Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Knitting Review's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
6:37 am [ferret_herder]	Book review - Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits Custom Knits I listened to a podcast interview with the author (Knit Picks' Podcast, episode 87) that sold me on buying this book, and already it's been very enlightening. One of the best sections was the description of "ease" in a garment and how your bust measurement relates to the listed bust measurement on a knitted top. (Answer: Check the photos of the finished item for how snugly the item will fit, then pick a size appropriately. I.e., if it is very close-fitting through the bust, pick your exact bust measurement or very close, and so on.) She also has a "reality checklist" on how to look at a pattern before you splurge on the yarn, only to find that the resulting sweater just does not suit your body. Another neat part is the step-by-step directions for making your own dress form out of duct tape, an old T-shirt, and fiberfill. Besides getting a (perhaps scarily) accurate look at your actual body shape, you can fit garments easily to your exact form, it's light, storage is simple if you build a clothes hanger into it (hang it in the closet!), and if you lose/gain weight it's easy to make a new one. The patterns are great. These sweaters show a lot of nice shaping and other detailing. (Boxy sweaters with no shaping are not flattering. To any body shape. Seriously.) Great styling, and some interesting top-down designs. In fact, most are knit top-down. The last chapter on alterations and design is excellent as well - it guides you through how to alter elements in the given patterns (or ones you design) to fit your body style and tastes. Step-by-step instructions on how to change necklines, turn a pullover into a cardigan, and more. No more excuses for not having a sweater pattern that you think will look good on you! (Comment on this)
Friday, July 7th, 2006
12:17 pm [schizospider]	Summer 2006 Knitty A rundown of my thoughts on the patterns offered in the Summer 2006 Knitty - "The Extremities Issue!" (Warning: This was originally posted to my personal journal, where I know my language won't offend anyone. I didn't use anything that would get an R rating, but there is some mild cussing within. That's just how I am.) ( 23 patterns, links, and a nice blend of kvetching and squeeing for your ranty enjoyment ) In conclusion, I'd just like to point out that, for all my complaining, it's still a damn good deal for the cost of your internet access. As a collection of accessory items, I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10. My personal inclination is to rate it higher, but I'm on a sock kick right now, so I'm trying not to let that impede my judgement. (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 30th, 2006
6:39 pm [amonik]	Knitting from the Top by Barbara G. Walker: (10/10) What's it about? This book by Barbara G. Walker explains the construction of sweaters, skirts, ponchos/capes, trousers, and hats, that are all knit from the top down.  It doesn't contain patterns in the usual sense of the word, but instructions for making your own patterns - or more accurately, for knitting sweaters without making a pattern beforehand. The idea is that you start with a number of stitches based on a measurement and your gauge, but then just block or press the garment as you go and try it on.  The instructions are not short abbreviations or tables like a regular pattern, but long explanations on what to do at certain points and why.  It has line drawings of the different styles. The book was first released in 1972, so it doesn't have the colour photos and fun layout we're getting used to these days. On the other hand, it doesn't have the babbling about how "hip" knitting is, and it doesn't try to leave grandmothers out of the game. When is this book useful? And what is so great about it? When you want to design something for yourself but you hate maths, you really won't have to do much with this method.  If you tend to knit your sweaters too long or too short or with the waist shaping in the wrong place, it's easier to get it right this way.  If a sewing analogy is permitted, this is like draping a garment on the body, instead of trying to alter that impossible paper pattern to your measurements.  It's a nicely self-centered way of constructing a garment: there isn't a "standard" to which you measure up or don't measure up, you just make the garment to fit your own body directly.  If you are a little intimidated by the design process, Barbara Walker's style of instruction is very encouraging, and she really does make it easy to make garments that fit. It has lots of different collar, sleeve, and neckline styles for the sweaters. It's really well-priced. The line drawings clarify the instructions well for people like me who can't visualize very well. Isn't there anything wrong with this book? It can't be right for everyone! There are of course situations where a book like this simply doesn't work. If you don't have regular access to the intended wearer of the garment, you'll need the measurements anyway, so it won't matter if you knit it bottom up or top down.  She doesn't mention the use of short-row-shaping for womanly curves, or steeking for colour patterns. Other than that, the only "bad" thing I can think of is limited availability (it seems to be available only from American online bookstores, which of course isn't a problem for most people here). Oh, and it has the ugliest cover of all my knitting books, so if you're sensitive to ugliness, keep your eyes closed until you've opened it. To sum it up, I think this is a useful book for anyone who isn't content with ready-made patterns. The flaws are more than compensated by the tremendous amount of information you get in only 120 pages. It's worth a 10. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 19th, 2006
3:44 pm [irihs]	Sensational Knitted Socks - 9.5 Review of Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch The Good: I think I audibly gasped when I took this book off the shelf and looked inside. It's that good. I'll try to break it down in list form. The photography is great. I don't mean that it's artsy and award worthy. I mean that it's simple, clear, and shows off the socks and stitch patterns very nicely. Everything is in focus, and the photos are pared down to just socks or stitch patterns, without models in ugly or weird outfits to distract from the actual knitted objects in question. To me, this is a huge plus. There are a lot of patterns in this book. Not every pattern is knit up into a full sock, but several are, and there are clear and close up photos of all of the other suggested stitch patterns. I counted 48 textured patterns (not counting the basic ribbed sock presented at the beginning as an exercise for sock newbies), as well as many simple but pretty fair isle and mosaic patterns. There is something in here for everybody, and in my case, many patterns I really like. For more experienced sock knitters, I think this book could be considered a sock-friendly stitch dictionary. Fairly comprehensive sock knitting instructions in the beginning, complete with color coded sample socks to display sock anatomy. There's basic information about types of yarn, care instructions, estimated yardage for socks of varying sizes, using a variety of yarn weights, illustrated and written descriptions of top-down and toe-up heel flap socks, as well as top-down short row heel socks, a foot measurement chart (though I never trust those, as I have yet to see one that is anywhere near accurate for my feet), instructions on how to adapt socks for the quirks of the shape and size of your own feet, basic instructions for using dpns (sets of 4 and 5) and magic loop, instruction on basic relevant knitting skills, tips about selvages and picking up stitches, and instructions on how to use the book itself. There are no set sock patterns in the book. You choose a stitch pattern you like, and use a series of charts to determine how many stitches to cast on and how to work the various parts of a sock given your own parameters. You start out with the yarn and gauge you like, and use the book to guide you along as you knit a sock that fits you, not the pattern author. The textured stitch patterns are organized by repeat size. So there are 4-stitch patterns, 5-stitch patterns, etc. This is a really nifty way to organize the book. A lot of the patterns are ribbing-based, which I adore. The Bad: There were a few surprising deficiencies, given the overall quality of the book. The real bad is that some of these are things that would be a problem for a real beginner. The bright side is that if you've knit socks before (or are reading this), you'll realize what these deficiencies are, and they won't affect your use of the book at all. There is no mention of negative ease. In fact, she seems to believe that no such thing is necessary. While this isn't a problem for someone who knows to factor negative ease into their sock sizing, make sure to add a note about this if you give this book as a gift to a sock newbie. They need this information. She doesn't really give sufficient information on short row techniques. She uses short row heels on some of the sample socks, but unless I missed it, I don't think she explains how to do them. This isn't a problem for someone who knows how to use Google, but a more perfect version of the book would explain at least one version of this technique. Schurch actually suggests swatching flat for knitting you'll do in the round. Wha? Maybe it works for her, but I don't think it works for most people, and it's certainly not good general advice. Again, something that isn't at all a problem for the majority of us who know better, but something to warn a beginning sock knitter about. Conclusion: Despite the "bad" stuff, I love this book. I'd recommend it to any sock beginner, and just add in a note that touches on the 2 technical issues (negative ease and swatching in the round) that I think Schurch got wrong. It's full of stitch and color patterns that work well for socks (short texture and color repeats, a lot of ribbing-based patterns), several tidbits of advice that I found useful, even as a relatively experienced sock knitter, all in a clear and information rich format. I give it a 9.5. (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 6th, 2006
1:30 pm [meghan89]	Review Request (I checked the memories and I did a search on the community before I posted) I am going to Nag's Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Are there are any yarn stores worth looking at? Thanks in advance, Meghan (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 25th, 2006
11:41 pm [more_dragoncelt]	The Double Pointed Needles Updated 3/26 I had a sudden urge to get some new needles, nicer ones, for sock knitting. I had started out with aluminums but felt that they were inadequate. So I ran over to my LYS where the old hag shopkeep told me brusquely that the DPNs that I wanted (Susan Bates) were unavailable and all they had were Inox. Well, I bought the Inox (I should have just left, there's no call for being rude) and started on the Koigu yarn in the Pomatomus pattern. An hour later, I went to WEBS and ordered all sorts of Susan Bates. Here's what I found with the three. Boye's Aluminum: I personally don't mind them, but there's that metal scraping metal sound that isn't always so welcome. Also, the paint comes off and you don't want that in your finished yarny product. Inox: These are also aluminum but due to some quality about them, they seem (to me) to squeak as I knit with them. I had a set in size 10 as well and they just tended to grate on the nerves because they did not slide through the yarn as I felt they ought. They 'squeaked'. Susan Bates - Quicksilver: Finally happy, these are some nice needles. They're not top of the line, but they slip through yarn better than Boyes for all that they're also aluminum. Bamboo needles are a personal vexation to me since I once cut myself on cardboard and now any sort of wooden rubbing sound sets my teeth on edge. And I haven't tried anything else. So any additional review you may have on other needles, please feel free to contribute. Current Music: MST3K - 1006 - Boggy Creek II (MST3K / Mystery Science Theater 3000/ www.veneficus.net) (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, February 11th, 2006
9:10 am [amonik]	Book review: Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski (7/10) I'm usually hesitant to spend my limited yarn money on books. However, mittens are my favourite thing to knit, so I decided one book would be useful. ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, February 10th, 2006
5:47 pm [gishmi1ish]	Needles -- Plymouth Bamboo 8" #1 DPNS Ok, so normally I love bamboo needles, but I picked these up, the first time I'd ever bought the brand, and I was quite disappointed. Right from the start, I noticed that they weren't as smooth as my other needles, but it didn't seem to actually catch on the yarn too badly, so I figured it was ok (though in retrospect, it did seem kinda hard on the yarn, which got fuzzy and pilly a bit faster than when I was using it on other needles)... Then I noticed that they were "shedding" little bamboo fibers all over as I was using them. That too, wasn't too bad, since it was relatively easy to pick out of the yarn, and I figured maybe they'd stop and then be smoother, you know? Anyways, then one of them lost quite a large (relative to the size of the needle-- really, it's only about 3 mm long and maybe half a mm thick) strip out of the tip. It didn't catch on the yarn, but it was still kind-of annoying, and I was worried that it would weaken the tip. Then, the final blow, one of the tips --a DIFFERENT one from the one with a chunk missing!-- actually split right down the middle, thus making it catch on the yarn every time I tried to use it, so I had to always be sure that when I used that needle, I was working with the unsplit end. Very frustrating. I wasn't even abusing them, or anything, I was knitting QUITE loosely, with a very soft cashmere/silk blend, and they just couldn't hold up. It wasn't even a huge project-- it was a glove. Not even two gloves, just one. In contrast, I have a pair of very long (18"), skinny #1 straights by a different company (Mitsubaya-- not sure you can get 'em in the States...) that I was using for a different, much bigger project, and I was purposely knitting VERY tightly on them, and they bent a little under the strain, but there wasn't any cracking/breaking/splitting/shedding-- nothing! And, of course, there being only 2 needles, they were getting MUCH more wear and tear! The Plymouths were sharing the load between 5 needles, (and therefore 10 needle-tips) and yet they still couldn't bear the burden! Utter tragedy, in my opinion. They cost $7.50 for the set of 5, too, which, in my opinion, isn't so great. I went out just recently and replaced them with some supershort #1 Brittany's, and the Britts were only $7 for 5. Sigh. (In my defense-- when I bought the Plymouths, I hadn't yet heard of Brittanys... so... yeah, I guess that's no excuse.) Anyways, I'd give 'em a 4. They're serviceable, and I admit, none of them actually snapped or bent, so that's something... but still... what a pain in the butt. (13 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 2nd, 2006
8:39 pm [cimorenegal]	Caron Simply Soft Boucle (3) Gotta review the bad as well as the good, right? This is really more of a PSA than anything, but I picked up some Caron Simply Soft Boucle near the beginning of December because it looked nifty and fun and it was cheap. I wish I hadn't. The Good Not much good to say about this yarn, but I will say that it knits up nice and cushy when you do it in garter stitch. And it is soft, since it is Simply Soft yarn turned into a boucle. The Bad Ah yes, the Bad. This stuff is the biggest pain in the world to work with, and you guys should know that coming from me, that is saying something. I have never had a problem working with the traditionally 'hard to work with' yarns like LB Homespun, Fun Fur, Polarspun, etc. I've always been fine with even the most unforgiving chenille, the roughest nastiest acrylic hasn't bothered me one bit. I figure this is becuase I knit loosely. But this yarn is so poorly designed- it is basically a strand of simply soft that has been stitched over with backstitch so that it makes little loopy squiggles that look really cool in the yarn, but as soon as you cut it it comes unravelled and it's almost impossible to work with due to the bulkiness and unforgiving nature. Conclusion I give it a 3, but only because it's relatively nice once it's knitted up. Honestly, if you ever have the chance to buy the yarn... Don't. Don't let your little niece or nephew or sister or whatever talk you into making them something out of the pretty loopy pink yarn. It will kill you. I'm frankly glad to be rid of the stuff, I've made a square for a swap and the rest of the tiny ball I have is going to my KSSP. Current Mood: aggravated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 29th, 2006
6:58 pm [cimorenegal]	Knits on the Block by Vickie Howell (8) I got several new knitting books over the winter break from school, and one of them was New Knits on the Block by Vickie Howell, who most of you will know as the show on DIY network called "Knitty Gritty." I was unsure about whether or not I really wanted this book, since the projects in it are pretty much for kids, but I ended up buying it in the end and am overall pleased with it. The Good The best thing about this book is the creativity that went into the patterns. For the most part they are all fairly unique and very cute if you know kids or are a child at heart. Obviously, some of the full costumes like the mermaid costume are really only suitable for a child (though believe me, if i could I would knit that costume for myself!) There are cute things that could be for all ages- like a wizard/princess hat and a couple small backpacks, along with a unicorn headpiece and superhero cape. There are also some really adorable things- like a pirate bath set and a rockstar guitar pillow. The instructions seem rather straightforward, though I haven't tried any of the projects yet so I haven't experienced the level of error there may be. The Bad Though the cute patterns make up for most of this, I really really dislike Vickie Howell's style of writing. I don't know if this has to do with my dislike of her as a person (I can't explain it, there's just something about her- and that's saying a lot, usually I fall head over heels for cute redheads!), or if it is just because I feel like she is trying too hard to sound "hip," but the writing style seems far too casual for my taste. There is a fine line, in my opinion, between being conversational in your writing and sounding overly casual, like your editor said "make it sound... chill." and you did it very badly. There are also a couple of kids costumes that I think are a little unrealistic- like the Hawaiian dress up- the top is a strapless bandeau, and there is no way to make that truly appropriate for a kid. I would definitely modify it to at least have some kind of strap. Conclusion I give it an 8 because the patterns are really pretty interesting if you've got kids to knit for, despite the flaws in Howell's writing style. If you have kids to knit for, then I highly recommend this book, as it has lots of things that I know I would have loved as a kid who was still into Halloween and playing dress-up. There really isn't much in there for the above 10 crowd though, so don't go into it expecting that. Overall, it's a decent book, and is not overpriced in my opinion at $15 (less on amazon). Current Mood: calm (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006
2:24 pm [blaueteufelin]	Store Review: Wool Winders 7/10 Wool Winders Rockville, Maryland The Good: - Selection. Wool Winders carries a wide range of yarns from basic (Lamb's Pride and Cascade) to luxury (merino, cashmere and cashmere blends) to novelty yarns of the nicer sort. They have a pretty extensive collection of Colinette and Rowan yarns. They don't carry much in the way of silk yarns (I think all they have is Noro Hana), but other than that they are well stocked. They also carry a large number of books and pattern collections, especially Rowan collections. They have single sheet patterns, but I didn't get a chance to look through their binders. They don't carry many knitting magizines, and the few they do have are buried among the pattern books and are somewhat difficult to find. They carry a nice assortment of needles as well, including Crystal Palace Bamboo, Addi Turbos and Naturas, and Clover straights (but sadly, no Clover DPNS that I could see). - Organization/Lighting. The yarns are organized primarily by gauge: smaller weight yarns are towards the front of the store, and gauge increases as you move towards the back of the store. Other than that, yarns from the same company are stored in the same area, and then organized (pretty loosely) by color. The store doesn't get much natural light, but they do make up for this by having very strong overhead fluorescent lighting. - Seating. The store has a good sized table for people to sit at and knit, as well as a couch and an armchair. As far as I know they welcome people to come in and knit (particularly on Sundays), though I have never done so. They also have a small kids' corner with books and toys. Minor complaints: - Their site says that they carry Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, but they stopped carrying it a little bit ago and forgot to update their stock online. I was rather disappointed about that. They do carry Koigu KPPPM, though (it isn't listed on their yarns list, but is listed on their new arrivals page). - Their prices tend to be just a little higher than I'm used to, which is saying something since my usual LYS is in Boston. Their prices for Brown Sheep yarns seemed particularly inflated. The Bad: - Atmosphere/staff. In my opinion, this is the biggest drawback about Wool Winders. I hardly ever feel comfortable as a customer when I'm in Wool Winders. The few occasions where I've felt at ease have been when a particular staff member is working alone in the store; she seems to be far more personable and relaxed than her co-workers. In general, though, the staff at Wool Winders have a tendency to hover (at least in my experience), and they don't really know when to take a hint and back off. My last visit to Wool Winders - just last night - was particularly uncomfortable. When I came in, there were 7 other people in the store, 5 of whom were staff members (but only 2 of whom were actually on duty). Within minutes of entering the store I was asked if I needed any help (which is a good thing, of course). I replied with something like, "No thanks, I'm just browsing." In the next 20 minutes, I was asked at least 4 more times if I needed any help, or if I had a particular project in mind. Every single one of the staff members in the store, even those who were not working, questioned me at least once, despite the fact that each time I responded, I was within hearing of everyone else in the store. After a couple times of being asked what project I had in mind, I finally had to say "I have plenty of projects lined up, really, I'm just looking," which seemed to do the trick as far as getting them to leave me alone. It was also pretty clear that some of the staff members were watching me and were not comfortable either with my presence in the store or my browsing. I was pretty upset by this point, and it only made it worse to see that another customer, who came in about 20 minutes after I did, was left to her own devices once she let the staff know that she didn't need any help. Needless to say, this made my time in the store rather unpleasant and factored in to my decision not to buy any yarn from them (though I did leave with some DPNs). In fairness, the other customers in the store seemed to be enjoying their experience, so I doubt my experience is universal. - Hours. Woolwinders doesn't open until 11, and on most days they are closed by 6. Given their location in the middle of the 'burbs, this makes it pretty hard for anyone with a 9-5 job to get to them during the week (as I found this summer). They do have good weekend hours, though, including Sunday hours. - Location. They aren't centrally located, and there's not much in the area in terms of public transportation. - Size. The store is a bit on the small size, and it doesn't take many people to make it feel crowded. Conclusion: On the whole, Wool Winders is a very nice store. They have a solid selection of yarn, books, and needles, and the set up of the store is easily to navigate and customer-friendly. Unfortunately, the staff at the store are not nearly as customer-friendly, based on my experience over the past few months, and particularly last night. I'll add the following disclaimer: hovering staff is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to going into retail stores. I don't like being followed around or feeling the eyes of staff at my back, nor am I a fan of 'being helpful' as a guise for 'keeping track of the sketchy customer' (which, in my opinion, is what happened last night). It's just not a decent way to treat a customer who's willing to give you money. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 28th, 2005
6:12 pm [chasingmyself]	The Fold - Illinois The first time I went to "the Fold" must have been about seven years ago, to get my first spinning wheel (i was very popular in junior high, what with the spinning and all...). Now, several years later, I am reviewing it with more experienced  eyes. The good - The Fold is quite possibly one of the most lovely yarn stores i have ever set foot in. one room is full of beautiful yarn, and every nook and cranny (there are many) reveals more. Looms and spinning wheels sit in the corners, on consignment. the  adjoining room is a spinner's heaven. Bags of brightly colored fiber line the walls, as do beautiful drop spindles. Every accessory, including Addi Turbo's, can be found here. Tony shears her own sheep and sells that wool, carded and mosly undyed, as well as a great selection of Merino, Peruvian wool, and others. She even has a section of combed superwash merino wool to be spun. Tony herself is incredibly warm and helpful. She let me spin on her wheel while i decided what fibers to get, and you feel more as if you are meeting a good friend to gush over wool than participating in a business transaction. she also operates on line as well, although i have not had a chance to fully peruse her website. the bad - the Fold is in the middle of NOWHERE. Its an hour and a half drive from the Chicago suburbs, putting it about 2 hours from the city. the "store" is a renovated garage, which can be kind of weird. Go through the wrong door and you're in someone's house! This is also a pricey place - you pay for what you get. As far as i could see, there were no cheaper brands of yarn avaliable. This is not necessarily bad, but just something to keep in mind when preparing for a long drive. overall - One of my favorite places, a real gem of a fiber studio. 9/10. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 8th, 2005
1:36 am [cimorenegal]	Knitty Winter 05 Issue ( Rundown of the Patterns and my Personal Opinions ) ( Rundown of the Articles ) Conclusion: The Good: Lots of decent patterns, great articles- overall the best Knitty in a while. The Bad: Not too much, really, except for the catering to people who are afraid to try new things like circular knitting and socks. >_< Overall Rating: 9 Edited To Add: I forgot to say this last night but you guys definitely feel free to add your own reviews of patterns in the comments, since I know I'm not coming close to be impartial. Current Mood: amused (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 29th, 2005
10:11 am [molliewollie]	Elann's Peruvian Sierra Aran (7.5) I just got my shipment of this yarn last night, and immediately commenced to knittin'. The Good Lovely, lovely yarn. Nice sheen, easy to knit with, and the color is gorgeous, though not what I expected. It's very touchable and warm, and lends itself to cables very well. Fairly soft, too--I've heard that Elann's Highland Wool can be pretty scratchy, but this is quite comfortable. Oh, and of course the price is great. The Bad It is very slightly scratchy, especially in comparison to Knitpicks' Andean Silk, which was my second choice for this project. Also, due to the alpaca it sheds pretty constantly. The color that I ordered (Fiddlehead Green)is much darker in person than on the website, but that's not so much a bad thing, since I'm a sucker for saturated colors and the hunter green is very, very pretty. I'd definitely order a color card before getting any other shades, though. Conclusion When I was deciding what to use for this project, this yarn won out over Andean Silk because it was available in more colors that I liked. (Though it's listed as an Aran wieght and Andean Silk is worsted, the yardage is almost exactly the same, and the gauge was identical for me.) It's a nice enough yarn for what you pay, and while I would definitely use Sierra Aran again, it really suffers in comparison to AS. If Knitpicks offered AS in more colors, Sierra Aran wouldn't have much of a place in my stash, but it's a fine back-up choice. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 17th, 2005
8:46 pm [cimorenegal]	KnitPicks Andean Silk (10) I recently ordered some Andean Silk to make a psuedo-hufflepuff (a-la-harry potter) scarf, and it was nothing like I expected- it was so much better. The Good This yarn is amazing. It is as soft as butter- as soft as the Malabrigo Merino Worsted, but NO PILLING. Granted, I haven't worn it much yet, but i've given the yarn a good rubbing when I realized it wasn't fuzzing up like the merino did when I worked with it, and it's certainly holding up very well. It's soft, beautiful, and I think the blend of fibers (Extra-Fine Alpaca, Silk, and Merino) works very well. It makes a strong, soft yarn with a nice sheen. The Bad The only think that I can find wrong with it is that it has a little bit of a 'halo,' but this is characteritic of the alpaca so I don't see it as a bad thing, except that the yellow halo shows up on the black stripes. Conclusion: This is my new favorite yarn, and I give it a 10. It's incredible, and it's NOT PILLING. The only thing that would make it better is if it were machine washable. Current Mood: awake (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 9th, 2005
9:57 am [sistercoyote]	Knitting Without Tears - Elizabeth Zimmermann For a long time, I resisted picking up anything from EZ. I just get stubborn when something is pushed at me. Well, I'm regretting it now. Knitting without Tears is the kind of reference that most knitters should have on their bookshelf, if only for the critical advice that one is the boss of one's own knitting, and not the other way around. The illustrations are black and white, and techniques are largely illustrated using line-drawings. For all that, however, this was the first text whose illustration of Continental knitting gave me an "oh, that's how it's done" moment, so the simplicity of the drawings isn't necessarily a drawback. There are patterns for four sweaters, all knit in the round, and notes about how to work with hats, socks, mittens, scarves, afghans and shawls, although there aren't any specific patterns for any of the latter. That said, EZ is very much a "pattern it yourself" knitter. Those who prefer to keep slavishly to a pattern probably won't benefit from many of her tips, but overall I think this is one of the best knitting books out there. It's pretty clear why it's considered a knitting "classic". My rating: 9.5 You really should buy this book. (crossposted to my journal) Current Mood: sick Current Music: The Last Stop - DMB (2 Comments |Comment on this)
9:13 am [irihs]	SR Kertzer "The Collection" bamboo circs - 9.5 The Good Smooth needles. Not as slick as Crystal Palace, but smoother than Clovers. Relatively sharp points. Relatively flexible cables. Not quite as smooth as the CP circs I've used, but definitely more flexible than Clovers. The joins. This may be a matter of taste, though. There is a little bump right before the join. I don't find that it causes major problems with getting the yarn onto the needle, and think it actually helps keep the yarn from slipping backwards onto the cable. Of all the baboo circs I've used, these are definitely my favorite joins. They have 3.0 mm circs, in addition to having 3.25 mm. Maybe this only excites the perfectionist knitting geeks among us, but I definitely fall in that category. The Bad They're not all that widely available, which is a real shame. I buy mine from Handknitting.com, which is a real gem of a store that I rarely if ever see anybody else mention. I wish I could get them at my LYS, but I don't mind having to order them from that store, if I'm going to have to order them online. I think the smallest size bamboo circs they have is 3.0 mm. I wish they went smaller, but in my experience with smaller sized bamboo circs, maybe it's just a matter of what's practical. (I've had problems with smaller CP bamboo circs, and have heard tales of small diameter Addi Naturas snapping left and right.) yada yada yada Please take this review with a grain of salt. It applies to my experiences with their smaller diameter circs - size 4 and smaller. While it's not very likely that there will be quality problems with the larger sized circs, I could imagine that things like tip pointiness may vary. When I have a chance to try out the larger sizes, I may ammend this review to take that into account. However, I really have to recommend these, even if I can only describe the smaller sizes with confidence. They're a pleasure to work with, and have never given me any trouble. For people who don't like the joins or the prices of Crystal Palace circs, but are looking for needles that feel a bit more finished than Clover, they're perfect. Rating: 9.5 (Comment on this)
Monday, November 7th, 2005
8:58 pm [cimorenegal]	NO REVIEW POST: Broadening the Scope So I'm getting really into this community and I was thinking we ought to make it a sort of resource that you can refer people to, similar to that one site that reviews yarn.... something written by us, yknow? Anyway, I had an idea and i was wondering if it'd be OK to do posts like maybe the "top ten best knitting book values" (you know, the most for your money) or the top ten overrated knitting books... or top five, or just a list of stuff.. etc etc. What do you all think? Good Idea? bad idea? Am i crazy? Current Mood: contemplative (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 6th, 2005
11:14 am [cimorenegal]	Knit Hats! by Gwen Steege (8.5) A couple years ago, through pure serendipity, I was given the book Knit Hats! by Gwen Steege. The book has 15 designs for various kinds of hats, as well as a beginning knitting section and several other technique descriptions. I haven't made anything out of it yet, but believe me, I'm going to.. just as soon as I finish everything else I'm making. Lol. The Good: There're a lot of good things to say about this book. First off, the design is cute- who doesn't love a book on how to make hats that's shaped like a hat? The designs are all creative, and there's not one in the entire book that I wouldn't make. They have everything from children's hats to headbands to adult hats.. made to size hats, etc etc. All really fun and super cool designs. The layout of the patterns is also something I really like, with the instructions done in a simple table so it is very clear which size is which and the instructions are well laid out, especially when there is a hat with variations- they separate the variations and explain everything clearly. There are also very clear beginners sections on dyeing with koolaid, felting, and lots of references on knitting technique. The Bad: My only complaint about the book is that I don't agree with a lot of the information in the beginning- for example, the book really cultivates the idea that straight needles are easier to work with than circs, and that you need to have all kinds of needles in all kinds of lengths- not even addressing the fact that you can knit back and forth on circs. This bugs me. A lot. Also, most of the hats in the book use Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride (Bulky and worsted), which may be a good thing for some people but I don't particularly like the yarn; I find it scratchy and wish they'd branched out a bit more. Probably half the hats all use Lamb's Pride. Also a heavy emphasis on colorwork, which again could be good or bad depending on your outlook. The Conclusion: I give it an 8.5. I really do love this book, and despite the "ZOMG KNITTING ON CIRCS IS HRD!" sentiments at the beginning, the book actually does a pretty good job of combatting the 'scary' part of knitting through clearly explained techniques throughout the patterns. If one doesn't read the beginning, it's almost empowering. All in all, I highly recommend the book, but think twice before you assume that the rest of the books in the series are as good- review on the book Knit Mittens! forthcoming. Current Mood: grumpy (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 4th, 2005
10:14 pm [tark_lill]	Blue Sky Organic Cotton (Dyed) Blue Sky Organic Cotton (Dyed) Over the summer I knit a baby sweater out of the Blue Sky Cotton (the dyed version of Blue Sky Organic Cotton). I went to an LYS with my friend, looking for a washable cotton baby yarn. That particular LYS does not have a great selection of cotton yarns, and my friend persuaded me to buy this yarn since it felt soft in the skein and it had some nice "baby" colours. The yarn is 2-ply, 100% unmercerized cotton worsted-weight yarn. The Good It comes in some nice colours that evoke summer. It's organic. It doesn't have that shiny look that the mercerized cotton yarns have. And the mom really liked the sweater I made (although I attribute that to the combination of colour, sweater pattern, and charming buttons). The Bad In retrospect, I see now that this type of yarn is simply a bad idea. Cotton fiber has an extremely short staple (as compared to wool) and is simply not suited to a 2-ply structure. Most cotton knitting yarns are multi-ply and that reduces pilling. With a soft 2-ply like this, pilling is inevitable. In the case of the baby sweater, the yarn started pilling very quickly as I knit with it. It looked raggedy as soon as I was done with it. (I have my swatch of it here and I can, without pinching too hard, pull lots of fibers off the surface even though there is no halo. It would be harder to pull the cotton off the edge of a Q-tip.) Unlike other cotton yarns I have used, when I washed the finished item the "look" of my stitches did not improve. It was a disappointment. I can only imagine how much worse it will look after a few wears. Conclusion: I rate this yarn a 1. I would never use it again for anything. The only reason I would recommend this yarn to anyone is if one was committed to using a commercially-made organic cotton yarn. (2 Comments |Comment on this)