Book Review
I received a copy of Barbara Albright’s “The Natural Knitter” for my birthday. It was an impulse gift. According to my daughter, my husband flipped through it, found a really complicated looking chart, and declared that it was the right one for me.
Don’t let that put you off, though, there’s a lot more to the book than patterns which challenge.
What I Love About It
The book is really meant for people who are interested in natural fiber of all sorts. My favorite thing about the book is the brief bit of background, history, and discussion of a wide range of fibers, animal and plant derived, as well as naturally sourced dyes.
The book also has a nice discussion of organic fibers, including all the different terms and how each differs from the other (as ‘organic’ means a whole range of different things when it comes to yarns). The style is fairly informal, but not overly chatty. There are a couple of charts, where they are useful, and lots and lots of sidebars.
The Patterns
Of course, this book is mostly about the patterns. As mentioned above, there are some (like the Qivuit Twinset, charted to the right) which are impressively complex, but others are much easier. I think the “Flirty Ruffle Edged Scarf” would be an excellent project for anyone who has mastered knit and purl, and is ready to venture to the challenge of increases and decreases.
The patterns are by a range of designers, and there is as wide a range of styles as there is of difficulty level. There are patterns for men, women and children, and I even found a few my husband might be willing to wear.
What I Didn’t Love
My only objection to the book was the limited range of sizes for the clothes. Not too much there for the plus sized body (though there is some), and many of the patterns lack options for the extra small body as well. I think I could size up the patterns I’m most interested in, but it’s something to be aware of.
Blog Contests and Giveaways
I didn’t win either of the Phat Fiber giveaways this week, (the Wandering Wool sock yarn or the drop spindle), but there next giveaway is really different, a slot in a spin-along/knit-along (and the material to use for it) (April 2). I also entered a drawing for a skein of Anzula’s Squishy at Windy and Friends (28 March)
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