Tag Archives: Pattern Books

First, the facts:

Title: Deep South Knitting

Author: Beth Moriarty

Published by: Planet Purl Press, 2011

Pages: 154

Type: Patterns

Chapters:

1. West Virginia
2. Kentucky
3. Virginia
4. Tennessee
5. Arkansas
6. Louisiana
7. Mississippi
8. Alabama
9. North Carolina
10. South Carolina
11. Florida
12. Georgia

The In-Depth Look:

I admit, when I think “knitting,” the first geographic area that comes to mind is not the Deep South. I mean, it gets hot down there, right? I think iced tea and mint juleps. Ice cream socials. And, you know, LIGHT clothing. I don’t usually think about what they’d need to knit.

Which just goes to show what a short-sighted Yankee I am, because obviously Southern knitters are just as talented and motivated as their northern counterparts. Even more so, perhaps, since they need more creativity in finding things to knit they can use without sweltering, while those of us who get snow (usually) for several months of the year have no trouble thinking of needed handknits.

The author says, “This collection features 16 of my own designs, inspired by the history, native plants, architecture and flowers (lots of flowers) that define ‘Southern’ for me. We are fortunate to have contributions from 9 other Deep South designers who have created projects inspired by their hometowns. … If you can’t make it down to our neck of the woods for a visit, doing a little Southern cooking of your own might just be the next best thing. I’ve included a dozen of my favorite regional recipes to give you a true ‘taste’ of the South. So put on the kettle, get comfy and plan to stay for a while.’

As to the patterns, there’s a nice variety–sweaters, scarves, fingerless gloves, pillows, skirts. An assortment of things, even a tea cozy. (And the point about needing handknits to counteract extreme air conditioning is an excellent point.)

All of them are beautifully photographed–because the pictures are beautiful. You not only get to see the knits, you get atmosphere. Truly lovely to look at.

The recipes are charming, too. There’s the almost requisite mint julep, along with sweet tea, red velvet cake, peach cobbler, cornbread, plantains, and more.

All in all, this is a lovely book. It’s pretty to look at and filled with nice things to knit and yummy things to eat. What more could you ask for, really? You should check it out!

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by the author. Thank you!

First, the facts:

Title: Nourishing Knits: 24 Projects to Gift and Entertain

Author: Kristi Schueler

Published by: Self-published e-book

Pages: 102

Type: PDF ebook of patterns and accompanying recipes

Chapters:

(Not so much chapters as a list of patterns and recipes)

The In-Depth Look:

Not every knitter cooks or bakes, of course, but I’ve noticed that many of us DO. Maybe we just like to nibble on yummy things as we knit, or maybe there’s some kind of home-maker impulse that goes along with creating knitwear, but there’s some kind of connection.

Which is why Kristi has put together this book–12 knitting patterns paired with the perfect 12 recipes to go with them. She says, “It did not take long to see how to pair knits with food both in and out of the kitchen. Since college I have loved cooking and developing my own recipes. I especially enjoy sharing my efforts, both from the kitchen and the needles, with others. One of my favorite groups to entertain is of course my knitting ensemble. We gather around a food-laden table. We knit, chat, and devour. This time spent enjoying each other’s company nourishes my creativity and spirit much like the processes of knitting and cooking. Each provides different sustenance and are vital to my well being. All 24 projects in this book (both knit and cooked) can be shared. Do not feel you have to though. Treating yourself is equally nourishing.”

These are lovely patterns, too, running through the usual assortment of sweater, gloves, scarf, shawl, and so on. Most of them are accessories, and there is one child’s sweater, and one man’s sweater. The recipes that go with them also run the usual gamut of sweet, savory, main course, dessert, beverage, snack … even dog biscuits that my dog has been clamoring for.

The photography is gorgeous throughout. I mean mouth-watering gorgeous (for the knits as well as the food). The layout is convenient–lots of links between pages, for example, and the header ties each recipe to its pattern, changing for each set throughout the book. There’s a table of contents, and a separate listing for each pattern and recipe, as well as an index for the sidebars. Each comes with a hyperlink to make your PDF as interactive and easy to move around as possible.

My only real complaint? In her “Tips on Using this E-Book,” she specifically says that the ebook was designed to look as much like a real book as possible, to be viewed as two-page spreads in your PDF reader. Which is fine–and don’t get me wrong, the layout is as beautiful to look at as the photos–but on my laptop screen, trying to read through this with a two-up layout is next to impossible. The headers on each page I can read, but the italicized descriptions that go with them are just too small. Reading the e-book in the recommended way more or less means that I can’t read it at all. (And it’s not my eyes–I keep the font on my Kindle at the smallest setting. It’s just a lot to fit into a laptop screen.) Presumably if you’re reading on a larger monitor, this isn’t an issue. And, of course, all you need to do is read in a single-page layout for this not to be an issue. I just thought it odd that the author and designer would go out of their way to tell you to view it in such a way that makes it harder to read.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go look at that dog biscuit recipe again.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Kristi. Thank you!