Knitting News

Hand-knit homes | LA Daily News

Hand-knit homes
LA Daily News - December 1 2006

Make your house a cozy home with hand-knits that liven up the decor of any room. Suss Cousins' latest book, "Home Knits: Luxurious Handknits for Every Room of the House" (Potter Craft; $32.50), combines easy home design with a knitting guide. The book is divided into three areas: living room, dining room/kitchen, and bedroom/bath. Each section features knit patterns and step-by-step instructions for knitters of all skill levels. [more]

Funky Knits: Knitting How-To for Hip Young Things | The Daily Page

Funky Knits: Knitting How-To for Hip Young Things
The Daily Page - November 30 2006

Knitting continues to be a hot pastime. Even young people are picking up their “stix” and getting knitty. Here’s a book that will appeal particularly to young knitters. No granny square afghans or boring dishcloths here! Projects run the gamut from hoodies to iPod covers. [more]

Purls of Wisdom | Washington City Paper

Purls of Wisdom
Washington City Paper - November 17 2006

While showing off their fashionable wardrobe to their peers, some men might point out an expensive suit or a rack of power ties. Michael del Vecchio likes to boast about his handmade sock collection.

Del Vecchio, who co-founded MenKnit.net and currently teaches classes at Knit Happens in Alexandria, is taking his sock-making skills one step further. In the wake of books such as Debbie Stoller’s Stitch ’N Bitch—which gave a hip and feminist edge to what many saw as Granny’s hobby—the 28-year-old Logan Circle resident lends a male voice to the craft with Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man. The book’s patterns, which del Vecchio designed himself, include a beer cozy, utility cloths, a laptop cover, and hiking-boot socks. [more]

Low-tech crafts for DIYers | San Francisco Chronicle

Low-tech crafts for DIYers
San Francisco Chronicle - November 22 2006

If the recent craft movement is any indication, 5 o'clock dinners and shuffleboard may soon be in style.

Hobbies once associated with Granny have become popular among young people. Several shelter magazines have declared needlepoint a bona fide trend. In cafes across the country, hipsters gather for "Stitch and Bitch" knitting sessions. And there's a new publication that just launched with the simple title Craft.

The quarterly started out as a special edition of the 2-year-old magazine Make, which focuses on do-it-yourself technology projects. But, according to Craft Associate Editor Natalie Zee Drieu, the publishers quickly knew they were on to something bigger. "They realized that this was such a growing community that had a lot of ideas to share," she said. "There was so much content that it could be its own magazine."

The premiere issue of Craft features 23 projects in all, ranging from home and garden ideas to fashion remixes. The instructions appear to be detailed, with lots of color photos and illustrations to guide the reader along. But I decided to put a couple of projects to the test. I wanted to gauge whether the instructions are indeed easy to follow and whether the finished products are worthy of showcasing in one's home. [more]

A Sexy Little Yarn | LA Weekly

A Sexy Little Yarn
LA Weekly - November 15 2006

Once you’ve learned the basics of knitting, you find out fast how hard it is to get your hands on really hip patterns. Sure, you can find cute beanies and scarves — but how many do you need here in sunny L.A.? If you’re a sweater girl, most of the patterns can only be called frumpy — though if you love teddy bears on your chest, you’re in luck.

L.A. designer Ashley Paige decided to take matters into her own hands and created sexy knit bikinis that she sold at her Hollywood shop. If you’ve seen leggy models, starlets and rock stars wearing barely-there knits in a fashion or celebrity mag, you’ve seen Paige’s work. Now you can knit many of Paige’s designs for yourself. Earlier this year she came out with Sexy Little Knits, packed with pictures and instructions for making her most popular designs.

It all came about when a literary agent and her boyfriend walked past Paige’s store. “Why don’t you knit something like that?” the agent’s boyfriend asked. The agent contacted Paige the next day. [more]

Knitting book success | Horsham Today

Knitting book success
Horsham Today - November 15 2006

A Horsham fashion designer has scaled the heights of the international best-sellers' list with her first book.

Former Horsham High School for Girls pupil Jennie Atkinson, 49, has seen her collection of glamorous women's wear designs become the nation's top knitting book.

Copies of Beads, Buttons and Lace have been selling like hot cakes all over the world, and sales figures with online bookstore Amazon.co.uk have seen it shoot to the top of the UK list. [more]

Red-hot needles | The Tribune

Red-hot needles
The Tribune - November 12 2006

Two years ago, slammed by chemistry and biology studies at Cal Poly and a full-time job at a Santa Maria dental products manufacturer, Joe Campanale learned to knit.

At first, the Grover Beach man took up knitting as a way to relieve mounting stress from a crammed schedule. But the simple act of clicking sticks transformed his view of the fiber arts.

“It’s so relaxing that it’s absolutely addicting and you can’t stop doing it,” said Camapanale, 25, now a Cal Poly molecular biologist who also teaches knitting at Eileen’s Treasures in Pismo Beach. “It’s gone from one of those things I do to relax myself to something that I really enjoy.”

[...]Thirteen-year-old Anders Johnson and his younger brother Grant spend their time crafting scarves and beanies — when they’re not busy playing soccer, surfing and mountain biking.

“It’s just something you do in your free time while you’re watching TV or on long car rides,” said 12-year-old Grant, whose family lives in Morro Bay. “It’s fun. I think it’s just pretty cool making your own clothes, your own stuff.”

San Luis Obispo filmmaker Wendy Eidson says the Johnson brothers are part of a new movement in the craft world: men who purl proudly and in public.

Her new DVD, “Real Men Knit,” currently available on her Web site, www.unconfinedmind.com, explores knitting’s origins as a men-only activity in Egypt, Europe and South America, and profiles male knitters such as Kaffe Fassett, London-based designer and author of the handbook, “Glorious Knits.” [more]

A hand-made tale | The Scotsman

A hand-made tale
The Scotsman - November 12 2006

Danielle Proud has been described as the blonde Nigella of home-making. A domestic goddess, then? "Well," responds the 33-year-old, who is determined to make the C-word - craft - respectable again, "I'm a lot younger than Nigella, and I don't think you can compare us, really, can you? I'm from a different generation, and I'm not posh."

So the claws are out on the home front, then, despite the fact that Proud's fingernails are short and businesslike - you can't strip furniture, do découpage and run up a patchwork cushion while maintaining a glamorous French manicure. "I'm surprised I've still got any fingers left, let alone nails," she jokes - though she does scrub up nicely and has been known to varnish her nails.

"By the way, I'm not being bitchy about Nigella, just stating a fact," says Proud, who is being tipped to become the next big style guru. She is convinced that once we see her new book, House Proud, we will all want to adopt her make-your-own aesthetic, customising everything from cushions to furniture. "Craft is cool," she declares. Indeed, Dazed & Confused has already christened her a mean macramé queen.

[...]"I just want to stop everyone saying, 'Oh, I can't sew or knit or do macramé, or make anything myself.' I certainly don't want to be seen as über-trendy or dead famous, like 'the new domestic goddess' or something. But I do hope that I can encourage people to put their own signature on their home and on their life. For me, it's a dream come true turning my hobby into a career." [more]

Knitting guide will have even experts in stitches | The Grand Rapids Press

Knitting guide will have even experts in stitches
The Grand Rapids Press - November 12 2006

I know what you're thinking: "What does Tracey Ullman -- the famous comedian and actress -- know about knitting?"

Well, I haven't had the opportunity to knit with her, but it's clear she knows enough to collaborate with a pro. "Knit 2 Together" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 168 pages, $27.50) is a fantastic knitting book that Ullman co-authored with knitwear designer Mel Clark.

Ullman met Clark at Wildfiber, Clark's knitting shop in Santa Monica, Calif., and asked her if she'd like to write a book. The result is a collaboration that is wonderful for veteran knitters and rookies alike. [more]

Fam. Circle Sticks With Service | Mediaweek

Fam. Circle Sticks With Service
Mediaweek - November 13 2006

While the women’s service category has been overshadowed by lifestyle magazines and a wave of au courant service titles, Family Circle is finding that old-fashioned service is a pattern for success. Since acquiring the magazine from G+J USA Publishing in 2005, Meredith Corp. narrowed its audience focus to moms of teens and tweens and refreshed its look, all the while staying true to its roots.

[...]Her efforts to update the brand aren’t limited to the printed page. Family Circle plans to launch podcasts, a basic cookbook and knitting and crocheting special-interest publications in the year ahead. [more]