The book that I'd like to talk about this week is "Artful Color, Mindful Knits", by Laura Bryant.
Have you ever been in a yarn store, seen a glorious hank of hand-dyed (artisanal) yarn, immediately taken it home and started a new project with it? Then as you're working with it, the colors start to meld, and then pool? Then inexplicably, just when you think "I know what's coming next"... they completely change the way they 'play together'; what you thought would become a 'pool' of color, turns into a random series of stripes, or a bizarre diamond shape... I know I've had that experience.
In this incredibly in-depth book by Ms. Bryant, she teases out how and more importantly WHY this happens. She explains about the various ways that independent (hand) dyers produce hanks of yarn, and how this effects the 'color play' of those hanks when they are knit (or crocheted). She also provides numerous examples of how different knitting techniques affect the results. (Knitting in the round vs. flat (back and forth). I found that the editors and publisher(s) also had, in my humble opinion, a deft hand in managing the volumes of information that she presents. The photography, layout and consistent design elements helped tell the 'story' that could've easily gotten muddled.
That doesn't mean to say that this is an 'easy' book to digest. There are definitely moments that require 'chewing it again'. And then there's the bane of MATH! Once you've completed the digestion of the theory, and color, there's one last hurdle... and for a lot of people, that's a big one. How to calculate... Not every technique that she shows requires math, but every one does require a bit of 'mindful' knitting. (Hence the title!) This is not a book that is 'in front of the TV knitting'.
So in short (and this is by far the shortest post I've done so far... pun intended), This is a book that I enjoy looking at, I am committed to finishing at least one project from it.
And there are a lot of patterns in here, once you get through all that is listed above. Sadly, only one pattern is 'listed' as a men's pattern. It's called Tweed Checks, and there's a picture of my swatch that I used to figure out what color combination I would like most. (I've opted for the Navy Blue)...
As I read this post, I'm struck by how negative it sounds, and that is not my intention... I actually really like this book, and I'm wondering how my 'tone' has mutated into one that is far from what I intended... much like the chaos of hand-dyed skeins of yarn. LOL. I guess I could add a fun little tidbit of information directly from the book that adds a bit of humor to the subject, and additionally, it shows a bit of the joy and personality that Laura Bryant possesses.
Many patterns include levels of proficiency or difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced), but the patterns in this book also have an 'awareness' rating. These are the level(s) of concentration that are required for the patterns throughout the book. The various levels are: Otto, Mindful, and Attentive. The little chuckle that I got from that is Ms. Bryant fondly refers to 'auto-pilot' as Otto.
I guess that as 'a review', I shouldn't be giving my recommendations as to whether or not you should have this book... just those things that I find memorable about it. I hope that I've given you a little glimpse into SOME of what this book is about. I'll add one final thought, and that is: As one of my personal goals with my process and (consequently) this site, this book can be a challenge, but the 'aha' moments that I've talked about with other posts and the site in general can definitely happen with this book. That in and of itself is enough.
Comments