knittingmag.com
REVIEWS
CHRISTINE BOGGIS EXPLORES THE LATEST LAUNCHES
MACHINE KNITTING:
DESIGNING WITH COLOUR
Alison DupernexThis colourful and comprehensive
hardback is aimed at makers already
familiar with machine knitting who want to
stretch themselves and explore their craft
further. Alison Dupernex had struggled
to find a machine knitting book that went
beyond the basics – so she decided to
write one herself. The book includes
a brief but comprehensive and very
informative history of hand and machine
knitting, going from its first origins all
the way to a look to the future and ways
knitting is being used in medicine, science
and technology.
The book introduces fibres, tools and
techniques and covers the basics of
machine knitting before exploring the
design process in depth and encouraging
readers to create their own unique styles.
It then goes on to explore designing with
stripes, colour, circles, Fairisle and lace,
and creating sculptural vessels in more
depth, including a collection of delightful
patterns to learn from and make yourself.
It concludes with an introduction to
turning your machine knitting hobby into
a business. This is a really good guide
and useful reference book for anyone
interested in starting out or progressing
in machine knitting, and with its beautiful
and colourful photography it will look
great on your coffee table too.
£29.95, The Crowood Press22
KNITPRO
NOSTEPINNE
If, like me, you’re a
big fan of yarn sold in
delicious, gorgeously
presented hanks, you
will undoubtedly have
come across a single
niggling problem
with these delightful
things: you have to
wind them before
you can knit them. I
long ago invested in a
swift and ball winder
which have made this
process quick, easy
and fun, but there is
still one difficulty: if
I buy a hank of yarn
when I’m out and
about, I can’t start
playing with it straight
away – for example,
on the train home.
This is where
KnitPro’s nostepinne
comes in. This carved
wooden handle,
sanded very smooth,
with an ergonomic
shaped grip and a
little ridge at the end
to stop yarn sliding off, is a handheld ball
winder you can use to wind your hanks
wherever you may be – on a train, a plane,
or even at the top of a mountain, should
you so desire.
There are plenty of tutorials online to
get you started, but essentially you begin
with a slip knot around your nostepinne
and then wind the yarn around the winder
until you have a ball. It’s a pleasant rhythm,
just as enjoyable as knitting, and at the
end you can slip the ball off the end of the
nostepinne and the slip knot becomes the
working yarn of your centre-pull ball.
I have to admit that this is not quite as
straightforward as my mechanical ball
winder and, having somewhat rushed
into the process (I have a tendency to
approach new tasks with more enthusiasm
than caution) I did end up finding myself
in rather a tangle. That was not to do with
the nostepinne but with an inadequate
method of holding the yarn I was winding,
so do make sure you get your unwound
hank into a secure position before you get
started. My finished ball was surprisingly
sturdy, although it didn’t pull quite as well
as I had hoped – or as I had seen in online
demonstrations. It’s clear that once you
get the hang of it you can get a really
excellent ball that is just as good as any
machine-wound cake, so I’m going to keep
trying, take some more YouTube tutorials
and really learn this new skill. Once I’ve
mastered it, I’ll be able to take my small,
lightweight nostepinne with me anywhere
and no yarn will ever be inaccessible again.
Approx £10-15, KnitPro