Gradient yarns are having a moment, and with good reason. People love the ease of being able to work from one ball of yarn and have amazing color changes appear before their eyes, or using mini skeins in a range of colors to create projects that look a lot more complex than they are.
But the process of using gradient yarns can be a little daunting. How do you know what kinds of stitch patterns will look best, or even what kinds of garments to make with those skeins?
Tanis Gray is here to help with her book Gradient Knits: 10 Lessons and Projects Using Ombre, Stranded Colorwork, Slip-Stitch and Texture.
The book is not only a helpful guide to the world of gradient yarns and how to use them, it all serves as a primer for basic-and-beyond knitting skills.
Each chapter covers a particular technique:
- knit and purl
- slip stitch
- alternating stripes
- thrumming
- cabling
- fair isle
- intarsia
- lace
- modular knitting
- wrap and turn short rows
A tutorial on this basics is given, then a pattern using the technique helps you build your skills.
I’m not seeing the book on Ravelry yet (it’s technically out Oct. 1, but Amazon has it shipping already) but you can see some of the pretty patterns on the cover. I especially like the lace shawl worked in a ombre with long color runs so that each part of the pattern is worked in a different color. It was designed by Mindy Wilkes. (Several designers contributed to the book.)
This book is a lot of fun if you like colorful knits without a lot of work. Some of the patterns are a little harder than others, but none of them are beyond advanced beginner to intermediate knitters. And if you’ve got a lot of mini skein sets or gradient yarn balls on your shelf and are wondering what to do with them, this book will give you a few ideas!
About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 10 patterns. Published by Barron’s Educational Series, October 2017. Retail price $21.99.
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