Chicks with Sticks
Feb. 18th, 2005 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
library_mamaThis, ladies and gentleman, is the last book I read on leave, plus one I just finished. And knitting! Well, I’ve had at least one handwork project going for as long as I can remember. The most recent new craft was inkle and tablet weaving – hard to find yarn for, and not as portable as knitting. After resisting for several years, I’ve re-embraced knitting. Such fun! Though it may be pure torture to look at books of knitting patterns: when it’s taking me four months to knit a pair of tiny baby mittens, the trendy clothes in these books would probably be passé before I could finish knitting them.
Stitch ‘n Bitch: A Knitter’s Handbook by Debbie Stoller This was the first book to come out – just a year or two ago now. Knitting was already coming back when it was published, but at least for, these books have crystallized the movement. This book starts with an introduction explaining how, as a feminist (Stoller is editor of BUST magazine) the author could enjoy something so un-liberated and grannyish as knitting. How sexist is it to reject all traditional feminine activities just for that reason? Then, a clear, yet funny, explanation of the basics of knitting, complete with a hand model with chipped black nail polish and smiling cartoon knit stitches. The guide even includes a section on fixing mistakes large and small. Next, a guide to finding or starting your own Stitch ‘n Bitch group, where you can meet with other knitters. And finally, a selection of not-to-hard and very cool looking patterns. These include the popular devil and kitty hats sized for adults, the now-famous skully sweater with skulls on both sleeves, and lots more patterns that I’m just itching to try out. Each pattern includes not only a list of materials needed, but a list of skills needed, referenced to the page where it’s taught. I really think I need to look for a copy of this for my very own, as I read the library’s copy.
Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller Just out in 2004, the Stitch ‘n Bitch movement goes on, better than before. So, assuming you started with the first book (which I in fact didn’t), you might now be ready to tackle some more advanced knitting projects. This book starts out with a very nifty section on how to alter a pattern – make it bigger or smaller or tighter or looser or even just use a different yarn, tackled with the same sense of humor as the first book. It has even more really cool patterns, contributed (as before) by Stitch ‘n Bitchers around the country, who share the genesis of the pattern. And scattered throughout are profiles of SnB groups across the country. This one I bought with a lovely birthday gift card and have been enjoying looking at the yummy patterns ever since, even though I have yet to finish the aforementioned baby mittens. It’s good stuff, folks.
Stitch ‘n Bitch: A Knitter’s Handbook by Debbie Stoller This was the first book to come out – just a year or two ago now. Knitting was already coming back when it was published, but at least for, these books have crystallized the movement. This book starts with an introduction explaining how, as a feminist (Stoller is editor of BUST magazine) the author could enjoy something so un-liberated and grannyish as knitting. How sexist is it to reject all traditional feminine activities just for that reason? Then, a clear, yet funny, explanation of the basics of knitting, complete with a hand model with chipped black nail polish and smiling cartoon knit stitches. The guide even includes a section on fixing mistakes large and small. Next, a guide to finding or starting your own Stitch ‘n Bitch group, where you can meet with other knitters. And finally, a selection of not-to-hard and very cool looking patterns. These include the popular devil and kitty hats sized for adults, the now-famous skully sweater with skulls on both sleeves, and lots more patterns that I’m just itching to try out. Each pattern includes not only a list of materials needed, but a list of skills needed, referenced to the page where it’s taught. I really think I need to look for a copy of this for my very own, as I read the library’s copy.
Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller Just out in 2004, the Stitch ‘n Bitch movement goes on, better than before. So, assuming you started with the first book (which I in fact didn’t), you might now be ready to tackle some more advanced knitting projects. This book starts out with a very nifty section on how to alter a pattern – make it bigger or smaller or tighter or looser or even just use a different yarn, tackled with the same sense of humor as the first book. It has even more really cool patterns, contributed (as before) by Stitch ‘n Bitchers around the country, who share the genesis of the pattern. And scattered throughout are profiles of SnB groups across the country. This one I bought with a lovely birthday gift card and have been enjoying looking at the yummy patterns ever since, even though I have yet to finish the aforementioned baby mittens. It’s good stuff, folks.
