Even though I’ve written a book about colorwork knitting, I have to admit a lot of the projects I knit are worked with a solid color or a self-striping yarn rather than working in stripes or a colorwork pattern on my own.
Colorwork is a lot of fun, though, and it makes projects look a lot more interesting than if they were worked in a solid color or allover stitch pattern.
Alexis Winslow defines graphic in the title of her book Graphic Knits: 20 Designs in Bold, Beautiful Color
to mean both colorful elements and variations of stitch pattern in an otherwise solid garment.
Her tops, hats, mitts and other accessories look like a lot of fun to knit and something a little beyond the ordinary in terms of construction techniques and the skills involved.
Some of my favorite projects include the Minnow Top, worked with stripes of chevron lace and eyelets; the Rockling Cardigan, which gives the grandpa sweater a colorwork update; Woodstar beret and mitts, lovely pieces worked in three colors with star and diamond motifs; the Tanager Shrug, an origami-like design worked in three colors of stripes broken up by eyelets; the Liwi Top, a simple Stockinette shell with mesh lace at the bodice; the Sweetness Pullover, a top-down, circular yoke sweater with dots of different colors; and the Burren Pullover, which uses short rows to make skewed stripes.
Check out all the designs on Ravelry.
I think this book is a great one for people who might not knit with a lot of color or who tend to stick to Stockinette. It will broaden your horizons and increase your skill levels while providing you with really lovely projects to wear and use.
About the Book: 136 pages, paperback, 20 patterns (no skill levels given). Published October 2014 by Interweave/F+W, retail price $24.99.
