Not Your Mama's Knitting , livre ebook

Copyright 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
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ISBN 13: 978-0-471-97382-9 ISBN 10: 0-471-97382-3
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Free bonus pattern available online!
Be on top of the smartest fashion trends with the Night Falls Scarf by designer Jane Thornley. To access your copy of the pattern, go to www.wiley.com/go/NYMknitting .
About the Author

Photo by Jimbo Matison
Heather Dixon taught herself to knit at the age of six and never looked back. She studied knitwear design in Nottingham, England, and has had several of her pieces featured in the British press. After working as a freelance designer in Italy, she moved to New York City to become the designer of RELAiS Knitware, a line of contemporary ladies sweaters. In her spare time, Heather designs a line of accessories, the patterns for which can be bought from her website, www.armyofknitters.com . She teaches a weekly knit clinic, is a regular at the Tuesday evening meetings of the New York Stitch n Bitch, and has patterns featured in Stitch n Bitch Nation, The Happy Hooker, Inknitters magazine, and the online magazine Knitty.com .
Contents
Introduction

PART ONE
All That a Gal Needs

CHAPTER ONE
Have It Your Way: Seeing Beyond the Pattern
God or Science? The Evolution of Knitting
The Not-So-Distant Past
The Here and Now

CHAPTER TWO
Two Sticks and Some String
If It s Long and Pointy, You Can Knit with It
DIY Needles
Where Width Is More Important Than Length
The Long and the Short of It
Stringing You Along
Reading a Yarn Label
Yarn Shopping
Subbing Yarns
A Knitter s Tool Kit: Other Stuff You ll Need

CHAPTER THREE
Beginners, Start Your Engines: Basic Techniques
On the Casting Couch: Casting On
Get a Grip! Holding the Yarn and Needles
Bring It On! The Knit Stitch
How to Bind Off
Purls of Wisdom: The Purl Stitch
Getting the Round In: Working with Double-Pointed and Circular Needles
Knit One, Purl One: Gallery of Stitch Patterns #1

CHAPTER FOUR
Shape Shifters: Increasing, Decreasing, and Other Fancy Things to Do with Your Knits and Purls
Increase the Love: Basic Increasing Maneuvers
Slimming Down: Basic Decreasing Stitches
A Hole in One: Knitting Lace and Pointelle Patterns
Feather and Fan
Allover Lace and Lace Panels: Gallery of Stitch Patterns #2

CHAPTER FIVE
Twist and Shout: Knitting Cables and Bobbles
Switch-a-Roo: How to Knit Cables
Simple Six-Stitch Cable
Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Yarn: How to Knit Bobbles
Reading a Chart #1
Cables and Bobbles: Gallery of Stitch Patterns #3

CHAPTER SIX
Painting by Stitches: How to Knit with Different Colors
Starting a New Ball of Yarn
A Stripe of a Different Color
Two Techniques for Multicolor Knitting
Twisted Up in Knots: Tips for Yar Tangle Management
Reading a Chart #2
Fair Isle and Intarsia: Gallery of Stitch Patterns #4

CHAPTER SEVEN
It Ain t Over til the Fat Lady Pins: Finishing and Blocking
Seams Like a Nice Girl: The Correct Stitching Method for the Job
Picking Up Stitches
Binding Off
Buttonholes
How D You Like My Weave? How to Weave in Your Loose Ends
The End Is in Sight: Blocking Your Finished Item

CHAPTER EIGHT
Everything but the Kitchen Sink: Embellishments
Embroidery
Couching
Appliqu
Now in 3D!
I-Cord
Ha Hem!
Crochet

CHAPTER NINE
Oops, I Made a Big Booboo! Fixing Mistakes
Frogging
Unknitting
Reworking Stitches
Dropped Stitches

CHAPTER TEN
Sall Greek to Me: How to Read a Knitting Pattern
Patterns 101
Size Is Important: Understanding Gauge (Tension)
Special Notes or Instructions
Following the Instructions

PART TWO
And a Bag of Chips

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Heads Up!
Bean Beanie
Put-Your-Hair-Up Hat
Cable Access
Bar Code
It s a Cinch
Bobbles and Balls

CHAPTER TWELVE
Playing Footsie
Pirate Socks
Toasty Tootsies
Not-Quite- 70s Legwarmers
Boot-i-licious
PDA Mittens
O Gloves

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Full Fluffy Jacket
Sweet and Seamless
Split Personality
Boudoir
Girly
Frosty
Wildflowers
Macho Picchu

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Bag Ladies
Techno Bag
Techno Junior
Bandolero

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Rug Rats
Little Boy Blue/Alpha Female
Pampered Pooch Pullover
Tutti-Frutti Baby Set

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Home Buddies
Hearts Stars
Loopy Landing
Indulge

PART THREE
Junk in the Trunk

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Make the Buy
Book Reviews
Magazines
Enter the Internet
Free Is for Me
Suppliers of Featured Yarns

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Knitters of the World Unite
All the Fun, with Added Group Benefits
Swap Shop
Daytrippers
A Knitted Gift Exchange
Cyber-Knitting
Blogging

APPENDIX
Reference Tools

Designer Bios

Index
Dedicated to the memory of my knitting mamas, Alice and Dora.
Acknowledgments
I ve reached the age where a large number of my friends are popping out babies left, right, and center. This book is my little baby, and the whole process has been like a pregnancy. First there was the flirtation with the lovely and talented Roxane Cerda at Wiley Publishing where the idea was conceived. Then came the morning sickness and sleepless nights worrying about whether I would be a good enough writer.
All my spare time was spent huddled under a blanket with laptop perched on my ever-growing belly-there was no time for healthy eating or exercise! My fabulous editor Lynn Northrup helped me to breathe and plan the chapters. I would have pulled out all of my hair without her gentle encouragement and guidance. The labor was long and at times quite painful but worth all the sweat and tears as now I get to be the proud parent of a beautiful little book. I ll watch it make its way out to where it will hopefully entertain, encourage, and enlighten knitters all around the world.
None of this would be at all possible without the wonderfully talented designers who contributed their gorgeous designs featured in this book-big, wet snogs to you all! Big thanks to Sharon Turner and Kristi Porter for their technical editing, and to Cindy Kitchel for reviewing all of the patterns and giving helpful suggestions.
Huge amounts of love and thanks to the members of my Tuesday night Stitch n Bitch NYC crew, everyone at The Point, and my Thursday evening students at Klatch for your friendship and encouragement, especially to Nadine Fishelson for knitting the enormous Bobbles and Balls and Jill Astmann for knitting the stitch pattern swatches. To Johanna Li, Jessamyn Lee, Michelle Mudry, and Jenn Wendell for editorial help and insightful content; to Debbie Stoller for advice and connections; and to Jill Roth for letting us stay in her country house!
Love forever to my wonderful friends Chris Crowley and Valda Girgenso