New Directions in Knitting

by House of White Birches

Book Overview

Get ready for some fun! Try these unusual knitting techniques for stitching sweaters. Start at one cuff and knit to the other cuff. Or start at the shoulders and knit down to the waist. Or knit... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1882138961
• ISBN13: 9781882138968
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: House of White Birches
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.2" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Plenty of ideas

Surprisingly good book. Many different ways to construct a sweater -- from the top, bottom, cuff-to-cuff, with & without seams, etc. Just don't be put off by the older style photos and color combinations. I'll be keeping this book.

An Ingenious Collection of Ideas

This is a refreshing collection of ideas for knitting in many "directions". It is perfect for the intermediate knitter looking for a new challenge with directions that are invitingly clear. To be sure, my next project will come from this book.

great new directions, lousy art direction photography

There are some really interesting techniques, and some interesting sweater construction in this book. If you are interested in expanding your horizons in sweater construction this is a good book. If you need to be inspired by great looking models standing in beautiful landscapes (such as the Rowan books and magazines) this is not the book for you. If you can look beyond the terrible color combinations the seventies style backgrounds and makeup on the models to learn some new techniques then this is the book for you.

Great variety of patterns--unconventional contruction!

This book does live up to the editor's description & title: none of the sweaters are knit in the conventional waist to shoulders direction. There are 36 patterns by 15 designers, many of whom are familiar from their designs in Vogue Knitting, Knitters, and other knitting publications. The patterns are mostly for women but there are a few designs for children and men as well.The variety of knit directions include: side-to-side, top-down, patch-work/strip knitting, knitting center panels with stitches picked up on the side to complete, knitting from the bottom up and continuing over the shoulders to the back (with no shoulder seam), knitting a separate side-to-side yoke and completing with the body knit downwards.All of the sweaters are knitted in Plymouth yarns, since this publication is a collaboration of House of White Birches and Plymouth Yarn Company. However, they generously provide all yarn specifics (weight, fiber content, yardage) so that you may easily substitue your own yarn choice. Most of the sweaters are knitted in either worsted or DK with a couple of chunky designs included. Out of the 36 patterns, I counted 14 (not including a couple of really cute little kids' patterns) that I personally would try myself which is pretty good considering that this is a book aiming to appeal to a general audience as opposed to a specialized one by gender, age, style, type of knitting. And even if I hadn't cared for any of the patterns, this book is worth it just for giving alternate ideas on contructing sweaters.All in all, this book has a permanent position in my knitting library!