Title - Book Review of Dyeing to Knit

When I buy a gourmet cookbook I know, I may never cook a recipe that has multiple steps and takes hours, 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 yarn.

Dyeing to Knit page spread of understanding color and color relationships

Dyeing to Knit has beautiful photos, pleasing 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 explanation 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 into creating their own color scheme. If you do decide to try your hand at dyeing yarn, you will be pleased to find clear instructions, recommended tools, and dyes that are easily accessible and fun ideas for mixing colors to produce unique effects.

Dyeing to Knit page spread showing color harmony

In the chapter on design, Elaine tells us how she thinks about designing the pieces and reveals that she doesn’t “do complicated knitting” but instead projects that she can “pick up at any moment.” Also, six knitting designers share their inspiration, and Elaine talks about several artists and how they have influenced some of her designs.

Dyeing to Knit page spread of a child's sweater pattern and pictures of the finished sweater

Dyeing to Knit includes patterns for items that easily incorporate color and texture, but by the time you reach the last chapter, you may already be putting together an idea for an original design.

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All images credit: Kate Smith (photos taken of pages in the book) 

Read Time: 2 min
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Kate Smith
Kate Smith is an optimistic, expressive, artist, designer, writer and color fanatic. With her warm and witty style, Kate teaches you to clearly see, understand and be inspired by color. Then she guides you step-by-step to develop your own unique color sense-ability and achieve results you never dreamed possible.
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