Review: Easy Textured Knits

February 10, 2015 by Sarah White

When knitters first start out learning the craft, they learn knit and purl, of course, and with them Garter and Stockinette. Then usually comes ribbing, but some new knitters might not know about the wealth of other combinations of knit and purl that are out there, just waiting to make a simple project a little more interesting.

Margaret Wilson aims to change all that with her book Easy Textured Knits: The Ultimate Stitch Reference Guide, which includes more than 70 stitch patterns and 29 projects that use these knit and purl combos to create fun effects in relatively easy ways.

The book opens with a list of supplies and tips on using stitch patterns and reading charts. Then 72 different stitch patterns are shown in swatches, with the instructions given in text and in chart form. Each tells how many stitches and rows constitutes a repeat, and a smallish photograph (about 2 inches tall and 4 inches wide) shows the pattern.

I would have liked these photos to be bigger, and in pretty much every case that would have been possible without that much effort. But you get the idea of the stitch pattern in any case.

The patterns themselves are arranged in skill level order, starting with washcloths, pillows and a sampler blanket that uses 63 blocks.

There are blankets worked in a single piece and garments for men, women and children using allover stitch patterns. All the patterns are pretty straightforward, but some do rate as for intermediate knitters because of the use of shaping and the need to sew pieces together.

The pillows (which you can see on the cover) are pretty fun, and a dramatic way to add knitting to your home decor. I also like the women’s Wavy Rib Sweater, with its compact, cropped length and three-quarter sleeves. Her Zigzag Tunic is another pretty one, using Twin Rib on the Bodice and a zigzag pattern on the skirt of the tunic length top.

But even if you never worked any of the patterns out of this book, it would be a decent reference for a beginning knitter into the world of knit and purl combinations. There are a lot of pretty stitch patterns here you could add to your own projects and play with in swatches.

Do you like stitch reference books? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

Fiona Gehring says
December 14, 2016 at 5:34 pm
‘Easy Textured Knits’ by Margret Willson/Leisure Arts. Error on p.127/V-Neck Vest – Left Front/Row 8. This is a wrong side row & should read in 2nd bracket (P7, K1). This has been reversed/a typo & I undid my knitting twice before I realized! Also, although a competent knitter, I found it too difficult to “maintain the pattern” whilst decreasing so I reverted to st.st.at this point

Have you read?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.