Currently browsing: Literature
It’s surprising that a book titled The Gentle Art of Knitting (UK
/ US
) can polarise opinion so violently. I find it particularly strange that some find its tone patronising or pretentious because before I read any reviews online, I thought that this was indisputably one of the most unassuming knitting books I’ve ever read. Admittedly, I might be biased. I’ve followed Jane Brocket’s blog for 5 or 6 years and I love her style, her photography, her excellent colour-sense, and the wonderful discoveries she leads me to make: Persephone Books, knitting needle collecting, and now, possibly the delights of self-striping socks. If sock-knitting mavens are cringing at this, don’t worry, I will shortly be reviewing Sock Knitting Master Class for you! :)
So when Mrs. Brocket, after 7 (?) other books, finally got around to writing a knitting book, I promptly popped it into my Amazon wishlist and I haven’t been disappointed. Here’s how Jane describes her “gentle knitting” philosophy:
“Gentle knitting is knitting for comfort and to create comfort. It is knitting you can pick up when you have a few moments, and then put down without worrying that you will never remember where you left off; knitting that allows the mind to wander pleasantly without getting tangled up in repeats and row numbers; knitting that can be combined with other good things in life such as families, friends, chat, cake, tea, films and radio. It is knitting for the simple pleasure of knitting and of making something you like.”
The book is divided into 5 sections which I do find a little arbitrary: comfort, practical, charm, colour and style. In my opinion the whole book is about colour, and how basic textures and patterns can be used to play with colour. The patterns are simple and useful enough to be knit again and again, something which Jane herself does all the time; take her string of jelly bean cushions from a few years ago, her self-striping socks, the ripple blanket craze she began (to the best of my knowledge) single-handedly.
I don’t think many designers would have had the courage to put together such simple patterns, and yet there’s a lot of room in my day for mindless knitting (as is possibly demonstrated by the fact that I’ve already begun two patterns from the book), and The Gentle Art of Knitting is a great source for that. Could I sit down and figure out the patterns myself? Of course, but I’d rather pick up a book off my shelf, even though I’ll probably make plenty of my own adjustments as I go along. In fact, more than anything this book reminds me of an old recipe book, one that falls open at the right page and has lots of scribbles and amendments, and more than a few biscuit crumbs. :)
Other Things I Love
- The book seamlessly blends Jane’s photos with professionally styled and shot photos (as in the spread above: the photos on the left are by Jane, the photo on the right is by Kristin Perers).
- The book is full of clever little tips for fudging and generally making life easier. The suggestion on page 66 is particularly thrifty and I will definitely be using it!
- There are blurbs on “inspiration”, “design”, and “yarn and needles” for each pattern. And I particularly love the recommendations for books, wine, and films that accompany some of the patterns.
- Tea cosies in 5 sizes!
- 2 crochet patterns. In a knitting book. Unspeakable! ;)
- All the further reading and exploration suggested in the book.
- Once again, I have to stress Jane’s impeccable colour-sense. There are some great suggestions for shade cards in the “Colour” chapter, and all yarn colours used in patterns are given in great detail.
- My favourite pattern has to be the School Colours Blanket, which is knit up in strips that can be worn as scarves, until they’re all ready to be stitched together into a blanket. That should be filed under all the headings, I think.
Is this book for you?
- If you like Jane’s blog, and you’d like a good “go-to” book for simple patterns that you can knit for… forever, then yes! Buy it now: UK / US
- If you’re a beginner, no, probably not. Determined beginners, of course, need not worry as they can accomplish anything.
- If you don’t particularly see the charm of “bread-and-butter” knitting, and can’t think of a use for a tea cosy, then no, you probably won’t like The Gentle Art of Knitting.
A word of warning to American readers: the book uses British terminology. While this doesn’t matter so much in knitting, crochet terms are considerably different, and unfortunately I couldn’t see a note anywhere in the book that reminds you of this. If you think you might try the crochet patterns at some point, do yourself a favour and write out the conversions on a post-it and stick it in your book right now.
This is the time of year when I get most of my reading done. I think few pleasures beat snuggling up with some hot chocolate, a hottie, and a good book. Turn off your TV & read instead! Or just get some ideas for gift-giving. Here are some of my classics for the winter months…
Ghost Stories of M.R. James (UK
| US
)
No winter can go by without a few ghost stories, and M.R. James is my most favouritest ghost story writer. His stories are understated, and often not fully resolved, as I think is only proper for a ghost story. Some of them are also amazingly simple, but once you read one, you just can’t get enough! If you can find the old BFI films of ‘A Warning to the Curious’ and ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You’, they’ll make perfect Christmas entertainment too.
In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu (UK
| US
)
Le Fanu is M.R. James’s literary predecessor. His stories tend to be longer, but still as uncanny. I particularly recommend ‘Carmilla’.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (UK
| US
)
The classic sensationalist novel. This is a brilliant page-turner. I think The Woman in White has the best villain, and The Moonstone has the best detective.
Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (UK
| US
)
If you’re into Victorian sensational fiction, this is another one for you. I don’t know why it isn’t better known. There’s a film with Stephen Mackintosh too, but I’ve never been able to get hold of it.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (UK
| US
)
I haven’t actually read the book, but the film was wonderfully terrifying, full of fog and apparitions. If you can get hold of it, I highly recommend watching it on Christmas Eve. Otherwise, I’m sure the book is quite as excellently chilling (if not more so).
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (UK
| US
)
My favourite books in the world. Ever. I’m completely potty about this trilogy. I re-read the books every winter, and listen to the audiobooks whenever I can’t sleep, or need a bit of comforting. The unabridged audiobooks narrated by Philip Pullman are perfect, but don’t bother with the Radio 4 adaptation.
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez (UK
| US
)
I’ve just started this book, though it’s been on my reading list for years. Admittedly, my interest in this is greatly stoked by my obsession with HDM, but it’s a seminal work on the Arctic, and an engaging piece of nature writing in itself.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this list. Leave your own recommendations in the comments if you like! :)
shh… I’m working very hard! Really!
“Knitting should be done thoughtfully. It should not be hurried. That is its charm to our generation, who live surrounded with a wild helter-skelter of speed.”
I hope the name Mary Thomas produces little ‘ah’s of recognition, or even a reverential silence from my readers. She may not be as popular as Elizabeth Zimmerman or Barbara Walker, but.. she should be! In case you haven’t heard of her, or haven’t quite got around to reading her books, let me give you a little guidance. Mary Thomas published two books on knitting in the 30s and 40s (before EZ & Walker hit the scene), called Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book and Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. She writes in the Preface to the first book:
At first I had hoped to present the whole story of knitting in one volume only, but this eventually proved impossible, as the subject was too vast. So, with the greatest reluctance, a division had to be made, leaving the fascinating art of fabric construction, which rose to such heights of beauty in the brocade and lace periods of knitting, and which is now rapidly being multiplied, for a later book. This is already in preparation.
The similarity in the names of the books is confusing; when I was buying my copies I spent some time trying to figure out whether they may not in fact be re-issues of the same book. Well, as Mrs. Thomas’s preface indicates, they’re two unique books, complementing and supplementing each other, even though they could be taken as complete works in their own right. Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book begins with the history of knitting, information on implements, yarn, gauge and tension, and continues with the foundational techniques – knitting, purling, casting on and off, etc. This is no mere instruction manual for beginner knitters though; Thomas delves into ‘knit movements’ and ’selvedges’ with amazing detail, discussing, for instance, the English & Continental methods, in addition to several varities of ‘crossed’ and ‘uncrossed’ stitches (the ‘Eastern Uncrossed’ method is what is now often called ‘Combined Knitting’). There are then sections on increasing and decreasing, and several ornamental techniques. The last few chapters are on garment construction, shetland shawls, gloves, socks and stockings, and all are very thorough and enlightening.
The second book, Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns, deals with the creation of knitted fabric and surface ornamentation, and how it can be used effectively in design. Her short introductory chapter on ‘The A.B.C of Design’ should be essential reading for any ‘Beginning Knitwear Design’ course. It’s worth noting that ‘Knitting Patterns’ aren’t, as we might assume, full instructions for creating a specific garment, but rather Thomas’s instructions for patterning the knitted fabric. In essence, most of the contents are ‘knitting stitches’ (or ’stitch patterns’). Thomas’s practicality is almost unsurpassed. Both books have comprehensive indexes, and the second not only includes French and German knitting terms, but also has a ‘Texture Index’ which lists the stitches according to the projects they’re suitable for. What thoughtfulness!
I think you’ll agree that Mary Thomas was ahead of her time. Even today few books are so comprehensive or enjoyable to read – ‘textbooks’ of knitting. She was also an early proponent of charting, though many of the symbols she uses won’t look especially familiar to knitters today. I couldn’t find any information on Mary Thomas on the internet, but the Ravelry Group mentions that Richard Rutt’s A History of Hand Knitting (UK) has a brief biography of her.
As a knitter I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I love these two books almost as much for their darling little illustrations as I do for their content. They’re by Margaret Agutter, and each is based around a clever pictorial pun.
I hope I’ve been able to clear up some of the confusions that might arise from the titles of these two seminal books, and have convinced you that they are worth reading cover to cover (first of all), and later referred to frequently. The Dover editions are still in print and aren’t too expensive, though I’ve noticed their prices have been going up! The Book of Knitting Patterns isn’t quite as cheap, but it’s still a bargain for all of the information it contains. But I bought the Knitting Book from Abebooks for… 64p! As I write this there are 2 copies going for 61p. Isn’t that the knitting bargain of the century?
Well may you ask! When I came back to Turkey for a few months, I hadn’t realised that a combination of heat, intermittent internet, and a general lassitude would keep me away from work for so long. Many events have passed unrecorded, including my birthday, and the Skein Queen contest I won, to name one of her gorgeous colourways. The name I entered was ‘Summerhouse Love’, and it’s fairly descriptive of my current state. Ironically, I must await my return to Wales to fondle the Plushness, but the cool colours will be a reminder of my indolent summer days. I had already treated myself to a hank of Skein Queen yarn for my birthday (look at Deb’s gorgeous packaging! I admired it for a long time before I let myself open it), along with a tiny hank of Artist’s Palette ‘Glisten’. Really, the difficulty of the larger questions of life (its meaning, what one should do with it, etc.) pale in comparison with the painful hours of deciding which colourway of handpainted yarn to purchase.
Much of my time has been spent reading, listening to Cole Porter songs, taking photos of congruous colours, and of course, doing a lot of mindless knitting. These socks are now finished, though it’s too hot to wear them.
I mentioned in my entry to the Skein Queen competition, how much I love summerhouse novels. Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, Proust’s Swann’s Way (the only one of the series I’ve managed to read so far), and Colette’s Ripening Seed are the chief ones that occur to me. To a lesser extent perhaps von Arnim’s The Enchanted April (which I suppose is not summer), Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, Forster’s A Room with a View, and maybe even Bellow’s Herzog, though they’re all very different books. Admittedly A Room with a View doesn’t even involve a house, but it is still one of my favourites.
And if you’re looking for musical accompaniment, here is my Cole Porter mixtape:
- I Concentrate on You by Frances Wayne
- I Loved Him but He Didn’t Love Me by Kaye Ballard
- Get Out of Town by Chris Connor
- Night and Day by Ella Fitzgerald
- Just One of Those Things by Diana Krall
- I’m in Love Again by Bobby Short
- The Laziest Gal in Town by Marlene Dietrich
- Where Have You Been? by Judy Holliday
So close to your side I’ll stay,
You can never say,
“Baby, where have you been?”
28 September, 2011 | 
tags: 
