Pop Knitting.

An inspiring new book has landed at the shop. Pop Knitting: Bold Motifs Using Color and Stitch, by Britt-Marie Christoffersson is a collection of graphic, modern-looking stitch patterns.

Christoffersson combines color and texture in surprising ways, making the book itself a thing of beauty.

The sweaters shown alongside many of these motifs make use of them in beautiful and often pleasantly strange garments. The results are fascinating and exciting, whether they appeal to your personal taste or not.

Come to the shop to take a closer look at Pop Knitting; you're sure to find some inspiration there.

Extra Yarn.

A phrase I'm always delighted to hear at the shop is "I brought some show and tell." Fascinating things are pulled from purses and knitting bags: projects in progress and recently completed, intriguing patterns, years-old handed-down hand-knits, and sometimes most interesting--books. A knitter brought this one in for show and tell a few weeks ago, and immediately, we knew we had to stock it here at the shop. Then Clara reviewed it, and the point was driven home. We placed the order, and Extra Yarn now lives here with us.

Extra Yarn is a children's book, but its knitterly subject matter and gorgeous illustrations make it equally appealing to adults.

Come by the shop to flip through this sweet storybook. You'll find it on the teacart, perfectly at home among the newest grown-up knitting books. See you at the shop!

Knitbot Essentials.

Last week, a sweetly-packaged bundle of books arrived at the shop.

Quince & Co. has just published a collection of knitting patterns by Hannah Fettig, co-author of last fall's beautiful Coastal Knits. Say hello to Knitbot Essentials.

Inside, you'll find simple cardigans, pullovers, and accessories that look comfortable and easy to wear.

The patterns are shown in Quince & Co. yarns, but written with yarn substitution in mind, making it easy to figure out what yarns will work well for each pattern, and how much you'll need. Fettig also provides an excellent section on how to achieve drape in knitted fabric, demystifying the gauge of her patterns, which is often larger than what you'd typically expect from the yarn.

Anne has already swatched her beloved sweater's-worth of Malabrigo Finito to get gauge for Fettig's Lightweight Pullover (above).

Copies of Knitbot Essentials have been quickly disappearing, but have no fear--a new shipment of them is expected this week. Come by to take a closer look at this truly tempting collection.

Knitting in the round: two new books.

Knitters who know me know that I love a good reference book. I savor detailed explanations, carefully labeled diagrams, and knitting books just stuffed with information. Here are two such books, both of which have recently arrived at the shop.

In Circular Knitting Workshop, Margaret Radcliffe gives expert guidance on the technique for which the book is named. This includes several different methods of knitting in the round: using a singular circular needle, two circular needles, and four or five double-pointed needles. Radcliffe then arranges quite a lot of knitting knowledge around this technique, explaining how gauge, charts, and finishing techniques function in circular knitting, as opposed to a flat knitted piece.

Most useful of all, perhaps, is her section on converting pattern instructions from flat to circular. This is a question that comes up at the shop all the time; a knitter admires the look of a pattern, but would rather work seamlessly in the round than sew flat pieces together. Circular Knitting Workshop is the best resource I've seen for making these kinds of changes to a pattern.

Meanwhile, The Sock Knitter's Handbook focuses this same kind of technique-teaching attention to the particular craft of knitting socks.

Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrot have put together a great resource, with schematics and instruction for both toe-up and top-down socks.

Many heel and toe variations are explained and clearly illustrated, with different colors of yarn used in each different step of knitting. This helps to highlight the construction of the thing, the process that gets you to the product.

Come by the shop to stick your nose in a book or two, for that, too, is one of the great pleasures of knitting.

60 More Quick Baby Knits.

60 More Quick Baby Knits is the latest collection of patterns for the popular Cascade yarns, focusing this time on Cascade 220 Superwash Sport, a lightweight washable merino wool.  

60 More Quick Baby Knits is well described by its simple title; inside, you'll find everything baby: sweaters, booties, onesies, hats, blankets, sleep sacks, and more. There's a nice variety of patterns, as you might expect in a group as big as 60, from simple texture patterns to cables, lace, and colorwork. Something for every knitter with a baby project in mind.

Find it on the shelf with all our baby books. See you at the shop!

Strikketøj.

The newest book by Danish designer Helga Isager has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Strikketøj is a pattern collection well-described by its subtitle: Knitting Designs Inspired by the Pop Culture of the 20th Century. Isager offers a pair of patterns for every decade of the 20th century, meant to reflect something of the style of the time.

Often, she pairs an adult pattern with a child's pattern, and both are equally chic. If you're interested in unusual children's knitting patterns, Helga Isager's designs are worth a look.

Strikketøj is a must-see for those seeking new uses for Isager yarns. Have a look next time you're in the shop!

The Principles of Knitting.

Here is a book that has been much-anticipated, a healthily revised version of a classic knitting tome: The Principles of Knitting, by June Hemmons Hiatt.

As I've expressed here on the blog before, I have a great love of serious knitting resource books. I don't need a lot of beautiful photography, though I'm in no way opposed to it, and while pattern collections can be wonderfully inspiring, there is nothing more exciting to me than a knitting book packed full of text, charts, and diagrams. The Principles of Knitting is right up my alley in this manner, as it is something of an encyclopedia of knitting at 736 pages. It is a thick, heavy book, one best perused at a table, with time and concentration.

Hiatt takes an analytical approach to the craft, cataloguing many versions of many techniques and offering an informed opinion on their best applications. As the length of the book suggests, Hiatt does not use words sparingly, as so many knitting technique books do. Instead, Hiatt takes all the room that is necessary to clearly and deliberately explain a technique, even one as deceptively simple as holding the yarn.

For someone who learns best from written instructions, this is a real treat, a book tailored to that very learning style. For me, The Principles of Knitting is a perfect fit, a big, beautiful book that I'm happy to page through for pleasure as well as instruction. If you have ever wanted a book of every imaginable cast-on, or have wondered which kind of increase or decrease to use, and why there are so many, The Principles of Knitting deserves your attention. It is a book to grow with, and one that reflects how much there is to learn and to do with knitting needles and yarn.

If I've intrigued you, come by the shop and see the book for yourself, where you'll find it weighing down the teacart importantly, a mere stack of two copies tall enough to tower over all the other new releases. See you at the shop.

For the hands and the feet: two new books.

From Martingale & Co. this week, we received two new books. One will help you clothe your hands, and the other, your feet. Let's take a closer look.

There are many ways to knit small circumferences in the round, and it's a good thing, too, because preferences vary from knitter to knitter. Some love double points and some loathe them. Some are happy using the magic loop on one long circular, while the mere thought of magic loop knitting sets others on edge. Some prefer knitting small circumferences like mittens or socks on two circular needles, and this new book is for them. Knitting Circles Around Mittens and More, by Antje Gillingham, is a collection of patterns for mitts and mittens using two circular needles.

Along with the patterns comes helpful information about modifying existing patterns to use two circulars instead of double points, as well as instruction on knitting two mittens at once. If knitting in the round on two circulars is your kind of thing, this book may be, too.

Now, for the feet: Knitting Scandinavian Slippers and Socks, by Laura Farson, is for lovers of colorwork. Many of the patterns use worsted weight yarn to create cushy slippers, but some are for fingering weight yarns, as well. Here are some of the stranded designs you'll find inside:

Take a look at these and other new books next time you're in the shop.

Amimono, Autumn/Winter 2008.

Hot off the presses this collection is not. Say, "Hello, again," to Amimono Knit Collection, circa Autumn/Winter 2008.

Though it's out of print, Anne was able to score one last reorder of Helga Isager's lovely 2008 collection. I've always admired the cover sweater, Olive, for its stylish simplicity. Knit with any of the Isager yarns, this would make a lightweight, elegantly draped pullover. Page through, and you'll also find a cape, a long vest, and a trio of brioche patterns: hat, scarf, and sweater.

If you haven't seen this collection before, come by and take a look at this artful use of Isager yarns.

A Handknit Romance.

A new book arrived from Interweave this week: Jennie Atkinson's A Handknit Romance: 22 Vintage Designs with Lovely Details.

The first thing I noticed in this book was the use of Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering yarn. The mere mention of Swans Island tends to stop me in my tracks, that I might join in gushing over their spectacular yarn.

Those of you who appreciate fine yarns at small gauges will appreciate A Handknit Romance, especially if you have a fondness for traditional feminine details. Take a look next time you're in the shop.

Books, new and old.

We got a box of books in the mail last week, some of which were new, and others of which were merely in need of being reordered. From the department of Books That Have Sold Well That We Are Pleased To See On The Shelves Again:

• The Magic Loop: Working Around On One Needle, by Bev Galeskas
• The Knitter's Book of Socks, by Clara Parkes
• My Grandmother's Knitting: Family Stories and Inspired Knits from Top Designers, by Larissa Brown, featuring contributions from Meg Swansen, Jared Flood, Cookie A., Norah Gaughan, and many more
• Coastal Knits: a Collaboration Between Friends on Opposite Shores, by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig

And from the rather more exciting department of Books That Have Never Before Graced Our Shelves:

• Stashbuster Knits: Tips, Tricks, and 21 Beautiful Projects for Using Your Favorite Leftover Yarn, by Melissa Leapman
• Brave New Knits: 26 Projects and Personalities from the Knitting Blogosphere, by Julie Turjoman

Look for these and other knitting and crochet books at the shop. Hope you find something inspiring within their pages.

Knitting with Two Colors.

Back in November, I wrote about two of my favorite new colorwork resources: Alice Starmore's Charts for Color Knitting and Mary Jane Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs. I remember the feeling of contentment I had in placing those two on my bookshelf at home, thinking, "This completes my colorwork library." That, however, was before Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen's Knitting with Two Colors appeared. Now, having seen this new book from Schoolhouse Press, gaps appear in my colorwork library where none existed before. Where was the technical detail on preparing for and cutting steeks? The guidance on altering existing colorwork patterns, and designing your own? Ways to incorporate shaping into a colorwork sweater without completely confusing the patterning? The hows, whys, and whether-or-nots of various hems, borders, and necklines? Why, here they are, calmly and clearly explained by these two most experienced colorwork knitters, Swansen and Detjen.

Knitting with Two Colors is neither a book of sweater patterns nor a book of colorwork charts, but truly a book of techniques, a slim paperback volume that is absolutely bursting with information. I can imagine no better companion to Starmore's Charts for Color Knitting or Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs than Swansen and Detjen's Knitting with Two Colors. Colorwork enthusiasts, and anyone else who's curious, should take a look at this book, and take home a copy if there's an ambitious colorwork project in your future. Find it on the teacart.

Simply Crochet.

Another little something for the crocheters came in this week: Simply Crochet: 22 Stylish Designs for Every Day, by Robyn Chachula. This new collection features patterns from a variety of designers, including the well-known Doris Chan and Kristin Omdahl, whose books we also keep in stock.

Come by the shop to take a look!

Folk Socks.

Here is an older book, made new this year with revisions and updated content. First published in 1994, Nancy Bush's Folk Socks is back in print and back on our shelves.

With its long historical preamble, various heel- and toe-shaping techniques, and colorwork patterns, Folk Socks is right up my alley.

In thumbing through this excellent book, I was particularly struck by a simple pair of socks, knit in gray and white with only one small stranded motif.

With the abundance of stitch dictionaries, sock books, and color combinations I have available, I'm likely to add more color, more patterning, more complication to my colorwork socks, all in an attempt to try as many new things as possible in any given sock. These socks, and this book, reminded me that beautiful socks need not be covered from cuff to toe in patterning. One well-chosen motif can go a long way. And oh, this book has me aching for more colorwork socks!

Come by the shop to see Folk Socks for yourself, and be talked into colorwork sock-knitting by yours truly.