Knitting

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Giveaway: Simple Color Knitting

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simple color knitting

Patrice is the winner!

I’m a big fan of color knitting — I’ve written a book on it! — and I love books that help encourage knitters not the be afraid of using colors in their projects.

Erika Knight’s Simple Color Knitting does just that. It’s a pretty gentle approach to working with color that starts with things like stripes and working with two different colors held together to make an ombre effect.

It also covers stranded knitting, intarsia, slipping stitches and add color with duplicate stitch and embroidery.

In all there are 20 patterns (including one that’s actually a solid color), and these are pretty nice, entry-level, introduction to color knitting technique kind of patterns. It’s maybe not a book for people who are already comfortable with many of these methods for adding color to knitting, but if you want to stitch more colorful projects and don’t know where to start, this book is a good place.

One winner this week will get a copy of this book.

If you’d like it to be you, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, Feb. 28. I’d love to know where you are in terms of color knitting experience. Have you only worked with multicolored or self-striping yarn, or maybe knit stripes or tried some other techniques? Or maybe you’re a pro and want to gift this book to someone else? Either way I’d love to know.

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

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Comments

  2. I tend to knit in solid colors because I love to knit cables and other intricate designs.

  4. I just started knitting last month. I love self striping yarn. I have knitted socks in a solid color and would love to see what this book has to offer. I will have to check it out if I don’t win it, I will buy it!

  5. I am currently working on my first color project. As usually I challenge myself instead of starting out easy. I am knitting a sports team logo on a sweater for my husband and have to figure it out as I go.

  6. I have only knit with solid colors and variegated yarn but I am looking forward to trying to knit with colors.

  7. I’ve only worked with self striping yarn, but would like to learn to add color where I want it instead.

  9. I I bought the book in French… It is gorgeous. I love self striping yarn but would like to do more. If I win the book I will give my French copy to a friend.

  10. I usually stick to solids, but I love the visual effect of stripes and ombres. I’d love to read your beautiful book!

  11. I pretty new to color knitting. I have tried Fair Isle and Mosaic hats before. I’m not very good with stripes and the color changes at the end of a row. I would love to knit with color more, but am timid when it comes to picking out colors to go together.

  12. Erica Knight is one of my favorite designers and I have made several of her sweaters. Now, I am halfway through my first fair isle sweater.

  13. I have mostly worked in solid colours, although I have begun to change colours a little bit recently.

  14. I’ve done a lot of stranded colorwork, but only minimal intarsia and no entrelac. I’d love to master intarsia in particular.

  19. I have always loved colors, which began with a box of 100 crayons. That is why I love yarn and knitting with all the variables of color and texture. I’ve always been attracted to fair isle knitting for the designs. When we traveled the Netherlands, I was so excited to see the wools and creativity.
    Jane spence

Have you read?

Book Review: No Fear Sock Knitting

I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks. 

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks. 

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more. 

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel. 

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options. 

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.