Customer Reviews

The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a spinner and knitter by profession, I love books that inspire and create ideas--not just give me a batch of patterns that I usually don't follow anyway. I've read the book from cover to cover 3 times and tested almost all the patterns. I discovered or re-discovered many ideas. I like the way the book is laid out. It's a great size for working with or to put in a bag. I love the beautiful photography--tons of photos! TSSW has excellent gauge charts, clear and easy to understand instruction diagrams, many variations on knitting, dyeing and yarn design. IMHO, it is an excellent resource book for those who use handspun yarns, want to use lots of color in their work, or yarns from their stash. This book is definitely a must have for those who don't color between the lines..... and those who want to be inspired/encouraged to go beyond the published pattern and yarns that everyone else has!

Why is the Twisted Sister Sock Workbook always getting sold out at yarn and fiber shows? Because it's a great book! It not only teaches a beginning to intermediate knitter how to knit a basic sock, but it then proceeds to expand your creative mind with myriad variations on a theme. You learn about multiple ways to turn a heel, various toe treatments, after-thought heels, knitting flat, knitting a tube, selecting yarn, dying yarn (ha! you probably didn't expect that from this book), various top-edge treatments, Fair Isle patterns, and on and on! This book gives you so many ideas that rather than make you follow a boring pattern to make your socks look like the ones in the book, you get so jazzed you can't stop improvising and creating. You'll be making your own unique works of art for feet in no time. I find myself often browsing through the book in the evening just for the pure enjoyment of the photos, artwork, and enthusiasm. Twisted Sisters is a book that will kick your creative expression to a new level.

Don't get me wrong, I like this book, and I'm glad that I made the purchase, it's just a little much for me. The knittig patterns are too complicated for me. I had my mom, an experienced knitter, look over it and make me a sample sock, but she couldn't get the basic heel part to come out right. I've yet to try spinning my own yarn, but I'm very excited to try. The pictures are beautiful! I like looking at them, even if I can't make pretty socks yet =( They even have toe socks!!!

While I cannot judge for others, this book was a perfect match for me. I love knitting socks, I have just learned to spin, and I love dyeing. The only (slight negative is that only spindle spinning is covered but there are plenty of other books on spinning). The range of information on creative dyeing, spinning and plying for knock-your-socks-off socks is here, and with great illustrations. Every sock is an inspiration and you are walked through several methods of dyeing, how to process the results to spin beautiful yarns and several ways of knitting socks. No other book has all of this in one place.

Even if you are not a spinner, this book provides excellent basic information on how to create your own multi-colored yarns. You don't even have to use the dyes discussed in the book. My friend and I have had great success dyeing roving and yarn using this book. Vogel also discusses how to make the best out of multi-colored roving -- how to split the roving, how to spin it for different effects.
She covers several basic cast-on, cast-off, and heel methods for socks as well as giving a basic sock pattern that even my mom is able to follow and use. The example socks are beautiful. She writes in a clear, concise way that I found helpful.

I teach spinning and dyeing classes, and I have often used this book as a manual for those classes. Many people are afraid to try dyeing, especially after they read most other dyeing books (_Color in Spinning_ comes to mind) that are very technical and intimidating. Usually dyeing books are written for the engineer, rather than the dabbler. All you really need to make beautiful dyed yarn and roving are some acid dyes, vinegar, water, and an oven. Dyeing is all about exploration, serendipity, and enjoyment of color, not worrying about depth of shade or how many tenths of a gram of dye to put in a stock solution. It's really terribly simple. This is the only book I have ever found that celebrates that simplicity.

This book is clearly and cheerfully written, with excellent illustrations and an enthusiasm that makes you want to dive right in. The information on spinning painted roving is also exceptional. I haven't even tried the sock patterns yet (they seem to be thorough and walk you through lots of different options like afterthought heels and other ideas I haven't seen many other places), but this book is worth it for the dyeing information alone.

I spent a few days in bookstores picking up every single book on spinning, knitting and dyeing because I wanted to dye a silk/ wool blend i created and wanted specifically to knit socks... a problem i have had!
This is a TREASURE of a book and one that will be very well worn!
Although the book is not thick it is well worth the price. You will learn about dyeing roving to create gorgeous yarns, a Kool aid technique, some hints and tips on making the dye process easier.. and then the piece de resistance... how to make PERFECT Socks!!
The chart on gauge, including Wpi and what needle is best for that, and the detailed chart on sock guage.. it is a wonderful thing.. and something i did not find in internet searches.
It is fun, colorful and very inspiring.. and a definite must have to add to your knit or spin library! I only wish I could sit and spin or knit with these gals... what talent..and gorgeous socks fall from their needles.. I think NOW i can finally knit socks well and definitely without second sock syndrome!
See my first fiber spun in many years at [...]
When i get the rest of the yardage complete ( 325 yds) will be knitting socks!!
GET THIS, you won't regret it!

I found this book wonderful. I am not a spinner...yet, but I love dying yarns and knitting. I found this book to be a great inspiration. I want to learn to spin now, just to make those beautiful yarns. You can easily apply a lot of the techniques to hand dyed yarns or even store bought yarns. The sock pattern part of the book is really nice too. You get the basics of measuring and making a sock, so you can make whatever sock your little heart desires. Just had to knit up a pair of socks after reading this book.

The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook is a delight from beginning to end. It takes one subject, socks, and leads the reader through the process of creating them from unspun wool through dyeing and spinning to knitting. In the process, no standard knitting patterns are given. Instead, Lynne Vogel illustrates the techniques needed to create beautiful, hand-dyed yarns, and provides the basic patterns from which all socks are made. This is a book for those who work with fibers because they want to do the work of creating form and pattern with wool and color. By focussing just on socks, the author has offered techniques and ways of thinking that are inspirational to all aspects of dyeing, spinning, knitting, and weaving. (By the way, it also has the clearest instructions for knitting a basic pair of socks that I have ever seen.)

This book is focused on spinning, dyeing multi-colored yarn, and using that yarn for knitting socks. It's split into three parts:

Part 1 - Color and Dyeing: covers a lot of ground, from preparing dye solutions (Kool-Aid, dye powders), mixing colors, and the different ways of applying the dye to the rovings.

Part 2 - From Fiber to Yarn: how to prepare the roving before spinning, depending on the effect your want in your yarn, and and plying techniques.

Part 3 - Knitting Socks: basic knitting instructions for knitting and designing socks, including how to measure your feet. Different heel and toe options are shown.

Although this book is supposed to take you from roving to socks with the following steps: 1- dyeing roving, 2- spinning roving into yarn, 3- knitting your socks, part 2 is missing key instructions on how to get from roving to yarn.

Part 1 (Color and Dyeing), and Part 3 (Knitting Socks), are fairly detailed, with lots of instructions and pictures or llustrations to go along with the explanations.

Part 2 (From Fiber to Yarn), the part where you actually transform your roving to yarn is spotty and poorly explained, if explained at all. Fiber preparation is explained, as are the techniques in manipulating the fibers for different results. I also liked the guidelines on using singles. But that's where it stops. There are no instructions or pictures on *actually* spinning the yarn with a handspindle. Plying is addressed, but mostly in terms of why the author plies her yarns or not. Again no instructions or pictures on techniques.

I rate this book a three star because with DYEING - PAINTING -SPINNING - DESIGNING - KNITTING, in big letters at the top of the cover, I expected to find good instructions on SPINNING. I didn't. And with that information missing, discussing plying techniques is useless.

So, in all, is this a good book? In my opinion, it is, because there is still a lot of useful information; however, a beginner will need a book on handspinning to accompany it.