Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needleworkers Circle - Topic for the day

Knitting a Conundrum

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Yep, I'm back. Topic for the day: References. What crafting books would you hate to have to give up, that you use regularly? I know we each have our own personal library of best books.

As someone who knits socks a lot, I find that Nancy Bush's Folk Socks is extremely useful for its catalog of different heels and toes.

Knitting in Plain English is a great book for knitting...and she has a companion book on sweater knitting that is very useful as well.

A great reference when you want to make basic patterns is The Knitter's handy book of patterns. It has lots of basic things knitted to different gauges, so if you find yourself with a lot of fingering yarn, and you want to make mittens with it, it will tell you, and if you go back later and want to make them with knitting worsted, it will tell you that, too.

A really handy reference for quilting is the New Quilting Patchwork Dictionary. It's what it says, a dictionary of different styles of patchwork. Rleated to this is Dating Fabrics, a guide to help you select fabrics by time period. Useful if you want to make a civil war repro quilt.

For fine handsewing technique, there are several sources. If you can find a copy of French Hand Sewing by Sarah Howard Stone, that is good. Kannick's Korner produces some pamplets on handsewing called The Lady's Guide to Plain Sewing(part 1 and part 2) which are also quite good.

My favorite reference for embroidery stitches is The Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques. Photographs and illustrations about various stitches. Free embroidery and counted stitch work is covered.

A nice book for those wanting to investigate weaving and spinning is the Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing Book. It covers some of it all.

Now it's your turn to add to our knowledge. What books do you like?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It really doesn't matter which craft you do. Share!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Ping to the Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needleworkers Circle. Come bring your needlework and let's talk.

[alwaysconservative]

I have an awful time remembering the titles of resource books! I have several on needlepoint (I think the one you mentioned and one really gorgeous one on Tiffany style projects), but mostly I just print the free patterns and ideas you can pull off the net. (I especially liked those blackwork links you provided last week, which led me to needle lacing, which led me to. . . another obsession.)

And I have several books on costume design and construction. "Elegantly Frugal Costumes" is one of my favorites, and probably the only title that comes right to mind. Sorry I'm so hopeless with reference titles!

[IN Farm Girl]

This isn't really a cross stitch BOOK, but I love the Just Cross Stitch magazine's yearly Christmas ornament issue. Many designers (I don't have an issue handy, but I would say 30, approximately) design an ornament for each year's issue. Some of the patterns are issued yearly as a series, which is nice for fans of a particular designer or design.

This issue comes out in September each year, so it should be in shops and on newsstands now. Also, I'm sure that http://www.just-crossstitch.com/ would have info.

Oops, just checked that website and it is under construction. Oh well!

[proudofthesouth]

If I recall correctly, doesn't the Christmas Ornament issue also include recipes from some of the designers? I subscribe to JCS. Love the magazine!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The only reason I knew all those titles is I pulled the books off the shelf! ;-)

[IN Farm Girl]

Yes, and also some of the designers include special Christmas memories, which are lovely to read. The other reason I keep those issues handy (I forgot to mention this in my first response) is that they have nice little diagrams of different stitches. Easy to refer back to them.

[IN Farm Girl]

You know, I love our group and our group name so much that I am tempted to add it to the memberships/affiliations portion of my resume. I could see it now...

Purdue Alumni Association
Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association
Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needleworkers Circle

(hee hee hee)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I'm a bad one about buying and saving Christmas craft magazine issues...I have them back to the 80s...I'm always going to make this or that...

[Knitting A Conundrum]

LOL!

[IN Farm Girl]

I know this is totally OT, but flame me anyway.

In the first VRWKNC thread, many people shared how they like to do their needlework while watching political events on TV. Well, I love to do my needlework while watching coverage of disasters on the Weather Channel!

I was working on the cross stitch portion of Carriage House Samplings' "Quaker Stocking" during Katrina on TWC. Now this is pretty intense stitching (see the photo on the website), but I was churning those stitches out during the coverage--and I pretty much finished 2/3 of it during that time!

Here is my stocking, almost to the bottom of the page:
http://www.carriagehousesamplings.com/newdesigns.htm

I did the one in browns.

[LongElegantLegs]

I'm still such knitting n00b, The book I use most often is a how-to book, with nice big pictures! I have problems remembering how to bind off, increase, etc. It's also got instructions for crotchet, embroidery, and tatting, but I haven't tried any of those things; I'm having too much fun with knitting. :-)

[pinz-n-needlez]

Great topic, KaC.

For knitting, I will go to my grave cluthcing Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears and Knitter's Almanac. Along with any and all of Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' books.

These two women took a fun hobby and turned it into a philosophical conversation, along with a touch of science, particularly engineering and topography.

They both gave me a strong base for designing, and just a joy in doing worthwhile work.

They are my heroes!

Pinz

[Knitting A Conundrum]

That is cute!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I still keep my howto books handy...I have an old one that has multicrafts in it, too..always useful things like that!

[alwaysconservative]

You mean you weren't holding out for the "Purdy Purlers"? (LOL!)

[IN Farm Girl]

No, although that one is cute and catchy, too! The Vast Right Wing Knitting Circle "had me from hello", so to speak.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I have Gibson-Roberts' book Simple Socks and I liked it, although I don't do toe down socks...but I do like the approach to garment construction that followed Zimmerman...I've been meaning to get Knitting Without Tears for an age now, but haven't gotten to it yet.

Maggie Rigetti's books (I have Knitting in Plain English and Sweater Knitting in Plain English) come out of that school of thought..

This is why I think in terms of gauge and measurement and shape, no doubt...

[knittnmom]

I get Creative Knitting from House of White Birches. It comes out every other month, and I always find at least one pattern I want to try. (My "archive" for when I retire is getting HUGE!)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Stitchings of mine that are pining away to be framed: