Book review: These books hurt my brain
I recently got my hands on two books whose titles alone have been tantalizing me since I first heard of them several months ago: Inspired Cable Knits: 20 Creative Designs for Making Sweaters and Accessories, by Fiona Ellis, and Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature, by Norah Gaughan.
Both of these books are beautifully photographed and laid out. Both of them have amazing-looking projects in them. And both of them hurt my brain. Why? Because the projects are mind-bogglingly difficult!
Let me clarify. See, after I completed my first cable project a few months ago, I decided that cables were a piece of cake. My next cable project, I decided, would be more challenging than a scarf. So when I borrowed Ellis's Inspired Cable Knits from the library, I thought for sure I'd find my next cable project among the twenty patterns in there--a stylish sweater, perhaps. Never mind the fact that the publisher describes it as for "intermediate or returning knitters."
Let's just say that looking through this book was the equivalent of a knitting smackdown. I think "advanced" might be a more accurate description of the patterns, because nearly all of them looked pretty difficult! The patterns are organized along four themes: change, nature, energy, and time. Ellis advocates a "mindful" approach to knitting (which reminds me quite a bit of Sally Melville's Knitting Experience series)--a change from the usual "let's cut to the chase and get to the patterns" approach most books use. I may return to this book at some later time, when I'm feeling more confident in my knitting ability and patient enough to work through some of these patterns (which almost all use smallish needles and nonbulky yarns). For now, though, I don't need to add this to my library.
Gaughan's Knitting Nature was also disappointing, but in a different want. Going by the title alone, I was expected patterns that evoked plants and landscape and animals--not patterns that draw on the geometry of nature. This isn't a criticism of Gaughan, though, because geometry is an aspect of nature--just not the one I was looking for here. Fractals and pentagons are cool, but I don't think I want to wear there. Most of the patterns were intriguing, but none of them struck me as anything I'd want to knit (either to wear myself or to give away). I'll pass on this one, too. (Caveat emptor: Apparently, this book is riddled with errors. Corrections are available here and there from individuals, but the publisher has yet to make an errata list available.)
Both of these books are beautifully photographed and laid out. Both of them have amazing-looking projects in them. And both of them hurt my brain. Why? Because the projects are mind-bogglingly difficult!
Let me clarify. See, after I completed my first cable project a few months ago, I decided that cables were a piece of cake. My next cable project, I decided, would be more challenging than a scarf. So when I borrowed Ellis's Inspired Cable Knits from the library, I thought for sure I'd find my next cable project among the twenty patterns in there--a stylish sweater, perhaps. Never mind the fact that the publisher describes it as for "intermediate or returning knitters."
Let's just say that looking through this book was the equivalent of a knitting smackdown. I think "advanced" might be a more accurate description of the patterns, because nearly all of them looked pretty difficult! The patterns are organized along four themes: change, nature, energy, and time. Ellis advocates a "mindful" approach to knitting (which reminds me quite a bit of Sally Melville's Knitting Experience series)--a change from the usual "let's cut to the chase and get to the patterns" approach most books use. I may return to this book at some later time, when I'm feeling more confident in my knitting ability and patient enough to work through some of these patterns (which almost all use smallish needles and nonbulky yarns). For now, though, I don't need to add this to my library.
Gaughan's Knitting Nature was also disappointing, but in a different want. Going by the title alone, I was expected patterns that evoked plants and landscape and animals--not patterns that draw on the geometry of nature. This isn't a criticism of Gaughan, though, because geometry is an aspect of nature--just not the one I was looking for here. Fractals and pentagons are cool, but I don't think I want to wear there. Most of the patterns were intriguing, but none of them struck me as anything I'd want to knit (either to wear myself or to give away). I'll pass on this one, too. (Caveat emptor: Apparently, this book is riddled with errors. Corrections are available here and there from individuals, but the publisher has yet to make an errata list available.)
4 Comments:
I know the feeling. I ordered a book once called Weekend Knitting. NOT. There's no way that anything in that book can be completed in a weekend, with the exception of a finger puppet pattern and a scarf pattern in there. I wrote a longer review of it on Amazon.
Oh and speaking of knitting books, do you have this in your library?
No, I don't have that book! Green Mountain Spinnery yarn is fabulous, and if the book is anything like the yarn then I'll probably end up adding it to my list. I'll have to see if my library has it...
I've been asked many times "who knitted that scarf for you?" People assume i couldn't have done it myself. But i did.
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