Patterns, projects and techniques
Don’t forget to get in on our latest giveaway. Knit To Be Square, book by Vivian Hoxbro, at the end of next week, I’ll send emails from all of my comments and the first to respond with their address gets the book!
In your comment, tell me about your lace knitting!
Jamie Lomax of Pacific Knit Co is well known for her doodle patterns, small themed colorwork knitting motifs that can be combined at will to knit fun, colorful and stash busting accessories. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before she wrote a book on the subject, and that time is here.
The Doodle Knit Directory includes 200 mix and match designs that you can add to any knitting project or you can plug them into the pattern recipes in the book to make the projects your own.
The book opens with a brief explanation of how to use the motifs by picking a base project, the motifs you want to work and the colors of yarn you want to use. There’s an overview of choosing colors, working from charts and information on altering the charts to fit on different projects or with different gauges of yarn. You’ll also find a blank chart so you can draw your collection of charts all in one place if you want.
There are also tips for modifying the base patterns, changing weight and tips for colorwork, since that’s what these projects are.
After that you’ll find the doodle directory, which shows charts and knitted designs to give you an idea of what they might look like in your project. It starts with little border and spacing motifs, then goes into seasonal designs of different sizes. Spring is heavy on florals, for example, while summer has ocean animals, beach and mountain motifs. Fall is full of leaves and pumpkins, while winter has snowflakes and animals that live in the snow.
Then the book includes several basic designs for knit accessories that make it easy to add in the designs you want. There’s a simple cowl with no shaping and five different neck circumferences to make for kids, teens and adults; a looped infinity cowl (also with five sizes, but you can make it as long as you want); as well as a doodle scarf, hat, headband, mittens and fingerless mitts, and socks worked in two different yarn weights (sock and DK). Charts are given in the pattern for the motifs shown in the sample projects, and other ideas are shown, though of course you can go your own way with picking motifs and sizing your projects.
The book is a lot of fun to look through and is a great entry point to knitting design for people who might not be confident enough to start with a totally blank slate. Here you can pick your yarn weight, colors and motifs and use her simple patterns to make projects, or further modify those designs to make something all your own. The idea is to give knitters of any skill level confidence to try mixing up their projects and going their own way, whether that means changing a color on a chart or developing a design completely on their own.
About the book: 142 pages, paperback, 200 doodle designs and nine patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles, suggested retail price $24.99.
Try Some Fun Colorwork with the Sonesta Sweater
Stitch a Cardigan with Mini Colorwork
I love to knit lace, especially on socks. The interplay between increases and decreases, color and light, always make me marvel that I actually created the intricate (or simple) patterns which stretch around my foot.
I love to knit fun original characters and novelty items, but have yet to venture into lace.
sounds like a good book
I love lace knitting. I have made several scarfs. I would love to tackle a shawl some day.
My next lace project will be lacy socks.
Sheryl
I’m a new knitter and love lace projects. I’ve started a lace baby blanket, so pretty!
Looks like a fun book!
I THINK EVEN I CAN KNIT A SQUARE
I’m currently knitting a lace shawl – the stormwater shawl to be precise. I’m making it in a fingering weight yarn, but its still lace.
I have just started a shawl after doing a lace scarf. It is a bit scary but very enjoyable.
I’ve only made a couple of lace items, one was a small scarf that could have been a shawl. Just don’t have the patience for it!
You know, I’ve never tried lace knitting. I want to, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. That may have to be my next project.
I’m a new knitter and would love to know more about it 🙂
I recently took a lace knitting class, the very last class at The Point NYC before the store swiftly, sadly closed. The class improved my technique and helped me manage my yarn overs. Now I’m hungry for patterns to keep me going.
I love knitting lace – my first real project was a beaded lace shawl… came out lovely, got a blue ribbon at the county fair! I continue to like to make lace shawls with beads and am winding yarn this week!
I’m on my first lace knitting project. It is a scarf in the Feather and Fan pattern using Dream in Color Smooshy Sock yarn. It’s been really fun and the pattern really only has one line to memorize – the other 3 lines of the pattern are either a knit or purl row. Not hard at all to do and it’s coming out SO cute!
Thanks for the opportunity to participate in the giveaway!
Betsy
I LOVE Vivian Hoxbro’s patterns and her latest book sounds wonderful. I would love to see what she is up to now.
I’d actually love to win this for a friend of mine who love to knit!