Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Book Review: Freeform Knitting and Crochet

There's a new book that's hot off the press called, "Freeform Knitting and Crochet" by Jenny Dowde, and I have a copy in my hot, little hands!  Let the drooling begin!

  For several weeks, members of the online freeform group have done nothing but rave about this book.  And so, I decided I needed to get it and check it out myself, and I'm glad it did.  It arrived in yesterday's mail ... I'm astonished that B&N got it to me so fast!  Whoo Hoo!  

If you're not familiar with what freeform is, then let this be your formal introduction.  Journal Reader, meet freeform.  Freeform, meet my Journal Readers.  There, now that that's out of the way, it's time to learn a bit of what freeform is so we can get back to this new book I'm enjoying...  

 Freeform is also known as scrumbling ... in a nutshell, it's a method of taking your fiber and breaking all the rules.  You can mix your colors, your stitches, your fibers, and your directions to create truly unique pieces of art.  James Walters & Silva Cosh are the "God Parents" or "Grand Parents" of the freeform movement that began many years ago; only now is it catching on like wildfire.   

Jenny's book pays tribute to Margaret Hubert (www.margarethubertoriginals.com) -- who happens to be one of the ladies that helped introduce me to this concept. The other lady, my first impression of freeform, was through Prudence Mapstone (www.notjustknitting.com) when she visited NYC a few years ago.  

So, now, here I sit, leafing through this book and I can see it's going to be a long-term love affair.  Jenny discusses what it means to "scrumble," discusses the basics of color theory (which is a huge section of the book!), and offers "instructions" on various projects to get you started.  There's a list of suggested reading, and a page dedicated to sources -- how delightful!  

 If you're looking to learn new things about crochet too, then you may want to consider adding this book to your personal library too. (for more information, you can click onto the image & it will take you to the B&N website where I do most of my book shopping).  I know I'm going to enjoy this book for years to come.

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