No-Bull Book Review: Haiku Knits, by Tanya Alpert

Pretty book inspired
By Japanese design
Untraditional

When presented with a review copy of a book called Haiku Knits (Watson-Guptill 2009; MSRP $29.99, available for pre-order at $19.79 via the link), I could not stop myself from breaking into the ancient Japanese form of verse. So, you ask, what does Japanese poetry have to do with knitting? Well, inspiration is where you find it, and author Tanya Alpert has found inspiration in combining Japanese yarns with elements of Japanese aesthetics:

Two of the main tenets of Japanese aesthetics are economy in the use of space and materials, and asymmetry. As in a haiku, in the expression of emotion and thought, an economical use of space and time seems especially appropriate today. As for asymmetry, it suggests fluidity and motion. Bridging elements of Japanese aesthetics with our Western fashion was very exciting to me and became the genesis for Haiku Knits.

Alpert points to a few specific characteristics of her vision: combining different textures, using twisted cables, asymmetric shapes, and using decorative seams. She describes her style as "feminine without being frilly and minimalist without being severe." So bearing Alpert's vision in mind, let's take a look at the patterns.

Snowflake

Alpert presents 25 patterns in Haiku Knits, organized into five chapters. Each chapter is named after a haiku that appears on the first page, which acts as an organizing theme. For example, the first section is titled "Lingering Snow," and features the following verse:

Soft winter wrap
Yochino cherry petals
Caress the waiting earth

The patterns in that section are "Snowflake," a rectangular wrap with sleeves kit in an openwork stitch; a 3/4 sleeve cabled pullover called "Cocoon"; "Pagoda," a looped hat and scarf combo; and "Fallen Leaves," a cabled short vest/wrap.

Fallen Leaves

The second section, titled "Wind and Stream," contains an interesting kimono-style cardigan knit with a cashmerino aran yarn and a laceweight linen-mohair blend (the cover sweater); a pretty lace scarf with diagonal edges; a simple sweater with asymmetrical lapel; a vest or shell made with both Noro Kochoran and a bulky-weight Rowan Cocoon (which, by the way, is a gorgeous, gorgeous yarn);

Half-Moon Rising

and a pullover knit with Rowan KidSilk Haze and a Habu silk yarn for the large shawl collar and ruffly bottom edge.

Next you'll find "Ocean Breeze," which features a tank-sleeved tunic with an asymmetric edging and a tie;a cap-sleeve pullover knit in a very lacy stitch with a textured Habu yarn; a fringed wrap knit with 3 different Habu yarns to create a kind of scribble lace-ish effect;

Fisherman's Net

a simple summer tank top with side button closure and a decorative back seam.

Seaweed

"Fading Light" contains an eclectic assortment, beginning with a filmy scarf with a ribbon edging to mimic petals; a top described as a "shift," knit in a very fine mesh created with wool/stainless steel yarn; a felted top and skirt combo, using a merino wool in fingering weight, plus a silk/stainless steel blend for trim;

Lantern Floating

and an unusually-constructed capelet, which gets its style and shape from strategic increases and decreases.

Long Night

Last, "Beauty in Motion" contains a cropped jumper ("jumper" in the American sense of a scoop-neck, tank-sleeved tunic layered over an undershirt), a second tunic but longer and flared at the hem, with a racerback;

Running Brook

a drapey cardigan with raglan lines and a large tab closure; a long-sleeved pullover with a wide v-neck (the model wears it over one shoulder, a la Flashdance); and a mohair cardigan with a ruffled ascot (shown below).

I know that you, my clever readers, have already figured out that the book contains all patterns for adult women -- nothing for the menfolk or kids or even home here. By type of garment, you'll find:

• 5 cardigans/jackets;
• 4 long-sleeved or in one case 3/4-length sleeved pullovers;
• one wrap;
• one hat;
• three scarves;
• 2 vest or wrap layering pieces;
• 6 tank or sleeveless tops, some of which also might fit into the vest/wrap category depending on how you wear them.

As you can see, these pieces have their own sensibility: many of them have untraditional shapes or are made to allow the fabric's drape to be a prominent part of the design, and many of them are designed to be worn as layering pieces. This makes it hard to assign them to a specific "category" such as "cardigan" or "vest."

Flickering Flame

When it comes to sizing, you'll find that the untraditional construction and shaping of these garments makes sizing difficult. Leaving aside hat, scarves and wrap, which are one-size-fits-all, the sweaters are a mixed bag. Finished measurements start at around 34 inches as a size Small for most of them, running up to 38, 40 or occasionally 42 inches (finished measurement) for a size Large. Even taking into account the flexibility due to their less fitted construction, the very petite and the very large-bosomed may find themselves out of luck unless they are adventurous enough to experiment with altering size and fit. In the same vein, you would do well to take a closer look at the patterns, including the schematics and instructions, if you prefer to wear close-fitting garments. Most of these garments are not body-hugging and most do not feature set-in sleeves, or even traditional sleeves at all in some cases. That means that some people will love them and others will not feel comfortable wearing them.

Bird of Passage

Alpert has selected lovely yarns, predominantly Rowan/RYC and Habu Textiles (with an occasional Louet, Sublime or Berroco thrown in for good measure). While it may not be particularly hard to substitute for a yarn like Berroco's Pure Merino, a heavy worsted -- although it's such a nice yarn I don't know why you'd want to -- it will prove difficult, even impossible, to substitute for many of the less mainstream choices. For example, the Hazy Moon scarf uses a Habu yarn described as "paper moire," consisting of 50% linen/50% nylon, at a lightweight gauge, combined with another Habu yarn described as "fringe tape," an acetate novelty yarn.

Hazy Moon

Together, they are striking and create a lovely ethereal effect in the scarf, but if you aren't inclined to order the exact yarns from Habu, you may find substituting for these yarns to be a bit challenging, at least if you want to achieve the same kind of ethereal effect. The same goes for the stainless steel blends, for example. You may even find that substituting for a widely available yarn like Louet Euroflax has a more significant effect than usual on your finished garment, since texture is such an integral part of many of the designs. Please note, however, that people have vastly different attitudes toward yarn substitution, and by observing that it may be hard to substitute yarns, I'm only making an observation, not a value judgment. Alpert obviously selected the yarns that she did for aesthetic reasons: texture, feel, the play of light, contrast. Let's not hold her artistic adventure against her simply because it makes the yarns harder to swap for.

When it comes to thinness and thickness of the yarns used, Alpert is all over the map. The fine-yarn-lover in me was pleased to see lots of finer yarns, and clever use of the fine yarns to create interesting effects like drape, gauziness and sheer mesh. But there are also garments featuring some thicker yarns, including the luscious Rowan Cocoon.

Last but not least, the technical stuff: Haiku Knits is a hardcover book, about 144 pages, with a clean, almost minimalist (well, for a knitting book!) layout, in keeping with the author's design mission. The lovely color photographs by Michael Turek are also minimalist, featuring models shot against muted, hazy backgrounds. There are close-ups of some of the garment details, and most garments are seen in at least two full-length photographs - both very helpful features. There are large charts and schematics for the non-accessory garments, essential in many cases where the garment is knit in one piece side-to-side or features some other unusual structural element. There are a few pages of specific techniques illustrated in the back, along with some handy conversion charts.

My overall impression? Haiku Knits is a very pretty book with a unique and distinctive style. I really like that Alpert's publisher was willing to take a chance on a book that does some things that are often frowned upon in pattern publishing -- mixing yarns of different weights and textures, for example; using yarns that aren't available at every knitting or craft shop in the world; and playing with unusual structure and design features -- for by and large, Alpert succeeds beautifully. The flip side for the knitter is that you'll want to take a good look at this book before purchasing to make sure that the style and the size range of the garments will suit you. I suspect that some knitters will ooh and aah over every pattern in the book, especially those who like Eileen Fisher, Hanne Falkenberg and Carol Lapin. I suspect that some knitters will find the garments less appealing given their body type or personal style, but I hope that even these knitters will give Haiku Knits its due for creativity, fresh style and adventurous spirit.


Photographs copyright 2009 by Michael Turek

Pumpkins, picking and petting (zoo)

Yesterday was Columbus Day in the U.S. (Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Canadians!) and the kids had no school. The chill in the air made it a perfect day to go to the pumpkin patch.


We started out by picking apples; only Granny Smith were left, but that's okay since they're good cooking apples.


The most popular aspect of the apple-picking was the stick with a claw on the end of it, to get the ones on the highest branches.


Then it was over to Pumpkinland, a massive display of pumpkins and other gourds,



as well as various Halloween decorations ranging from the typical


(there is a comment to be made about my daughter appearing as a witch, but I am not the one to make it) to the terrifying (Dr. Mel, say it isn't you!):



After we picked up some small pumpkins for decorating,



we walked through the petting zoo, and saw sheep



and goaties (obligatory goateh shot for Mindeh)


and - is it an emu? or an ostrich?


We then spent some time on the large playground, and returned home happy.




P.S. Among the decorated pumpkins, we saw this:



Do you think it's an omen?

Happy National Coming Out Day

Imagine living in a world where you ran the risk of getting the crap beaten out of you just for being who you are, or giving your boy- or girlfriend a kiss in public.

Imagine your spouse getting critically injured in a car crash, and when you went to the hospital to sit by your loved one's bedside, and make medical decisions the way you know they'd want them to be made, the hospital wouldn't listen to you and didn't consider you next of kin.

Imagine not being able to marry the person you loved, or adopt a child you loved and could care for.

Imagine enlisting to serve our country in the armed forces, serving honorably and to the best of your ability, and getting kicked out because you refuse to hide who you are.

Imagine being told you were going to hell, were a sinner, were wrong, were evil, simply because of who you fell in love with, or having your loving, committed relationship likened to pedophilia or bestiality.

These are some of the challenges -- just some -- that the LGTB* community faces every day.

I have said before, and I will say again, that I believe that the struggle for equal rights for our LGTB fellow citizens is my generation's civil rights struggle. I stand by that.

I cannot be in Washington, D.C. today to march with you, my LGTB friends. But I want you to know that I love you, I support you, I am committed to your struggle.

You add immeasurably to my life. You make me smile, you make me laugh, you make me think, you make me proud. I honor you for the way that you slog on, day after day, with dignity and humor, in the face of ignorance and bigotry and cruelty and even well-meaning cluelessness.

As our President said last night, "I'm here with a simple message: I'm here with you in that fight."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/10/obama-says-he-will-end-do_n_316524.html

I am proud to stand by you.
I hope to be still standing by you, still proud, when equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, become a reality.



*Is it "LGBT" or "LGTB"?

No-Bull Book Review: 99 Yarns and Counting, by The Green Mountain Spinnery Co-op

I was very pleased to receive a review copy of a new book, 99 Yarns and Counting: More Designs from the Green Mountain Spinnery (The Countryman Press) by the Green Mountain Spinnery Cooperative.



Green Mountain Spinnery, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, was founded in 1981, in Putney, Vermont. Its founders wanted to create a business that, yes, produced beautiful yarn, but did so in a way that was environmentally conscious and supported small-scale wool producers. It's probably safe to say that GMS succeeded beyond its expectations. In its first years, GMS offered only one basic wool yarn in five colors. GMS currently offers 99 different yarns* (hence the book's title), using fibers such as wool, cotton, alpaca and mohair, and including organic lines; they produced a very successful and beautiful book, published in 2003; and more recently, after the majority of the founders reached readiness for retirement, transitioned to become a co-op -- a business enterprise owned and run by its workers.

Retro Ribbed Turtleneck

My experience with GMS yarns has been uniformly positive. I like that they consist of mainly natural fibers -- wool, cotton, kid mohair, alpaca, (I'm not intending to start a debate about whether tencel is considered a "natural" fiber or not; it is derived from wood pulp, but requires extruding; decide for yourself what you want to call it). They have beautiful palettes and their patterns incorporate interesting techniques like stranded knitting and cabling. I like that they strive to have a minimal effect on the environment, and I like that they support small sheep and other fiber producers in the U.S.

Turkish Rose Mittens

So with all that background out of the way, let's take a look at 99 Yarns And Counting to see what's inside.

Meadow Lark Lace Scarf

The basics: the book is paperback, but oversized (a little bit larger than a typical magazine, oriented landscape instead of portrait). It's got lots of color photographs and the page quality is nice. MSRP is $24.95 (purchase it via the link above for $16.37 at the time of this writing). You'll find about 120 pages and a whopping 36 patterns inside.

The book begins with an introduction to Green Mountain Spinnery. With understandable pride, the book describes a bit about the history of GMS, then tells about its transformation to a worker's co-operative. Next, the reader is taken on a "tour" of the shop and mill, going through the processes of scouring fleece, spinning it, skeining and dyeing and plying it. The introduction section finishes with a two-page description of GMS patterns, then two more pages listing some definitions and techniques used in them. There are lots of sheep and wool photos, as well as more casual photos of the garments (and I do like the fact that the models are real people, with real bodies rather than model ones -- and I also like the way that doggies were included in some of the shots).

East Putney Aran

The patterns are written by Maureen Clark, Eric Robinson and Margaret Atkinson, who are all members of the GMS co-op, as well as Melissa Johnson and Cap Sease, who are staff members. If you are a GMS aficionado, the book notes that some of the patterns have been published previously in individual form (though if you're a GMS fan, that might not bother you, since this is such a pretty book).

Melissa's Hat

For those of you keeping track, rough tallies are here (note that some of the patterns are flexible in size or are designed so that a size small will fit a child while a large will fit an adult; the overlap means that the tallies will add up to more than the 36 patterns advertised on the cover):

• Patterns designed for kids: 15
• Patterns designed for adults: 26
• Home: 1

Juliet Shell

Breaking it down by type of item:

• Sweaters for babies & kids = 8
• Hats for babies & kids = 7 (but some adult hats may fit bigger kids, too)
• Sweaters for adults = 9 (includes cardigans and pullovers)
• Hats for adults = 8, plus the bag can also be worn as a hat
• Vests/shells = 3
• Socks = 2
• One each of shawl, scarf, afghan and bag
• Mittens = 2

Leafy Lace Shawl

If you are interested in the guy vs. gal vs. unisex ratio, I would say about 10 of the patterns, mainly sweaters, are pretty clearly women's garments, while about 16 or so could be considered unisex. (Again, it's hard to quantify these because to some extent, it depends on your taste and color choices; also, a pickier guy might want some simple modifications, like making the neckline higher on the potentially-unisex Istanbul Aran.)

Istanbul Aran

While there are some simpler, mainly-stockinette patterns included (like a basic pullover sweater, sized from child through adult), many of the patterns feature stranded colorwork or cabling. None of them appear incredibly difficult, but inexperienced knitters or those who want simpler, plainer patterns should take note. You'll find a mix of drop shoulder, raglan and set-in sleeves, even a yoke or two.

Size ranges are generous. Sweater patterns start at around 34 to 38 inches finished chest measurement (sorry, uber-petite ones, although at least one sweater has a 30-inch finished chest) and extend to 44, 48, sometimes even 52 inches finished chest measurement. Children's sweaters include some smaller sizes (for the 6- to 12-month age range) and in several cases, go right up to size 10 or 12. Some items, like hats, include a small/medium/large that should accomodate larger kids as well as adults.

Evening Shadows Afghan

Yarn weight tends to hover around the DK to worsted weight range, since the majority of GMS yarns knit in this range. The sock yarn is a regular sock (fingering) weight, but only the scarf (which can be expanded to shawl size) and the two sock patterns use the GMS sock yarn. Given that most of the items are knit in very commonly-found gauges (e.g. 4.5 sts to the inch, or 5.5 sts to the inch), it would be very easy to subtitute yarns from your stash for the vast majority of these projects -- although GMS yarns are very lovely.

Great Meadows Hat

To sum up, then, I give 99 Yarns and Counting two thumbs up for a collection of classically-styled patterns, using pretty, natural yarns in interesting ways, with a generous number of patterns, and options for just about everyone in the family. GMS is scheduled to have a booth at Rhinebeck next week, and also has on-line shopping at its website here.



* In reaching the 99 tally, GMS counts each color of each yarn base as one individual yarn, i.e., there are not 99 different yarn bases.


Photos by Marti Stone, reprinted courtesy of the Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Co.

No-Bull Book Review: One More Skein, by Leigh Radford

I am horrendously overdue on book reviews, and now that the fall season is really underway, new books are being released at a furious pace. I'm going to try to catch up a bit, so let's get started with one of the new releases from Stewart Tabori & Chang: One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit by Leigh Radford (MSRP $19.95; available for $13.57 by clicking on the link).


Leigh Radford has already written some must-have books for knitters. I really enjoyed Alterknits (STC 2005) and the sequel, AlterKnits Felt (STC 2008); both were stylish, creative and beautifully presented. Radford's previous small-project book, One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit or Crochet (STC 2006) was extremely popular for its quick-knitting yet fashionable projects that, as the title suggests, only require a single skein of yarn to complete. So it's not a big surprise that Radford chose to write a sequel.

Nash's Garter-Stitch Baby Sweater

One More Skein has a lot in common with its predecessor: thirty projects, all knitting, nearly all for small (meaning no adult sweaters) projects.* But Radford discusses in the introduction how enrollment at art school has changed her design sensibility somewhat:

Early on in my classes I began exploring how I might incorporate knitting into my paintings, for example, by knitting my own canvas out of laceweight linen. And now when I review the collection of projects that I've put together for this book, I clearly see that what I am learning in art class is seeping into and re-energizing my knitting.

Radford notes that while her first book included only projects that could be completed with one skein of yarn, One More Skein takes a less restrictive approach, allowing projects knit with one or two skeins of yarn (again, the single exception is the afghan, which is made from multiple leftover balls of yarn in many colors).

Radford divides the projects into four chapters; let's take a closer look at them.

"Put It On," as the name implies, contains an assortment of adult wearables: the ubiquitous fingerless gloves, an earflap cap, a lightweight linen cap with ribbon embellishment, a felted wool/alpaca cuff or bracelet, a bulky cowl, a smart-looking men's scarf knit in other-way-around rib;

Horizontal Rib Scarf

two versions of a striking "circle and stripe" scarf (a regular scarf and a shorter "cravat" version), and a jewelry set of necklace, braclet and earrings.

"Dress Up Baby" contains six quick-knitting items for babies: knit pants (thank you from the bottom of my heart for not calling them "soakers"; nothing puts me off my breakfast like the image of urine-soaked wool), a charming garter-stitch baby sweater with a tab closure, a cute (if impractical) "capelet", which is a kind of wrap designed to slip over baby's head, without sleeves or other closures,

Sadie's Capelet

another pair of baby pants, a mohair baby kimono, and a pair of "baby legwarmers."

"Take It With You" contains patterns for simple bags: drawstring gift bags, a sling tote or purse,

Summer Satchel

a small accessory bag with a zipper and lining, a felted bag/purse, a silk ribbon clutch, and a felted handbag (my favorite in this chapter).

Connected Squares Felted Handbag

The last chapter, "Make Your House A Home," contains home dec items: a cute nubby felted cat toy (gorgeous cat in the photo, by the way), a hot water bottle cover, a button-cover pillow designed for filling with dried lavender and rice (Radford microwaves hers for an alternative to a heating pad), a patchwork blanket made from leftover balls and odds and ends of worsted weight yarn, pillow covers, a pleated "vase sleeve" (Radford instructs you to slip it over a plain vase for a new look),

Pleated Vase Sleeve

small felted bowls, linen placemats, and a linen serving tray (fabric stiffener is used to make the tray sturdy enough to hold items).

Basic Pillows

As usual, all the technical aspects of the book are top-notch, including lots of lovely yarnie photos by photographer John Mulligan. The book just teems with color and beautiful images of yarn; even the inside covers include full-color yarn pr0n shots. Most projects are shown in more than one photo, and some are shown in different colors and variations (e.g. long and short versions of the fingerless gloves), which isn't always feasible when a book contains highly complex or labor-intensive projects, but is a terrific bonus when the book contains smaller projects. The layout (by Anna Christian) is elegant and coordinates beautifully with the projects. There are a few schematics and charts where appropriate, but most of the projects are small and simple enough not to need them. The back of the book contains a few special techniques, like how to knit I-cord, and instructions for felting.

Circle & Stripe Scarf

Looking at the tallies, you'll find 30 projects, broken down into 6 baby items; 14 items for adults (mostly women); and 10 home dec items. Baby items are mainly sized for tots one year and under. The adult items (no, not THOSE kind of adult items, you perves) vary; the earflap hat is thoughtfully written in a wide range of sizes from XXX-Small to Large (a size for everyone in the family!), the fingerless gloves come in S/M/L, and so on, with many, like scarves, not requiring sizing. The yarns used in the book tend to worsted weight and thicker, and range from workhorse wools like Cascade 220 to luxury ones like Alchemy Bamboo.

So should you buy this book? If your book budget is limited, I'd suggest considering two things. First is the simple question of whether the patterns, lovely as they are, are to your taste. Second, think about the kind of knitter you are. If you want sweater patterns, well, there aren't any in here. If your stash consists of lots of skinny yarns, these patterns won't work unless you alter size or knit your stash double-, even triple-, stranded. If you like really complex or technically challenging knitting, again, that's not what these projects are designed to provide. On the other hand, if you are looking for some simple but elegant ways to knit up your stash, want some inspiration for holiday gift-knitting, and/or like easy and quick-knitting projects, you'll probably be very pleased with One More Skein.


*There is one large project, an afghan designed to use up leftover balls of worsted-weight yarn.