This is not your grandmother’s knitting book…unless Grandma happens to be a cool, creative textile artist. What it does have is detailed information on a spectacular range of contemporary designs—both wearable items, such as a breathtaking star-shaped neckpiece strung with glass beads, as well as exhibition pieces like the author’s Spirit Dresses, knitted from insulated bell wire. Other materials used include paper yarn, plastics, rope, elastics—and even regular knitting yarn! Ruth Lee, whose work has been shown in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, offers a wealth of background on techniques from big knitting and knitting in rounds, to wrapping, coiling, and twining. Plus: dozens of color photographs provide powerful inspiration for adventurous knitters.
For those yearning to break out of the straightforward designs dictated by many knitting books, British artist Lee focuses on the forms this traditional fabric can take, whether coiled-wire or paper-based shoe styles. The two initial chapters cover tools and techniques but with a unique perspective: unusual materials, like basketry cane and different equipment (old-fashioned spool frames, for instance) comprise just a few of her recommendations. Techniques, too, stray from the conventional; for instance, her term “big knitting” refers to the ridges, furrows, and other textures possible in purl and knit stitches. Add to that repertoire the making of cones and cylinders, 3-D forms on a pentagonal base, decorative surface treatments such as needle felting and big buttonholes, among a host of other ideas. Intimidating? Just remember Lee’s advice: “Practice knitting as if you were sketching on paper.” --Barbara Jacobs