Book review: Dyeing to Knit
28th Jun. '06 • Category: Creativity & Craft • Tags: Books, crafts, knitting
Authored by Kate Smith
When I buy a gourmet cookbook, I know I may never cook a recipe that has multiple steps and takes hours to complete. But I still enjoy reading the recipes and taking away the inspiration to create a fabulous meal for my family and friends.
Like a gourmet cookbook, Elaine Eskesen’s Dyeing to Knit is thoroughly enjoyable, even if you are not sure you are ready to dye your own yarn. The book is filled with beautiful photos, wonderful color combinations, design ideas, and fun techniques that you can pour over for hours.
In the opening chapter, Elaine shares her love of color and the sources of her inspiration for the colors she chooses. She then takes her readers through an easy-to- follow understanding of color, their relationships, and provides knitted samples to show the interaction between colors when knitted together.
Elaine’s style is so charming that she may lure even the most reluctant knitter to try creating their own color scheme.
If you do decide to try your hand at dyeing, you will be pleased to find clear instructions and recommended tools and dyes that are easily accessible, plus fun ideas for mixing colors to produce unique effects.
In the chapter on design, Elaine tells us how she thinks about designing the pieces she knits and reveals that she doesn’t “do complicated knitting” but rather projects that she can “pick up at any moment.”
In addition, six knitting designers share their inspiration and Elaine talks about specific artists and how they have influenced some of her designs.
Patterns for items that easily incorporate color and texture are included, but by the time you reach the last chapter, you may already be putting together an idea for your own design.
