Tag Archives: kate atherley

Review: Knit Mitts

Review: Knit Mitts post image

knitmitt-01

First, the facts:

Title: Knit Mitts: Your Hand-Y Guide to Knitting Mittens and Gloves

Author: Kate Atherley

Published by: Interweave Press, 2017

Pages: 143

Type: Mittens and gloves

Chapters:

Introduction: Why Fit Matters and How to Use This Book
1. Hand Size and Mitten Fit
2. Yarns & Warmth
3. Making Mittens and Gloves
4. The Basic Patterns
5. Accessories and Design Customizations
6. Patterns
Abbreviations
Stitch Glossary

KS: Knit Mitts

The In-Depth Look:

Everybody loves mittens, right? Because fingers get cold in the winter time (and the autumn, and the spring, and in air conditioning, and … you get the picture).

It’s therefore not a surprise that there are lots of books and patterns for mittens in the world. Not quite as many as for sock patterns, but close! So, why do we need more?

Because (this may be a surprise) not everybody has the same size hands. Some people have long fingers, some have plump hands, some have short little fingers … there are variations.

Which is why it’s useful to have a book that explains all the mysterious intricacies about making the perfect pair of gloves of mittens–how to measure your hands, how to pick your yarns, what you need in a cuff, how to attach the thumb … you get the idea.

Then after all that, wouldn’t it be nice to have just good, well thought out, basic patterns to work with? Ones that you could use to kick off your own explorations of color and stitch patterns?

And, how about some pretty patterns that already have the work done for you and have already paired up the right cables or stitch patterns into, say, ten brand-new patterns?

See? That’s why we needed another book about mittens and gloves–because Kate Atherley has already done all the heavy lifting for us.

You can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com!

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: You only think you know everything you need to know about mittens.

Other posts for this author:

Review: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Knitting Patterns

Review: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Knitting Patterns post image

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First, the facts:

Title: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Knitting Patterns: Learn to Write Patterns Others Can Knit

Author: Kate Atherley

Published by: Interweave Press, 2016

Pages: 127

Type: How-to

Chapters:

Introduction
1. Pattern Structure and Elements
2. The Actual Knitting Instructions
3. Charts
4. Grading
5. Formatting & Layout
6. The Process
7. Selling Online
8. On Copyrght
Appendix A: Basic Pattern Template
Appendix B: Abbreviations, Standard Terms and Glossary
Appendix C: Resources & Bibliography

KS: Beginner's Guide to Knitting Patterns

The In-Depth Look:

It’s about time, frankly, that someone put together a book this good, this thorough, and this useful for pattern writing.

You might have noticed that knitting is rather, um, popular these days. Despite the good showing of the recent surge in adult coloring books, I don’t see interest in knitting waning any time soon.

But, like anything else, once people have done something for a while, they start to want to do more. You’ve mastered garter stitch? Try stockinette stitch. You’ve mastered hats? Try mittens. You’ve mastered cables? Try lace.

You’ve mastered following patterns? Try designing your own.

I think this is an excellent idea, mind you. I’m a huge fan of being a Thinking Knitter, and for a lot of basic shapes and styles, there’s really no reason most moderately skilled knitters couldn’t simply design their own pullovers or basic shawls. Why not? It’s fun!

But the next step … sharing your patterns with others? Ah, that’s where new designers get into trouble. They think it’s easy. Yes, some parts might be–knitting a swatch, plotting a curve on a graph, combining colors–but others? How about scaling a pattern for different sizes? What about creating stitch charts? Or writing the instructions so that they’re clear? Just because you can read that specialized knitting code of “(RS) K3, p1, *k tbl, p1, C6R, p1, rep from * 3 times.” doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.

Like anything else, good designing is a lot harder than it looks. Anyone can write a sentence, after all, but not everyone is Shakespeare.

So here, finally, is a book that actually tells you how to write patterns for other people–patterns you can design and then sell. Patterns people will want to knit.

Mind you, this isn’t a book about the process of designing. It’s not going to tell you how to shape a sleeve cap or how to get the best gauge for the perfect drape. It’s about writing the pattern. It says right in the introduction, “This book is for any knitter who creates his or her own designs and is looking to write instructions to allow others to knit those designs.”

Honestly, I can only wonder what took so long. I’ve seen far too many bad patterns out there–and by “bad” I mean badly realized, badly designed, badly written, badly spelled, as well as just plain ugly. Sometimes the fault is the design itself, with things like sleeve cuffs so small you’d never fit a hand through it, but most of the time? It’s not so much the design as the instructions I’m supposed to follow to get that finished product on my needles.

Thank you, Kate Atherley, for putting together this incredibly clear, concise, and useful book for all those talented designers out there who don’t quite know how to get their instructions down on paper for other people. I think your book is brilliant and sorely needed.

Which means, if it wasn’t clear enough, that if you are even remotely interested in producing knitwear designs for other people, and if you’ve never done this before, you really need to get this book. Trust me. I’ve seen far too many otherwise brilliant designs suffocating under terribly written instructions and horrible charts and pattern layout. Don’t let that happen to you!

You can get your copy here or at your favorite local shop.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: It’s about time.

Other posts for this author:

Review: Custom Socks

Review: Custom Socks post image

customsocks_001

First, the facts:

Title: Custom Socks: Knit to Fit Your Feet. 15 Patterns to Make Your Own

Author: Kate Atherley

Published by: Interweave Press, 2015

Pages: 191

Type: Socks, How-To

Chapters:

1. On Sock Sizing
2. On Yarn, Needles, and Gauge
3. On the Basic Patterns
4. On Adding Stitch Patterns
5. On Adjustments for Non-Average Feet

KS: Custom Socks

The In-Depth Look:

Everybody loves to knit socks, right?

Or, maybe you don’t. Maybe you think they’re too fiddly or too small. Too complicated, perhaps. Or maybe the socks you make just never feel comfortable.

Maybe what you need is a blueprint that will show you exactly what you need to know to make socks that will fit your feet … yours … not just someone who wears the same shoe size. (Because, yes, that does make a difference.)

Kate Atherley has done a massive amount of homework, here, to give you step by step instructions about everything you need to know to make a good, perfectly fitted sock. She tells you how to measure your foot correctly–and what measurements to pay attention to. She talks about the right yarn, and how to make adjustments for everything from a shallow arch to adjusting the shape of the toe to fit most comfortably.

Details, you’ll see, are not in short supply. This book is chock full of them, along with instructions for both toe-up and top-down socks, ankle-length or knee-highs.

Interestingly, all the heels in this book–regardless of the direction of the sock–are the standard heel-flap type heel. No short row heels here. I’m guessing this is because it’s easier to adjust the fit of the heel-flap style to suit every person’s unique heel shapes, but confess this is the one real flaw I found in this book. I’ve never found an old-school flap-heel that fit me comfortably and rely on short-row heels for my socks … but then, I haven’t tried Kate’s heels yet. Maybe she’ll convert me, but in the meantime, I wish she had included it–even if it was a throw-away “These aren’t as flexible or easy to customize, but if you’re interested…” kind of thing. But then, there’s only so much room in a book, and she was busy doing so many other things!

In addition to the exhaustive instructions, there are fully realized patterns for you to make (along with notes on what makes them special and how to customize to your heart’s content).

All in all, this is a great sock book. The information is thorough, the patterns attractive, the instructions easy to follow, and the photos are appealing.

Really, what else does a knitter need? Other than yarn and needles, of course!

You can find this book at Amazon.com or at your local shop.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: Great detail, thorough, even if my favorite style heel is left out.

Review: Custom Socks

Review: Custom Socks post image

customsocks_001

First, the facts:

Title: Custom Socks: Knit to Fit Your Feet. 15 Patterns to Make Your Own

Author: Kate Atherley

Published by: Interweave Press, 2015

Pages: 191

Type: Socks, How-To

Chapters:

1. On Sock Sizing
2. On Yarn, Needles, and Gauge
3. On the Basic Patterns
4. On Adding Stitch Patterns
5. On Adjustments for Non-Average Feet

KS: Custom Socks

The In-Depth Look:

Everybody loves to knit socks, right?

Or, maybe you don’t. Maybe you think they’re too fiddly or too small. Too complicated, perhaps. Or maybe the socks you make just never feel comfortable.

Maybe what you need is a blueprint that will show you exactly what you need to know to make socks that will fit your feet … yours … not just someone who wears the same shoe size. (Because, yes, that does make a difference.)

Kate Atherley has done a massive amount of homework, here, to give you step by step instructions about everything you need to know to make a good, perfectly fitted sock. She tells you how to measure your foot correctly–and what measurements to pay attention to. She talks about the right yarn, and how to make adjustments for everything from a shallow arch to adjusting the shape of the toe to fit most comfortably.

Details, you’ll see, are not in short supply. This book is chock full of them, along with instructions for both toe-up and top-down socks, ankle-length or knee-highs.

Interestingly, all the heels in this book–regardless of the direction of the sock–are the standard heel-flap type heel. No short row heels here. I’m guessing this is because it’s easier to adjust the fit of the heel-flap style to suit every person’s unique heel shapes, but confess this is the one real flaw I found in this book. I’ve never found an old-school flap-heel that fit me comfortably and rely on short-row heels for my socks … but then, I haven’t tried Kate’s heels yet. Maybe she’ll convert me, but in the meantime, I wish she had included it–even if it was a throw-away “These aren’t as flexible or easy to customize, but if you’re interested…” kind of thing. But then, there’s only so much room in a book, and she was busy doing so many other things!

In addition to the exhaustive instructions, there are fully realized patterns for you to make (along with notes on what makes them special and how to customize to your heart’s content).

All in all, this is a great sock book. The information is thorough, the patterns attractive, the instructions easy to follow, and the photos are appealing.

Really, what else does a knitter need? Other than yarn and needles, of course!

You can find this book at Amazon.com or at your local shop.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: Great detail, thorough, even if my favorite style heel is left out.