Poems of Color [Paperback]

Wendy Keele (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

Full-color reproductions of original pattern swatches, sweaters, and accessories from the Bohus workshop in Sweden, along with the history of the women who designed them.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many handcraft traditions are lost because no one records the history and techniques, even though numerous examples and practitioners still exist. Thankfully, Wendy Keele has prevented this from happening to Bohus-style knitting. Poems of Color shows this unique Scandinavian knitting style-- philosophy, really--in careful detail, elucidated by a number of the original knitters and beautifully illustrated with color photographs.

From Library Journal

Founded in 1939 to provide a source of extra income for skilled knitters whose families had been hard hit by the Depression, the Swedish knitting cooperative Bohus Stickning produced handknit garments of the finest workmanship and design for 30 years. Bohus knits subsequently became sought-after collector's items. Nine years in the writing, this is the first trade book in English about Bohus. Keele combines a history of the cooperative and its garments, designers, and knitting techniques with a selection of patterns that will interest contemporary knitters who want to make their own Bohus-style garments. The sweater patterns have been adapted to today's more casual oversized styles. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press; 2nd edition (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883010128
• ISBN-13: 978-1883010126
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > History > Europe > Sweden

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poem is the right title for this book, but it's a lot more, February 4, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poems of Color (Paperback)

The Bohus Workshop in Sweden was started about 50 years ago and brought together creative designers and hand knitters to make some of the most stunning knitted creations ever. The wool was carefully chosen, the designs modern and timeless, with that ineffable Scandanavian flair. Sadly the Bohus workshop has long been closed. All that remains are some treasured vintage sweaters and...this book to document their history. And not only does this book document the history of Bohus Workshop, it also has patterns so you can make some of the famous designs yourself.

This isn't knitting for the timid; many of the designs boldly go where color knitting isn't supposed to go; there are patterns with 3, 4 even more colors per row. The colors are subtle and varied, knitted in an angora/wool mix to create the "shimmering" effect the Bohus designs were famous for. But if you embark on such a knitting adventure you will surely make a masterpiece you will wear or give with great pride.

A source for the kind of yarn that closely matches the Bohus mix is provided in the book, plus patterns for the famous fairisle-like yoke pattern models. Also included are jackets with matching designs to the yoke pullovers, mittens, and hats. You can certainly adapt the design to your own creations. Not all the designs require many colors per row; some are two color only throughout and some rely more on texture than color.

This book is worth reading for textile history, for history of women in clothing design, and for knitting history. And it's also a valuable knitting reference for people who like to knit their own designs as well as reproduce them from patterns. All in all, this book has a lot and is one of my great favorites.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an inspiring resource, October 6, 2007

By 

Jennifer Little - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poems of Color (Paperback)

The photos in this book are glorious, and the story of the Bohus collective is inspiring. The book provides reconstructed patterns for Bohus-style garments at the back, and it is as far as I know one of the only places to find such patterns. These reconstructions are not technically authentic Bohus garments -- their gauge is a bit bigger and they use different yarn. So if you are a stickler for authenticity, buy a Bohus sweater kit online. If you are interested in learning more about the history of this kind of knitting and you want to knit a gorgeous Bohus-inspired garment, this book is for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book for curious knitters, November 23, 2010

By 

M. Walker - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poems of Color (Paperback)

Beautiful Informative - everything you need to know about Stickening - plus patterns.

Interesting part of world crafting history.