A Stitch in Time: Heirloom Knitting Skills

Knitting expert Rita Taylor gives you clear, easy-to-follow instructions for making 150 easy-to-follow heirloom stitch patterns that today's dedicated knitters are rediscovering and including in their repertories. Many of these classic stitches date back more than a century, but because of their beauty and usefulness, they remain favorites among knitting enthusiasts.

This book presents an extended gallery of heirloom patterns, showing swatches in color illustrations accompanied by directions for knitting them. You'll find textured stitch patterns, twist stitch patterns, raised stitch patterns, cable stitch patterns, lace stitch patterns, and colorwork patterns. Within each heirloom stitch pattern category, Rita Taylor gives you complete directions for completing several rewarding projects. Among them are:

A basket-weave blanket

A lace-ladder-and-twist scarf

Herringbone socks

A cozy cable sweater

Norwegian-style mittens . . . and many more

Heirloom Knitting Skills:A Stitch in Time takes many of the best and most popular traditional knitting projects and gives them a distinctly modern touch. The text is enhanced with more than 350 brilliant color photos, illustrations, and diagrams in color and black and white.

With a history that can be traced back to medieval Europe, knitting was once the preserve of wealthy patrons who commissioned exquisite garments made from the finest silk. Over time, the craft was taken up on a more domestic scale--either out of necessity or for pleasure. The various traditions that developed have since passed lovingly from one generation to the next, while trade, tourism, and migration have aided the dissemination of the craft across the globe.

In Heirloom Knitting Skills: A Stitch in Time, knitwear designer Rita Taylor explores the most lasting of these knitting traditions. Heavily textured fishermen's sweaters, super-fine lace shawls, geometric color-stranding, and all manner of bobbles, twists, and cables can be found here. Rita Taylor discusses the origins and application of six main stitch types, offers 12 projects that feature her favorites, and presents a library of over 150 stitch patterns, from which you can seek inspiration for designs of your own.