Vintage Modern Knits
Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn
In A Nutshell: More modern than vintage but contains 20 pretty patterns with intricate details suitable for an experienced knitter.
“Vintage Modern” appears to be the buzz phrase of the moment, creeping into all manner of home decor, fashion and craft books. It appears to mean a judicious mixing of old and new items, or the reworking of a design from another era to suit a more modern style ethos. This book falls more into the latter category and is distinctly more modern than vintage. The “vintage” element is simply the incorporation of historical knitting techniques such as fair isle, lace and cabling into the knitting designs. Perhaps the most accurate description of this book is it’s subtitle “Contemporary Designs Using Classic Techniques”.
Although I think the title is jumping on the Vintage bandwagon, this should not detract from what is a very pretty collection of twenty patterns. They are divided into three seasonally themed collections – “Rustic Weekend”, “Vintage Feminine” and “Winter Harbour” – including a variety of sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves. No degree of difficulty is indicated, and with the level of detail incorporated, patterns are probably most suited to an experienced knitter. There are also one or two very useful knitting tips interspersed with the patterns, such as how to do a sloped bind off.
The pictures are attractive but would have made even more of an impact with a more cohesive colour palette.
I like this book but feel it is a little beyond my knitting expertise at the moment.
