Knitting

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Go Beyond Knit and Purl with this Great Book

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beyond knit and purl

Congratulations to Kathleen.

I took all the knitting books off my shelves last week (eek!) and am getting rid of a lot of stuff, which also means I’ve uncovered some great new (old) stuff for you all.

This week’s giveaway is Beyond Knit & Purl by Kate Atherley, which is such a great book for newer knitters or those who are a little scared to move beyond plain old knitting and purling to shaping, lace, colorwork and cables.

The book has tons of great basic advice on things like understanding patterns and choosing the right ones for you, doing all the prep work for successful knitting and how to work from a pattern, including what patterns assume you know.

Then she goes into shaping, working in the round, knitting socks, cables, lace and colorwork and has great tips and instructions as well as a couple of patterns for each section that will help you build confidence. The patterns are pretty basic but so great for skill building.

This is a really great book for building skills and gaining confidence as a knitter, and I want one of you to have it.

Leave a comment on this post by the end of the day Sunday, July 24, if you’d like a chance to win it. I’d love to know what particular skill you need help with that this book can help you with.

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

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Comments

  3. I need help with knitting mittens on four needles. So far, I’ve only knitted mittens on two needles.

  7. Haven’ knit for years and sure need help starting up again. This book would be perfect. Thank you for offering me a chance to win it.

  9. This would be a great book to use when I’m helping people new to the knitting process to learn the basics – would also provide me with some new info for next steps!

  10. I’ve been knitting for 40+ years and only in the last 5 have I been pushing myself past the basics. Would love this book to keep me doing just that!

  12. I’m brand to knitting…just learned the very basics – how to cast on and knit/purl. Am left handed but was told it’s best to learn to knit using my right hand even though it feels strange ????. I want to succeed at this new hobby and need all the help I can get! I suspect this book would be beyond helpful!

  14. I love to crochet, but want to learn knitting. Have the needles and yarn, need the instructions and ideas!

  15. I would like to learn more about lace. It looks so delicate, intricate, and beautiful.

  16. I could use some help with colorwork. The couple of projects I have tried did not turn out so well.

  17. Literally haven’t progressed past knit and purl. I’m thinking there’s a lot that patterns assume we know (that this we doesn’t know at all). I do, however, own a huge assortment of short and long knitting needles, as well as every size circular needle, because I was a Girl Scout, and any reason to buy fiber-y tools and supplies is a good one for me.

  18. I would like to learn more about the knitting world. I am 71 year old grandmother and would like to teach my grand kids ‘the wonderful skill of knitting. Thanks for finding and offering this book for an give away prize.

  19. I’ve been knitting all my life, but have never progressed beyond the basics. Help!!

  22. Great push for someone returning to knitting after 50 years! Yep, have wanted to move beyond basic scarves!

  30. My particular stress point is when I have to fix a mistake in a complex pattern such as lace or fisherman’s rib. I thought that by now (70+ years) I would be unflappable when it came to knitting. Hah.

  31. I’m trying to “improve” (OK, really learn better techniques for) colorwork. I can manage basic intarsia, but as soon as it goes beyond single blocks of color or doing something a bit fancier, I’m lost!

  34. Have just helped a client in recovery pick up knitting Again after twenty years. She would find a. Ion like this so helpful.

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]