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145 of 157 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Different but how useful?, October 8, 2009
This review is from: Reversible Knitting: 50 Brand-New, Groundbreaking Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)
I have always loved reversible patterns so I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book. Seeing the cardigan on the front, I figured that it would include more variations of Reversible Cables. However, I should have paid more attention to "Groundbreaking" part of the title. The author explicitly states she was hoping to create a "different" type of knitting stitch library. She succeeded. However, I guess I have to wonder how useful those stitches will be and how many people will want to use them. The knitting stitches are very "avant garde". They contain large holes and many seek to mimic crochet stitches -- however they require a lot more effort than crochet. Most of the stitches aren't truly "reversible". To me "reversible" implies that the stitch looks the same on both sides. Garter stitch is reversible. K1P1 is reversible because if you look at both sides of the fabric, they are virtually indistinguishable. The author's definition of "reversible" appears to be does it look "ok" on both sides of the fabric. Can either side be viewed as "interesting enough" or "attractive enough" to face the outside. For the most part, she succeeds in this mission. The projects included in this book again, are very "avant garde". They might work well for New York or more "cosmopolitan" fashion sets. However, here in NC or in the midwest -- I couldn't see many people being able to "pull off the look". Their appeal is most likely going to be oriented towards 20-somethings and younger and size 8 and smaller. If you are knitting to try to create a "textile art" -- much like woven tapestries -- I could see where these stitches could create a new "art form" in this respect. Lots of visual interest. However, as a fashion knitting technique, they really don't appeal to me. Finally, in terms of skill level -- these stitches require a high skill level and lots of concentration. If you are just learning, you are probably going to get very frustrated trying to follow the patterns.
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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating but no cast-ons yet., October 15, 2009
This review is from: Reversible Knitting: 50 Brand-New, Groundbreaking Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)
Lynne Barr is a knitting genious--her previous books have been incredibly inspiring and beautifully produced. This book is no exception; it is primarily a stitch dictionary with a few projects at the end. The stitch patterns are clever and appear different though equally interesting on both sides. The only downside is that I am left with little other than inspiration from this book; I can only think of the amazing scarves I can make from these double-sided patterns. I suppose you could make an amazing sweater you could wear inside out? Maybe an EPS seamless style so there is no wrong side seams? I have no idea how to incorporate shaping into the patterns though and the book offers no advice on the subject.
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63 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointed, October 14, 2009
This review is from: Reversible Knitting: 50 Brand-New, Groundbreaking Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)
I was really excited when I heard about this book. I like to knit scarves, and I prefer them to look good on both sides, though for me they don't have to be identical. There are quite a lot of patterns like this in the Barbara Walker collections, but the idea of "50 brand-new groundbreaking stitch patterns" in this book was very tempting. The reality was rather disappointing. A number of patterns have reverse sides which are basically stocking stitch, or reverse stocking stitch, or just a normal "wrong side", so not actually "reversible". There is a section called "Double Knit", but double knit has been done before, in fact for decades, so this is not "groundbreaking". [See Jane F. Neighbors: Reversible Two-Color Knitting, 1974.] Some of the patterns are just weird, and/or not attractive, eg Four-by-four Shift and Pick-up Overlay. A too-large proportion of the stitch patterns is lacy or holey. I had hoped for a bunch of new stitch patterns that were NOT lacy or holey, so they would be suitable for men's scarves and normal knitting. The "Reversible Designs" section consists mainly of weird or even bizarre offerings. In most cases they fail to utilise the stitch patterns of the earlier part of the book. The Cat Bordhi design so praised by another reviewer is simply garter stitch in a strange shape. Several of the designs are made so that they can be worn upside down -- a very strange idea which can result in messy-looking dressing. One, Reverse Me (pictured on the front cover), uses reversible cables, but again, that idea is not new. Two designs are of socks, but of such peculiar shape that I cannot think who would wear them. Some designs are really a "con", eg Flip your Lid, which consists of two hats, one inside the other, to be turned as desired. This should NOT be called reversible knitting. Neither should Double-wrap Stockings: who needs a reversible stitch pattern for stockings? Well, there is a "reversible double-wrap bind-off stitch"! Not one of the designer designs was for men or children. Altogether unsatisfactory.
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