The Knitter's Book of Yarn

The Knitter's Book of Yarn

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Potter Craft

Published: 2011-02-02

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0307586987

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Not all yarns are alike. Some make our hearts and hands sing, some get the job done without much fanfare, and some cause nothing but frustration and disappointment. The gorgeous pair of socks that emerged from their first bath twice as long as when they went in. The delicate baby sweater that started pilling before it even came off the needles. The stunning colorwork scarf that you can’t wear because the yarn feels like sandpaper against your neck. If only there were a way to read a skein and know how it would behave and what it wanted to become before you invested your time, energy, and money in it. Now there is! With The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, you’ll learn how to unleash your inner yarn whisperer. In these pages, Clara Parkes provides in-depth insight into a vast selection of yarns, giving you the inside stories behind the most common fiber types, preparations, spins, and ply combinations used by large-scale manufacturers and importers, medium-sized companies, boutique dye shops, community spinneries, and old-fashioned sheep farms. And, because we learn best by doing, Parkes went to some of the most creative and inquisitive design minds of the knitting world to provide a wide assortment of patterns created to highlight the qualities (and minimize the drawbacks) of specific types of yarns. The Knitter’s Book of Yarn will teach you everything you need to know about yarn: How it’s made, who makes it, how it gets to you, and what it longs to become. The next time you pick up a skein, you won’t have to wonder what to do with it. You’ll just know–the way any yarn whisperer would.


The Knitter's Book of Wool

The Knitter's Book of Wool

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780307352170

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In this complete guide to wool, passionate wool expert Parkes translates the vast world of sheep and their wool into the language and context of knitting.


The Knitter's Book of Socks

The Knitter's Book of Socks

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Potter Craft

Published: 2011-10-11

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 0307586804

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A sock is a work of wonder. No other knitted garment has as many structural demands or endures as much wear and tear. The humble sock must defy gravity, suffer the confines of our shoes, and endure being trampled on all day long. All too often, the root cause of a sock's triumph or failure is the yarn itself. In The Knitter’s Book of Socks, Clara Parkes shows you how to knit socks from yarn up, following the sock yarn life cycle from its foundations to its final moments on a proud foot. By understanding a sock's basic needs—elasticity, strength, and moisture management—you’ll learn how to play with these tools like building blocks, confidently combining fiber, twist, ply, pattern, and clever stitch tricks to construct your perfect pair of socks. To help put these principles into practice, The Knitter’s Book of Socks also offers 20 fresh, original patterns from today’s sock-design luminaries, including Cookie A, Cat Bordhi, Ann Budd, Nancy Bush, Anne Hanson, and Melissa Morgan-Oakes. The socks presented here run the gamut from simple knit-and-purl combinations suitable for beginners to innovative designs with lush colorwork, swirling cables, and delicate lace. Understanding the elements of yarn is the first step on every successful sock knitting journey. With this book as your guide, you’ll learn how to make any sock yarn shine and love every pair of socks you knit.


Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting

Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting

Author: Ann Hood

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2013-11-11

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0393239497

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A collection of essays about the transformative power of knitting from 27 contemporary authors, including Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Dufresne, and Joyce Maynard.


A Stash of One's Own

A Stash of One's Own

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1683351622

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In this anthology from the author of The Yarn Whisperer, twenty-one devoted knitters examine a subject that is irresistible to us all: the yarn stash. Anyone with a passion has a stash, whether it is a collection of books or enough yarn to exceed several life expectancies. With her trademark wit, Clara Parkes brings together fascinating stories from all facets of stash-keeping and knitting life—from KonMari minimalist to joyous collector, designer to dyer, spinner to social worker, scholar to sheep farmer. Whether the yarn stash is muse, memento, creative companion, career guide, or lifeline in tough times, these deeply engaging stories take a fascinating look at why we collect, what we cherish, and how we let go. Contributors include New York Times–bestselling authors Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Debbie Stoller, Meg Swansen and Franklin Habit, Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner, Adrienne Martini, and a host of others. Named one of the top ten lifestyle books for fall 2017 by Publisher’s Weekly.


The Yarn Whisperer

The Yarn Whisperer

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2013-09-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781617690020

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Stockinette, ribbing, cables, even the humble yarn over can instantly evoke places, times, people, conversations, all those poignant moments that we've tucked away in our memory banks. Over time, those stitches form a map of our lives. --From the preface In The Yarn Whisperer: Reflections on a Life in Knitting, renowned knitter and author Clara Parkes ponders the roles knitting plays in her life via 22 captivating, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny essays. Recounting tales of childhood and adulthood, family, friends, adventure, privacy, disappointment, love, and celebration, she hits upon the universal truths that drive knitters to create and explores the ways in which knitting can be looked at as a metaphor for so many other things. Put simply, "No matter how perfect any one sweater may be, it's only human to crave another. And another, and another."


Easy Knits for Beautiful Yarns

Easy Knits for Beautiful Yarns

Author: Toby Roxane Barna

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-02-01

Total Pages: 113

ISBN-13: 0811768562

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Drawn to a beautiful, unique yarn, but not sure what to do with it? Look no further. Gorgeous hand-dyed, variegated, self-striping, speckled, and other fun yarns abound for the knitter today, but sometimes the color variations and changes can make it difficult to find patterns that allow the yarn to shine. Oftentimes, the simpler the pattern, the more the yarn gets to take center stage. With this in mind, Toby designed all of the pieces in this book--hats, shawls, mittens, sweaters, and more--to let the yarn be the main feature. The 21 designs are written at a level for the motivated knitter who has made a scarf or two and is ready to move on to something a little more interesting and unique. Sidebars with photos and notes explain techniques that may be unfamiliar to beginners so that you can fearlessly make any piece. More experienced knitters can relax into these patterns and enjoy their showcase yarn as it slides along their needles and becomes a masterpiece of color.


The Principles of Knitting

The Principles of Knitting

Author: June Hemmons Hiatt

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-02-14

Total Pages: 738

ISBN-13: 1451688415

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Now featuring new instructions, new illustrations, and new information, The Principles of Knitting—beloved by knitters everywhere and one of the most requested out-of-print books for years—finally gets the revision that fans have been clamoring for! A treasured guide beloved by knitters everywhere, the classic book The Principles of Knitting is finally available again in a fully revised and updated edition. This is the definitive book on knitting techniques, with valuable information for everyone from beginners to experienced knitters. June Hiatt presents not only a thorough, thoughtful approach to the craft, but also a passion for carrying on the art of knitting to future generations. She has repeatedly tested the various techniques and presents them with clear, easy-to-follow instructions—as well as an explanation of what each one can contribute to your knitting. Informed by decades of experience and thousands of hours of practice, this comprehensive resource offers a variety of ways to approach every skill and technique and offers solutions that can help solve the most challenging aspects of any knitting project. The Principles of Knitting has been totally rewritten—new instructions, new illustrations, and new information. While the basics of knitting have not changed much, June’s understanding of the material has deepened over the last twenty-five years, and she’s eager to share what she has learned with the knitting world. In addition, the book has been reorganized to make it easier to use and has a gorgeous new design. Reading The Principles of Knitting is like having a knitting mentor by your side who can answer any knitting question you have in an honest, intelligent, informed manner.


Knitlandia

Knitlandia

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2016-02-16

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1613129394

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The renowned knitter and author of The Yarn Whisperer spins tales of a creative life enriched by world travel in this New York Times–bestselling memoir. In Knitlandia, Parkes invite readers and devoted crafters on excursions to be savored, through seventeen of her most memorable journeys across the globe. Her knitting adventures span from the fjords of Iceland to a cozy yarn shop in Paris’s thirteenth arrondissement. Also known for her PBS television appearances and hugely popular line of small-batch handcrafted yarns, Parkes weaves her personal blend of wisdom and humor into this eloquently volume that is part personal travel narrative and part cultural history, touching the heart of what it means to live creatively.