Twinkle's Weekend Knits: 20 Fast Designs for Fun Getaways [Hardcover]

Wenlan Chia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Following her first book, Twinkle’s Big City Knits, Wenlan Chia brings devotees and new fans more fabulous Twinkle designs to create at home (at a fraction of the price you’d pay for them in stores like Barneys, Saks, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale’s). Known for transforming bold, chunky yarns into delicate, body-shaping pieces, Wenlan Chia again shares her signature style; this time in 20 inspired patterns that are perfect for weekend knitting and for wearing any time.

Start the weekend with Friday night out with friends as you Twinkle through the night. The Nightfall Cropped Top is knit with lush silk and cotton yarn, while the Wisteria Scarf creates drama with its cascading clusters of blossom stitches.

Saturday is the day for fun–hiking, shopping, or just going for a stroll. Capture this feeling with the lively, sporty fashions in the Fun Alfresco chapter, including the Oceania Sweater, a vintage-inspired pullover with a built-in iPod pocket, or the Snowdrop Hat & Peony Scarf, the perfect set for a day on the slopes.

Take a moment to recharge on Sunday, the last night away, with more relaxed, simple knits. From the Meridian Tunic Dress, perfect with jeans and sandals, to the Cloudburst Cardigan, a ruffled knit that easily slips on over a dress, the patterns in this chapter are casual and comfortable.

For those starting their very first sweater to experienced knitters looking for new tips and techniques to enhance designs they’ve already mastered, this beautifully illustrated book offers many weekends’ worth of knitting pleasure and fabulous, one-of-a-kind Twinkle wares.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

WENLAN CHIA launched Twinkle in 2000 with a collection of handknit sweaters and accessories. Since 2002, the fashion line has been on the runway each season at New York’s Seventh on Sixth Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Wenlan has received major awards and nominations, including the Fashion Future Award and the Competition of Young Fashion Designers in Paris. She was also selected as one of “Spring’s Leading Ladies”–a group of five notable designers–by Vogue magazine. She is the author of Twinkle’s Big City Knits.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft (February 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307346137
• ISBN-13: 978-0307346131
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Things to do with fat yarn... a little thin for the price., February 11, 2008

By 

*Auntie Lynn* "color & pigment specialist; wa... (The Texas Panhandle, where dirt is the color of rusted iron) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Twinkle's Weekend Knits: 20 Fast Designs for Fun Getaways (Hardcover)

After "Big City Knits", I was expecting more of the same kind of inspiration and freshness -- and there are glimmers of that in "Weekend Knits." The surprise was how many of the 20 designs were scarves.

It's not that scarves aren't wonderful things -- but making one of big yarn isn't necessarily a burst of creativity. It's the kind of thing you do with a troup of first time knitting scouts. Between the scarves and the iPod and phone sweaters, 25% of the book is gone.

Which seems a bit on the thin side for the price. -- like the models.

One improvement over "Big City..." is that more of the patterns are worked up in Med. and Large sizes, instead of just Small, Skinny, and Extra-Emaciated.

Final thoughts -- this is more of the "write fast, there's a lot of knitters out there; we want to sell books..." school of publishing. I think they should have waited for a few more bursts of inspiration and given us our money's worth. Interesting photography is just not enough.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another great book! love the designs, but am having a hard time finding twinkle chunky yarn to do them, February 16, 2008

By 

Sweetpea (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twinkle's Weekend Knits: 20 Fast Designs for Fun Getaways (Hardcover)

I loved the big city knits book, and made several projects from it: marilyn jacket, karate sweater, diamond scarf to name a few. I am antsy to try the patterns in the new book, but am having a hard time finding twinkle yarn to do so. I used "burly spun" yarn for the two sweaters i made from the other book, and "blizzard" yarn for the diamond scarf, since twinkle is scarce to find. I suggest twinkle bulk up their production, especially when the release of a book is imminent.

i agree with the first commenter that alot of the patterns are scarfs in this book, however it's called "weekend knits" for that very reason.... scarves knit quite quickly--sweaters take a bit longer.

i like how chia indicated clearly that sizes should be taken based on measured size, not finished size of project. it makes the sizing much clearer.

i also like the small format of the book. it's much easier to tote around to yarn stores and knitting circles than the huge format of "big city knits".

one comment that they could work on would be to have more pictures of the finished product, from more angles on and off the models. and it would be nicer if the picture alongside the pattern was blown up a bit larger.

overall it's a beautiful, fun book with nice ideas for all types of knitters.

NEW UPDATE:
i was able to find 8 skeins of twinkle yarn, in 4 different colors, to make the borealis sweater in size small.it wasn't the exact colors i wanted, but they rurned out nice, i used baby pink, dusty rose, riviera, and rain. i am normally a 0-4, so the small fit fine. it knit up quite quickly. i actually had 2 skeins of yarn left over, because i only had one of the rain color, i made the rain bands narrower. i think if you plan it out correctly you can do it with 6 skeins. you just have to plan out your color placement carefully. i am a beginner knitter, so i had to sort of decipher using other handbooks what "shortrowing" meant. that was probably the hardest step in the whole sweater. weaving in all the ends was kind of tedious, but well worth it, because the sweater turned out gorgeous. i highly recommend wet blocking it after you've completed the project. and because of the easy stockinette stitch, it IS possible to knit this one up in a weekend, believe it or not!

definitely pick this one up if you liked big city knits.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Totally creative, March 28, 2008

By 

ClaireOKC "artist & diver" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twinkle's Weekend Knits: 20 Fast Designs for Fun Getaways (Hardcover)

This is such a break with the traditional k1,p1 sweater and yet it's not orbiting Mars. I haven't made anything from the book, but am dying to do that short, shaw-collared jacket which chock full of style. Probably some other cuties in there too after I get started. Also these projects don't take years to finish - thank heavens - as I don't have years of spare time!