The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak [Hardcover]

Barbara Albright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007

In The Natural Knitter, Barbara Albright takes readers on a rich journey through the joys of all-natural fibers–materials that can make an incredible difference, both in your knitting and in the health of our planet. From the animals and plants that produce the fibers to the artisans who work with them, The Natural Knitter presents the first-ever all-encompassing look at the world of natural knitting.

Tempted by the versatile and beautiful yarns produced from the fibers of llamas, sheep, cashmere-producing goats, and angora bunnies–as well as from cotton, hemp, linen, and silk–some of the most renowned designers in the textile industry have contributed patterns to this collection. There are more than twenty wonderful projects in all, and each highlights the softness, drape, and quality of the fiber used–from Norah Gaughan’s “Architectural Rib Pullover” in cashmere and wool yarn and Vicki Square’s “Uma Sweater” in silk yarn, to clever designs like Debbie New’s “Cast-Off Clothing” in hemp yarn and Barbara Albright’s “Lilliana’s Organic Cotton Poncho and Drawstring Pouch” design for organic cotton yarn. Meet the entrepreneurs who are creating beautiful products that are also non-toxic and earth-friendly, using plant-dyed fibers and unique processes. For the adventurous, step-by-step instructions are included for dyeing yarn naturally at home.

Lavishly illustrated and thoughtfully detailed, The Natural Knitter offers a thorough and engaging picture of the natural fiber industry–and a beautiful palette of designs for readers to knit, savor, and enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barbara Albright was a seasoned writer as well as a passionate knitting and craft designer. Barbara authored several books including Odd Ball Knitting, Knitter’s Stash, and Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living. She was a contributing editor to Interweave Knits and has written about knitting for Vogue Knitting, Knitter’s, Family Circle Easy Knitting, Cast-On, and Knit It. In addition to fiber, Barbara was passionate about food and authored more than twenty cookbooks and wrote for many newspapers and magazines, including the Associated Press, Good Housekeeping, Traditional Home, Classic American Home, Country Living, the Los Angeles Times, Working Mother, 1001 Home Ideas, and Americana. She was the editor in chief of Chocolatier magazine.

The Natural Knitter was the final accomplishment in her illustrious career. A native of Nebraska, Barbara resided in Wilton, Connecticut, with her husband, Ted, and two children, Samantha and Stone.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400053528
• ISBN-13: 978-1400053520
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 0.8 x 11.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About appreciating natural fibers, March 8, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak (Hardcover)

With the recent increased interest in knitting and natural fibers, the choice of yarns available to knitters has never been greater. In The Natural Knitter, Barbara Albright helps knitters incorporate these good-for-the-planets yarns into their knitting repertoire.

Albright has structured the book in an easy-to-follow format. The first three chapters look at wool, silk and other animal fibers, and plant fibers respectively. Chapters four and five move beyond knitting and explore the world of natural dyes and spinning.

In her introduction, Barbara explores what qualifies as "organic" yarn and the varying classifications of organic products. In explaining the purpose of The Natural Knitter, she states: "Armed with the information you glean from this book, you will have a greater understanding and a new appreciation of the wide variety of natural yarns that are available...While this book is about natural fibers, it is also about people who take another step toward being more earth-friendly..."

Each of the more than twenty patterns in The Natural Knitter has been created using some of the most beautiful and luxurious artisan fibers by some of today's top designers. Accompanying these patterns is useful information about the fiber itself and a profile of each of the companies whose yarn is used in a project.

The patterns included here are not only made out of special yarns but many feature unique construction as well. Lidia Karabinich's "Memories of Ukraine" sweater is made from linen and features her signature seamless yoke. Debbie New's "Cast-Off Clothing" is made with hemp yarn and features a net-like stitch created while New was experimenting with loose cast-off methods. Knitters who wish to make something with the prohibitively expensive qiviut yarn will be drawn to Linda Romens' "Qiviut Twinset." Made with a qiviut/wool/alpaca blend, the yarn has an incredible 275 yards per 57 gram ball and yet, as Romens explains, it is fabulously warm.

The Natural Knitter is Barbara Albright's final publication and is a fitting tribute to the significant contribution she made to the craft she loved. Her passing in 2006 was a significant loss to the knitting community.

Armchair Interviews says: Earth-friendly knitting.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, May 3, 2007

By 

Stacey M Smith (Fredericksburg, TEXAS) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak (Hardcover)

Everything about this book is rich, lush and beautiful. The author did a beautiful job of exploring natural fibers. For me, many of the patterns are challenging with my current "patience to skill" ratio (I consider myself a newly-intermediate-knitter) - but I am inspired to eventually try several patterns. Albright discussed how to define "organic" fibers - there are, I believe, 5 distinctions of organic fibers. Qualities of fibers are thoroughly reviewed. Though I am not a spinner, spinning is discussed in terms that make sense to a knitter. I liked Albrights' general approch, it's very nuturing and informative to knitters and fiber artists of all levels.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Inspiring, May 31, 2007

By 

J. Johnson (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak (Hardcover)

This book is an inspiration in this day and age. I'm always skeptical when I hear of a knitting book focusing on "natural". It usually means the patterns are dowdy, oversized, shapeless and photographed in only neutral colors. Not so with Albright's book. The book is beautifully written, photographed and styled. The patterns are classic and lovely with modern shaping that's enhanced even more by the luxurious fibers. Breathtaking and timeless.

Each of the chapters deals with a different natural fiber and is incredibly informative and interesting to read. Gaining understanding of these fibers enables a knitter to choose intelligently between quivit and cashmere before spending a lot of money.

With the influx of so many new knitting books on the market, this one is original, and lovely - "the real deal" - and a must-have for any serious knitter's library.