Knit Kimono Too
Mar. 23rd, 2012 04:39 pmOne of the ways that I know my love loves me is that he brings me knitting books from the library… even though I work at another library and can check out my own knitting books. This was one of those.
Knit Kimono Too by Vicki Square. This is the second book of knit kimonos from designer Vicki Square. I haven’t read the first one, though I did listen to a lovely interview with her on the Knit Picks podcast. In this second volume, Square says that she is focusing on color – not necessarily on colorwork, though there is some, but in traditional Japanese palettes. She’s certainly done her research, with an introduction featuring lots of watercolor sketches of traditional kimono and explanations of what colors were used in what seasons by what rank and how they were combined (often in multiple layers, with the underneath layers intended to show.) Her kimono designs are lovely and quite resistant to changes in the wider fashion world, though I would be unlikely to knit them both because I prefer more fitted garments and because the looser designs mean more knitting and I just don’t have that much time. However, this book includes a number of short-sleeved and sleeveless fitted tops meant to layer under the kimono, but which I think would be perfect for me to wear to work in the summer. (It doesn’t hurt that many of the garments are shown in purple.) I would be happy to knit and wear just about any of them, in fact. This is a whole book of nothing but knit items to put on the top half of women, but if you’re in the market for such garments, this is quite fine knitting and eye candy.
Cross-posted to http://library-mama.dreamwidth.org and http://sapphireone.livejournal.com .

Cross-posted to http://library-mama.dreamwidth.org and http://sapphireone.livejournal.com .