Customer Reviews

The Power and The Glory The Knitting Experience: Book 3: Color (The Knitting Experience)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I knew that this book was in development. But I've never been a big fan of "color" knitting. So, I wasn't anxiously awaiting its arrival. Boy was I in for a surprise. Although the book covers the basics of knitting with color, it goes so far beyond Fair Isle and Intarsia knitting. I find myself reading and reading and reading this book. Ms. Melville covers color theory in a way that's not at all intimidating. I've not considered the ideas she's presented here before...and all I can think of now is COLOR. This book has really ignited my interest in knitting with color. I really want to dive in and try out some of these techniques and ideas covered in the book. There are some great designs for men...I want to knit the vest and the "inside out" sweater immediately!

A previous review gave only one star and that surprised me. This book is a PERFECT addition to the pervious "Knitting Experience" book, "The Knit Stitch" and the "Purl Stitch." Every knitter, whether beginning or experienced, will find him/her-self using this book as much as a reference as the pervious two.

This book was waiting for me in the knitting store where I work today, so I had all day to check it out between customers. This is a nicely done book. It does cover Fair Isle and intarsia, but it also covers how to use hand dyed yarns more effectively, modular knitting, and how to combine yarns for more effect. The projects are very interesting and the illustrations are great.

If it wasn't for the fact I have preordered this one from Amazon, it would be in my hands right now.

Sally Melville is my hero. A nice Armenian lady at my local "big box" craft store taught me to knit and pearl, but for my first year as a knitter, Sally taught me almost everything else, through "The Knit Stitch" and later "The Purl Stitch". No, I wasn't crazy about every patterns, but I could find something I liked in almost every chapter of her books.

I had never seen such clear instructions and diagrams/photos in a learn-to-knit book. Sally's way of addressing the new knitter's frustrations is full of humor & empathy, and there were times that I thought she was psychic, the way she anticipated the kinds of headaches I'd encounter with a new technique, or where I'd get confused.

I think Sally Melville really could be an important influence on the next generation of knitters, but maybe not under the continuing auspices of XRX. That's the publisher - you may know them as the folks behind Knitter's Magazine, lately excorated in various knitting circles for their pattern styles. I agree with the criticisms; you might not. But if you don't love "Knitters", you are not going to love the patterns in "Book 3: Color". For my tastes, it isn't *just* that they're 1980s retro - Vogue Knitting does retro all the time, sometimes to gorgeous effect - with updated details and fresh vision. Unfortunately, what others have pulled off doing retro, Ms. Melville in my opinion does not.

The fish sweater is not adorable. Not unless you size it down for a six year old. Mrs. Doubtfire would reject the fairisle suit that "isn't" named for her as dull and - bizarrely - near monochromatic! (I think that other reviewers have mentioned this - considering the title, you'd expect a little more unrestrained celebration of color than we see in this book!) "Little squares" should be called "Bix Boxy" (as in giving the impression of huge shoulders and unnaturally shortened upper arms - don't even thing Alexis Carrington would have gone for that one) - and "Nod to Mod", while possessing a sort of impressionist beauty with its inspired use of variagated yarn, looks better suited for quilting or wall art than the top presented. Red, white, and black "squiggle intarsia" harkens back to Classic Elite patterns circa 1990, and I just don't know what to make of Ms. Melville's insistance on alternating loop-and-button closures - so that the first button is on the right, 2nd on the left, etc.) in virtually every garment with buttons.

True, you can't please everybody - but as a vaguely fashion conscious 40something knitter, I don't think it's too cutting edge to suggest that Ms. Melville and her editors/advisors should have taken a look at what is turning up on the pages of was turning up on knitting websites, in Vogue (knitting or the fashion mag), Interweave Knits - or even in the local Target ads, when they started choosing projects back around - 2004? Not that what was current then wouldn't date somewhat over the course of book production, but you'd think a knitting writer of Melville's caliber might have been prescient enough to realize early on that the world wouldn't need one more shaggy dog's-breakfast-of-10-novelty-yarns poncho. What *is* fairly wearable to my eyes among these patterns (example: the "Skinny Stripes" pullover) lacks personality - it's knitwear you could find in any corner Gap, or any Leisure Arts pattern display, in the case of the Log Cabin quilt.

As for the controversy over assymetry, I'd refer the curious to Teva Durham's "Loop-de-Loop" - the book has as many detractors as fans, but it does showcase excellent examples of assymetry done so as to look, well, deliberate. Please don't just misbutton my coat and tell me it's fashion!

I hope that this incomparable teacher one day has her series redone under the guidance/advise of someone attuned to current fashion and detailing. There's so much clarity and wisdom in "The Knitting Experience Book 3: Color", and the author just isn't getting the pattern support that could make her work a classic in the knitting genre.

I just took a class on color knitting with Sally Melville, and had a chance to see some of the sweaters from this book up close and personal. They are gorgeous.

It caused me to take a second look at book 3 of her series. As usual, Sally's instructions are A+, clear, precise, but also friendly and encouraging. And her meditations on knitting provide any knitter with inspiration about the her craft and process.

Ignore the teen-aged models in designer jeans, and take a close look at the knitted pieces in this collection, and you may find the seeds for creating your own colored heirloom.

I own and use all of Sally Melville's knitting books. I have been a knitter since my Grand'mere taught me at age 6. Melville's "Book 3:Color" is a stunningly beautiful book just to leaf through, but the best part is that it contains patterns for items that I would actually WEAR. Sally explains not only about working with color in a way that dispels the "old color wheel" method, but incorporates new color wheel thinking and shows us with examples. She gives us the tools to change our thinking about color. I especially like the section on varigated yarns; her explanation of the short, medium and long repeats and how they affect the pattern. I also really like the Skills photos--very easy to follow. A terrific addition to any serious knitter's library. Highly recommended.

I wasn't going to add this book to my collection of Melville books since I don't care for intarsia, until I picked it up and leafed through it. It is a wonderful book and has stirred up the creative flow to where I am going through my stash putting colors and yarns together for the projects in the book. Patterns are not only easy to follow (have started two already) but stylish as well and instructions are provided with more than one yarn weight allowing more flexibility to use my yarn instead of purchasing more. She covers the gambit of color knitting, with how to's, basic color stitches (i.e. tweed slip stitch), designing with color as well as hand dyes, and patterns for men, women and children which shows off the style and colors chosen. While it does not entice me to start intarsia knitting, it does entice me to try new color combinations, styles and techniques (such as the Faith Jacket which is knit with strips.)

If there is one book you can buy this year, it's this one as you will use it over and over for years to come. I don't know how she will outdo this one.

I have been waiting for Sally Melville's new book and bought the first copy that came to our local big name bookstore. This is a wonderful book; I recently taught myself Fair Isle and intarsia knitting and I have been waiting for a book that will take me further with these techniques.

Ms. Melville's new book fufilled this for me. The book is chock-a-block with beautiful patterns, from the simple to the extraordinary. Plus the book is also inspirational and it contains some really wonderful and encouraging words for men like me who have taken up knitting (don't laugh). The photography by Alexis Xenakis is stunning and the book really looks like a travel brochure with its expansive and beautiful photos of Santorini and the Greek islands.

There are colors everywhere, and techniques are discussed clearly and in great detail, with accompanying color photographs. The book also discussed purling with two colors, a subject normally not discussed in many books because Fair Isle knitting is done mostly in the round. The section on knitting back backwards (kbb) is very enlightening, and I have been able to utilize the technique to make an entrelac scarf!

Ms. Melville does not shun techniques that may be thought of as odd by most knitters; this tells me that she does not limit herself as a knitter, a quality that I completely identify with and should be encouraged in all knitters. My first project from this book will be the men's "doodled" vest which utilizes steeking, a technique that I have yet to use.

My only (very, very slight) objection to the book is the styling; I am sure Rick Mondragon (of Knitter's) deliberately styled some of the photographs, especially the cover photos, to hearken back to the 80's. However, this gave the cover a sort of passe, outdated look, which does not really do justice to this great book.

Nonetheless, get this book if you want to learn to knit in color and you will not be disappointed. Thank you Sally Melville for bringing this wonderful book to all of us knitters.

I just received this book a couple of days ago but I am already enchanted and can't wait to get started on some of the patterns. I have fallen in love with handpainted yarns and this books offers some great ideas for their use. The patterns are great and the photography is wonderful. Best of all it includes many patterns for men in 1x and 2x. Being a guy with a large frame I am continuosly upset with pattern designers who only offer a smattering of male patterns and those are usually for men of slight frame. I also like color in my garments and most male patterns are dark solid colors. This book offers a new look at using colors for any gender. I don't know where one of the previous posters saw all the fair isle. It does include some, but the majority of patterns use color in a variety of other ways. Oh, it also has a lot of great patterns for women.

As a great fan of Sally Melville's 2 previous books on knit and purl stitches, I was looking forward to this latest offering, only to be disappointed. Guess I never realized that there are very many needleworkers who are intimidated by working with color. If so, I suppose the guidelines spelled out here might be useful. But the projects and patterns are so ordinary and run-of-the-mill as to be entirely uninspiring. I love to add new books to my knitting library but am giving Book3: Color a miss.

That cover... XRX, what were you thinking? But, not to rate a book by its cover: Instruction - 5, Styling - 1, Patterns - 3.

Top notch instruction on color work with several options and great photographs of the techniques.

The styling - not to my taste. It even made me miss that one model who is ALL OVER Sally's first two books. And of course that cover.

The patterns - left me cold, except for the KISS purse (keep it simply stranded - not Gene Simmons and friends). I didn't like the asymmetric and boxy tops in the other two books and still don't. The adult sweater with the fish intarsia? OK....

That said, this book is well worth it for the instruction alone. I know I will be going back to this book when I design my own (non-boxy, symmetric) sweater with color work.