Book Review: Interweave Crochet Summer 2011

The weather is getting warm with flowers popping up all over and my thoughts are turning to summer knitted and crocheted things. In a past summer, I made the Midnight Twilight Shawl and I'm thinking of what summer project I'd like to work on this year. I'm always really impressed with the quality of projects in Interweave Crochet and happened to have an old Summer 2011 issue .... let's take a look at some possibilities.

Here's a shot of all the projects (click to enlarge). Downton Abbey had been airing for only a few months when this issue came out, but you can already see the design influence of that mega-popular show coming through. Note: if you crochet and are a Downton Abbey fan, the Interweave Crochet winter 2012 issue has several patterns you might be interested in :)

If I was looking for a wedding shawl, the "River Walk Wrap" might be a good bet. If I had a little girl, the "Early Girl Dress" is super cute and looks to be easy to both make and alter. I am a fan of sugared bowls and there is a great design for one with "Azalea Bowls". Someday I would love to try to make a sugared bowl design myself .. something with a vintage flower design inspired by my Grandma's glass candy bowls ....maybe later this year :)  The number one reason I like this issue is that knitted wearables have a stretch and cling to them that is hard to achieve in crochet, which leads to a great many crocheted outfits looking like shapeless sacks, pretty lacey sacks, but not very figure conscious. This issue has *4* body conscious crocheted garments, "Pinecone Top", "Zipline Shell", "Trillium Tunic" and "Grove Park Tank" (that last one is on the front cover).

Bottom Line? Not sure I see a "must-make summer project" here, but if your local library or a friend has a copy, definitely worth a look inside.

Green Tea Knitted Washcloths

I finished my knitted leaves! I was able to get four leaves out of one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton. These are just so cool! Super soft and a perfect pairing with my boys' handmade soaps.

These are lovely washcloths, but it occurred to me that, if made a little smaller, they would make excellent coasters. We drink quite a bit of tea around here with out current fav being jasmine green tea. These knitted leaves would make awesome coasters for green tea served in delicate celadon cups.

Think I'll go put the kettle on and make a cup now :)

Book Review: "Crochet Noro"

I've been in love with Noro yarn ever since I learned to knit through the process of knitting the famous Noro Scarf design. The color shifting of this yarn is simply sublime! First, came a pair of knitting books "Knit Noro" & "Knit Noro: Accessories: 30 Colorful Little Knits", where projects were photographed and presented just as beautifully as the yarn it showcased. Now, at long last, comes "Crochet Noro"!

Like the other books in the series, it is hardbound and gorgeously photographed in warm, rich tones. No area of the page is left out of the luxe treatment. Even the page borders let the European-style tapestry backgrounds show through.

Patterns include a full-spread splash shot, with the pattern itself starting on the next page. It includes difficulty rating, full materials list and clear instructions, both written and charted. Assembly and sizing diagrams are also provided as needed. There is no guessing in these patterns... they tell you exactly what to do!

Let's talk about the patterns themselves. If you like shawls, there are some absolute showstoppers in here. Above is the Chrysanthemum Shawl....gorgeous!!! There are several hats, bags and scarves, a nesting bowl home accessory pattern, a short skirt, a flower motif blanket, both a fingerless glove and a wristlet pattern, and some very wearable tunic & cardigan type garments. There were a number of ho-hum boring patterns, but given the large number of nice projects it is well worth adding this book to your crochet library.

 As far as difficulty, like the Noro knitting books there is very little for beginners here. Overall, I thought the marked difficulty rating for many of the projects seemed too high for what was required in the pattern?? Just my opinion though :)

Bottom Line: Love Noro? Buy. Looking for a gorgeous crochet coffee-table book? Buy. Looking for nice patterns? A good bet.

Book Review: "Interweave Crochet Accessories 2011"

Next up in holiday knit and crochet magazine reviews is the "Interweave Crochet Accessories 2011".

As an avid crocheter, I have been drooling for this to be released. Bought it without even peeking inside and settled down happily at home with some tea ready for some crochet bliss. Well....should have peeked. All I can say is, "What happened??" I have been noticing the 70's trending becoming more and more prominent in "Crochet Today", and it is certainly present here. In spades. All those bad 1970's acrylic crocheted toilet paper covers, lamp shades and granny square afghans in lurid colors are the reason it took crochet such a long time to stage a comeback. Let's not bring back that reputation. When you look at all the smart, gorgeous modern crochet patterns promoted in places like Stitch Diva Studios and Russian crochet periodicals,and by designers like Robyn Chachula in her Blueprint books, this issue is a real missed opportunity.

There are a few cute things in here, like the children's hats, but on the whole it made my eyes hurt. DayGlo primary orange, red, blue and yellow seemed to be the colors designers were urged to use. Many, many designs were of the repetitive "one simple motif" kind. The type of projects beginning crocheters start out with. It's true gift items need to be speedy to be finished in time for the holidays, but simplicity never seems to be a factor in similarly themed knitting magazines. Only crochet seems to be perpetually for beginners in the marketing overmind.

Bottom Line? Skip it. Live in the new Millennium.

Book Review: "Jane Austin Knits 2011"

Well, I've been super busy for weeks knitting and crocheting holiday gifts. Can't show any of those though or the recipients might see them! So, I thought I'd do a few posts on holiday knit and crochet publications.

First up, "Jane Austin Knits 2011". I spied this on a special display stand at my local Barnes and Noble and snapped it up. It's brilliant. At $14.99 it wasn't cheap, but well worth the money. 35 knitted projects inspired by Jane Austin's narratives. Plus a sprinkling of articles, which are not just fluff filler as is so often the case in these special publication, but rather interesting pieces on Regency fashion, knitting, and Jane Austin style.

The patterns are separated into four themed sections: "Country", "Manor", "Garden", and "Town", and gorgeously photographed. Here's a shot of what's included (click to enlarge):

This is a really nicely edited selection of patterns. Often times, there will be one or two good projects in a magazine and a few ho-hums, but there isn't a bad one in the bunch here. Great mix of types of items to make and skill levels.

Bottom Line? Good buy. Within minutes of cracking open the first page you'll find yourself popping in a Pride & Prejudice DVD, the first of what will be a Jane Austin movie marathon, putting the kettle on for a cup of hot tea, and picking up a knitting project to work on. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon :)

P.S. Looks like a "Jane Austin Knits 2012" is in the works, so head on over to janeaustinknits.com for their call for entries if you're a designer, writer or Regency-era historian.