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Giveaway: Easy Fair Isle Knitting

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Easy Fair Isle Knitting book review

Congratulations to Lee!

A couple weeks ago I told you about Martin Storey’s book Easy Fair Isle Knitting. It has some really cute stuff in it, and while the how-to instructions are a bit lacking, it’s not hard to find good tutorials on how to do it.

So this week I’m giving this book away.

If you’d like a chance to win, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, January 29. Can you believe January is almost over already? I’d love to know how you’re doing with your resolutions so far.

The big one I’ve been working on is cleaning up my office, and I think I’ll be done by the end of the month, which was my goal. Next will be finishing knitting projects!

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  1. I love knitting fair isle. It would be wonderful to win a copy of this book. Thank you for creating this giveaway!

  5. Just finished a Christmas hat (required much tweaking back – again and again). So excited to try something new now! This looks quite compelling.

  6. I do not really do resolutions. I just try to be a better version of myself each day–sometimes it works and sometimes not so much.

  8. No alcohol and returned to knitting her and scare sets for friends birthdays…march and may so surelu will have them completed!!!!

  9. About my resolutions… I am crochetting a pirate hat for my toddler, so she can dress up in Carnival (next February). It seems I am being able to get a few minutes free for crochet every day! So I’m doing my resolutions.

  10. Concentrating on WIPS. I also have a couple large projects to start, and Ive started my spinning classes.
    Cleaning our basement is next.. Goals are one track.

  11. Love your blog, reading has helped in all my crafts. Would love this book as my attempts at fair Isle have not worked out.

  12. As usual, I resolved to lose weight and, as usual, I haven’t been able to stick to my weight-loss diet.

  13. Hello! I don’t know if this giveaway is international or not (I’m in France) Im trying, just in case it is, because this book looks really nice! In any case, Good Luck to everyone! 🙂

  14. My resolution is to make it through January with lots of UFOs finished…I’m still working on it! This book looks most inviting. Crossing my fingers and toes…….

    from winter-white VT,
    the Vermonster

  15. I would love to win this book. The patterns look beautiful! Thanks for offering this giveaway.

  17. I have been wanting to try Fair Isle but haven’t yet so this book would be awesome! I am not doing so good on my resolutions to exercise as of yet. Hopefully I get myself motivated soon!

  21. My resolution was to lose 10 pounds and then keep it off by changing my eating habits. I’m doing great… down 6 pounds so far.

  23. I would love to work on some of these patterns, nice way to pass the time. Resolution….stashdown on yarn, so more knitting!

  24. I don’t make resolutions, but I do have goals for this year. One of them was to get my cataracts fixed and I just did. It feels good to get things accomplished.

  25. I’m doing pretty good so far on trying to become more organized and to work on using up some of my stash. I would love to do some fair isle knitting again. I did a lot of it in the past and it is so fun to watch it grow.

  26. I would love this book ! My knitting group is learning how to knit Fair Isle by all of us working on a cowl together. It is a Debbie Bliss pattern but each person has chosen different colors so they are all going to look different. This year I am mapping out my goals for knitting, sewing, reading, inside house projects and outside house projects. I keep a list in my calendar. This is helping me to stay focused and on task and so far (January) has really worked out. Otherwise, I just go “Hey – what a great project” and drop what I am doing to start something new.

  27. I am in Tasmania but I love this giveaway as I am always on the hunt for good knitting tutorials. I didn’t make any resolutions this year but I am trying each day to be a better version of myself than I was the day before ( maybe it will stick better).

  28. working with more than one color has always seemed too complicated to me–I would love to learn how some day.

  30. What a lovely giveaway. I have been working on WIP both knitting and sewing and have done pretty good for Jan! I am motivated to keep it up!

  31. Mine was generally to get out of my comfort zone but more specifically after a few years, I’ve stopped challenging myself with my knitting. So far I’ve finally conquered trepidation about short rows.

  32. I don’t make resolutions, though I do try each year to finish off some of the projects that I’ve started before casting on even more! The book looks great.

  33. Always loved Fair Isle, been doing it for 35 years, and use two hands. Lately I’m into a knitting belt and steeks. Love all the patterns. I search out patterns, like Martin Storey so am excited to see what he has in Faire Isle.

  34. My only resolution is to stay out of the hospital and have no more surgeries. Made it 24 days so far. Love faire Isle and I would love to look at the book.

  35. I can’t believe January is almost over! I didn’t make any resolutions this year, so I guess I’m doing pretty good with them! 🙂

  37. Simply adore Fair Isle and this book is on my wish list.

    No resolutions, more a goal to not go along to get along. To be kinder, more understanding, and less negative.

  40. My resolution was to keep off the 20 pounds I finally lost last year. So far, so good. Keeping my fingers crossed:) Thanks for another great giveaway!

  41. No resolutions this year – the Local Knitting store may offer beginner fair isle in February — maybe I will dip a toe in / maybe not!! so far, I have not tried.

Have you read?

Book Review: Everyday Knitting

If you want a brief introduction to most of the things you might want to learn about when learning to knit, Everyday Knitting by Megan Goodacre has you covered.

It talks about everything from yarn weights and needle types to casting on, knitting, purling and binding off. You’ll find tutorials for basic increases and decreases, colorwork, cables and lace, tips for reading patterns and charts and plenty of patterns to practice your new skills.

The biggest part of the book is these tutorials, with a couple of beginner practice patterns (a garter stitch washcloth and a knit and purl chevron coaster) found toward the beginning of the book, another chapter with four more patterns is in the middle, and the rest of the patterns are at the back of the book.

Skill ratings are on a scale of one to five, which don’t correspond to the standard skill levels (which is a scale of four). For example, a pair of Fair Isle style fingerless mitts worked in the round is a skill level five on her scale, but would probably be a two on a standard project level chart. Three of the patterns (aside from the ones scattered through the book) don’t have skill ratings listed.

Of those that do, two are rated one, three each are levels two, three and four, and two are level five. The other five rating goes to a woman’s sized raglan sweater with a textured panel on the front but that’s mostly stockinette stitch. I think the three patterns that aren’t rated would be level two, but I can’t understand the thinking that went into the rating system.

In addition to the patterns there’s a gallery of knitting stitches you can add to your projects.

Lots of photos illustrate the tutorials, but there are only one or two pictures each of the finished projects in the pattern section.

There are definitely things about this book that annoyed me (not teaching about holding the yarn in your left hand until 37 pages after holding yarn in the right hand is introduced, saying seed stitch and moss stitch are the same thing, etc.) but for basic, general information on how to knit all in one place, it’s a pretty good guide.

About the book: 272 pages, paperback, 22 patterns. Published 2024 by DK Publishing. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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