Knit So Fine
Lisa R. Myers, Laura Grutzeck, Carol Sulcoski
In A Nutshell: Pursuasive encouragement and tips for knitting with skinny yarn but only a few of 21 patterns worth making.
At the start of this book, the authors make a very persuasive case for using “skinny” yarns. They argue they enable a better fit, are more flattering, patterns are more attractive and are cheaper. I’m sold already. Incidentally, for the purposes of this book, fine yarns are classed as anything thinner than worsted weight. This seems to be rather a wide scope as I’m not sure I’d think of double knitting as a skinny yarn.
Anyway, amidst the encouragement to make fine garments are some excellent knitting tips. This includes a list of the author’s favourite skinny yarns (I thought I could also crib from this for my crochet projects). There is good advice for using stitch markers. I had not thought to mark increases/decreases at the edge, but if the marker is left in place, this will assist greatly when sewing seams together. The authors advocate patience with finishing and Carol does a seam a day. I think that is a policy I will be adopting in future. There are several tips on staying motivated when knitting with fine yarn such as measuring progress every few days, not in hours.
Then there are 21 patterns featuring a range of accessories and clothing. I have to admit they didn’t exactly fire my imagination, though they do receive reasonable feedback on Ravelry, so this is just my opinion. They are grouped into four categories – Simplicity, Speed, Style, and Shine. The only ones I liked were in the “Style” section including a wrap dress, an on-trend bamboo knit tubular skirt and a layered look sweater, one sweater giving the look of two worn together.
So in short, a useful read but the patterns are not for me.
