it first came out. It inspired me to knit a complex multi-colored and multi-patterned blanket.

The charts are a revelation. No more twisted balls, or awkwardly holding multiple yarns - you can knit intricate multi-colored designs with only one color of yarn per row using simple slip-stitch patterns! In fact, based on the extensive information in this book, i began creating my own slip-stitch patterns.

I hope this book is reprinted, as it is so much more complete than Roxana Bartlett's "Slip-Stitch Knitting: Color Pattern the Easy Way," which i found rather disappointing, compared to Barbara Walker's "Mosaic Knitting."

EDIT: This book has been reprinted in a new edition by Meg Swanson's Schoolhouse Press - which has reprinted all of Barbara Walker's knitting pattern dictionaries - with the addition of 116 new "Magic Mosaics".

I consider myself an intermediate knitter; I was taught the basics at age eleven and since then have muddled thru a variety of projects, none particularly difficult. I have two failings; I hate knitting from charts and I can't learn from books (I am one of those people who pick up new techniques pretty quickly, but only if someone shows me how).

Well, after reading "Mosaic Knitting," I sat down with eight skeins of thrift-shop mohair and knitted up a crewneck in a beautiful and complex-looking pattern. This is a great book and I can confidently say that no one should be afraid to attempt this technique. The results are spectacular and the actual knitting process is not at all difficult.

I am now mulling the possibilities of a project using one solid and one variegated yarn to produce something that looks like Fair Isle (but with a lot less effort).

Two days ago my copy of Barbara Walker's "Mosaic Knitting" arrived. This was the revised edition and I had not seen the new "Magic Mosaics" chapter before. Already, I am knitting my second square from this book. To me, this is an inspiration, and I know many other top knitters have books penned by her because we see her patterns and segments of patterns turning up in design books by these knitters. To be honest, my husband (shock, horror!) photocopied most of the original "Mosaic Knitting" for me when I borrowed it from the library because I knew it to be out of print and hence unavailable here in Australia (what a backward lot we are!) so I am glad such exceptional works are now available. Truly, the Gutenberg Bible for the knitter!!!

Note to the knitter looking for line-by-line patterns for sweaters and socks, complete with color and yarn recommendations: This book is not for you. It contains no projects of any kind, but simply an in-depth exploration of a technique that can be used in the creation of an infinite number of original designs.

Barbara Walker, whose treasuries of stitch patterns and charted designs are the mainstays of every designer and every knitter who wants to advance beyond fuzzy garter stitch scarves, has given a catchy name, "Mosaic Knitting," to a method of producing multi-color fabric without the tedium of stranding, Fair Isle or intarsia. All it requires is the ability to knit and slip stitches. In exactly 13 pages of clear, intelligently-written text (a Walker hallmark), she tells you everything you need to know, and takes you through the knitting of a little 8x16-stitch sample. That's it for instruction, and it's enough. After that, the books consists of page after page of mosaic stitch patterns, with a chart and a black-and-white photo for each. This new edition, for which we have Schoolhouse Press to thank, also includes a huge previously-unpublished collection of "Magic" mosaic patterns, so-called because of their 4-way symmetry. They alone are worth the price of admission.

About those black-and-white photos. I have heard this book criticized for not showing the patterns in color and for not showing them in use, that is, as part sweaters or other garments. I like it the way it is. Walker allows knitter/readers to see the patterns in the abstract, without any distraction.

With this book and a couple of the classic how-to-knit-a-sweater books (Knitting Without Tears, Knitting from the Top Down, The Knitting Workshop, Knitting in the Old Way), any competent knitter could happily make a lifetime's worth of original and beautiful hand-knits.

Thanks again to Schoolhouse Press for making this new and improved version available. Now if somebody would only publish a new edition of June Hiatt's Principles of Knitting.

This book is terrific. Yes, it's mostly charts, as someone else noted -- but what charts! The technique is so simple that it hardly needs more than a pamphlet-sized introduction, and then away you go!

There are hundreds of patterns in here, including a series of "magical" mosaic squares that are doubly symmetrical. Beautiful, intricate designs -- exactly the kind of thing that makes any Barbara Walker book a good buy.

This is a nice little book. It's a little old, 1976 originally, but the designs are every bit as interesting and challenging as they were then. Though the illustrated patterns are presented as squares for afghans or hand bags, they could easily be altered for use in sweaters, wall hangings, and decorative bands for clothing. The graphed method of illustration makes the designs also useable for beading projects, cross-stitch, embroidery, and plastic or priscilla canvas needlepoint projects. Though none of the photographs are in color, this is probably a useful thing, as there is nothing to distract the worker from their own color choices, which will make the finished work, regardless of the medium, much more individual. A useful resource for design ideas.

Being familiar with Barbara Walker's Treasuries of Knitting Patterns, I was prepared for a complete and in-depth wealth of information in this book. I was disappointed. 272 pages, and I'm guessing less than 20 pages have text -- the rest are all charts. There is sufficient information on doing the technique -- which could have been accomplished in a small pamphlet at 1/10th the price, if you ask me. She doesn't even comment much on the symbolism of the charted designs, which she certainly has the background to do! I'm not returning it, because there is a bit of worthwhile stuff in it.

I'd been eagerly awaiting my book, and when I opened it, I was somewhat let down. Yes, it has beautiful, intricate patterns. In fact, there are many more variations on swastika-type designs than I would have thought possible. But also, in my opinion, more than were necessary; after awhile, they all start to look pretty much the same. And the 4-way patterns, though intriguing, aren't that useful except for larger areas - the front of a sweater, or afghan blocks, for instance.

But my real letdown was the lack of BASIC slip stitch patterns. Apparently, Walker didn't want to repeat any patterns from her earlier stitch collections. Which is great, if you own the other books; I don't. So there were NO basic patterns for checks, houndstooth, herringbone, etc. No simple repeating motifs - hearts, blossoms, whatever. Except for a few borders, the patterns are all very involved. So I'm left to scrounge through my Harmony guides and ancient Mon Tricot to try and find them.

I love mosaic knitting, and am still awaiting a truly comprehensive collection of patterns. Unfortunatley, this book isn't it.

I had never tried this knitting technique before and found Barbara Walker's book to be really inspirational. The first chapter walks you through the method step by step (actually stitch by stitch) just like most knitting pattern instructions. If you have some previous knitting experience you should be able to follow any of the other patterns (yes, in black and white photos) in the book after that. But you have to be ready to be creative and apply this technique to your own project --maybe start with a scarf. But oh, what a scarf it will be! thank you Barbara Walker.

I have within the last few months just discovered Barbara G. Walker's Knitting Series and her Mosaic Knitting. I first read it and didn't think I could understand it. But, she states to take needles in hand and follow the directions and so I did. I absolutely love the method and the beautiful designs the mosaics make. I love to look at Fair Isle, but am not good at it! This provides me with an alternative method that to me looks as though I have put a whole lot of "Fair Isle" work into it, yet is even to me more intriguing. I highly recommend the book to anyone!! It is one of the greatest assets to my knitting library!!