knittingmag.com 23Anna explores 10 different materials from
both a scientific and artistic perspective,
looking at the history of their use and
trying out different crafts for herself, from
glass blowing and blacksmithing to paper
making and spoon carving.
In the wool chapter, she explains the
molecular make-up of wool and what
gives it its special properties. She also
learns how to knit and dye, and her joy
in her first completed project – a blanket
made from yarns bought on a roadtrip
around Scotland and northern England –
will be familiar to many knitters.
The mix of science, craft and
biography makes for an absorbing read
as you follow Anna on her personal
journey to understanding ‘meaning
through making’. JR
£17.99, BloomsburyMODERN MEN’S KNITS AND
MODERN WOMEN’S KNITS
Jen GeigleyThese two new
books from
Jen Geigley
feature casual,
contemporary
sweaters and
accessories for
men and women.
The men’s book
has 11 patterns,
and also includes a handy worksheet
where you can record all your essential
measurements. Favourite designs include
the diamond cable sweater Merrick, the
stripy Rivet scarf and the Bedford hat
pattern, which you will find on page 85 of
this issue.
The 12 women’s patterns are mainly
based on neutral shades of grey, blue and
cream, with accents in brighter colours.
Favourites include the Frances jumper,
a contemporary take on a Fairisle design
that contrasts dark grey with lemon yellow;
and the multicoloured Corinna wrap. JR
£11.99, Quail Studiothe British summertime with picnics,
barbecues, tennis, landscape painting,
hiking, gardening, camping, cricket and
much more. Each cleverly knitted image
comes with a Carry On-style innuendo
joke and the whole collection would make
a marvellous gift. Sadly the book doesn’t
include patterns, but it’s a cheeky treat for
any knitter. Keep calm, avert your eyes if
necessary and carry on crafting. CB
£ 7.9 9, Po r ti coRESILIENT STITCH
Claire Wellesley-SmithIn this thought-
provoking book,
Claire Wellesley-
Smith explores
the meaning
of the word
‘resilience’, the
role art can play
in wellbeing
and how we
can extend the life of our materials. She
looks at the ways community-based
art projects can connect people to
their local history, and how textiles can
bring people together – toys made from
donated fabrics is one moving example.
In these days of fast fashion, it is
fascinating to read about how fabrics were
used in the past: even the most worn-out
scraps could still find a use in quilts. This
kind of reuse and repair illustrates just how
resilient fabrics really are.
Rather than patterns, the book includes
practical exercises that encourage mindful
use of materials, such as making string or
a memory quilt from old fabrics. JR
£22.95, BatsfordHANDMADE
Anna PloszajskiIf you’ve ever
wondered about
the molecules
that make up
the wool you’re
knitting with,
then this is the
book for you.
As a materials
scientist, Anna
Ploszajski
understood
materials at the atomic level, but she
wanted to make a more personal, creative
connection with them. In HandmadeEMBODY
Jacqueline Cieslak
Around five years
ago, Jacqueline
Cieslak gave up
on a lifetime of
trying to shrink
her body and
decided to
honour it instead.
She started
making clothes
partly
as a means of getting to know a body she
had previously seen as transient, and
partly out of necessity, because she
couldn’t find clothes she liked in her size.
Embody is a capsule collection of knitting
and sewing patterns. In the contents list
there are just two designs to knit and one
to sew – but these are infinitely adaptable
creations which can be made in all sorts
of variations to suit each individual body
exactly. The Deren sweater comes in
all sorts of versions, from a long, classic
sweater through a cropped cardigan
and a sleeveless waistcoat to a cropped
tee. Each version can be knitted in sizes
and with adjustments so that you will
make something that is just right for your
shape. They are also designed to be styled
with each other, as well as with textured
trapezoid shawl Elsom and sewn pattern
Woolfork, a wardrobe staple that ranges
from a cropped T-shirt top via a tunic to a
calf-length dress. This is a beautiful, elegant,
understated collection that will intrigue
any knitter interested in adapting patterns
to suit their style. And for anyone out there
who has ever had trouble with designs that
don’t quite fit – this is for you. CB
£16.50, Pom Pom Press
GOING WILD IN WOOLLY BUSH
Sarah Simi
It’s summertime
and those
cheeky folks in
Woolly Bush are
out and about
again, baring all
with a knitty take
on a very British
sense of humour. Going Wild in Woolly
Bush is the latest offering from Nudinits
creator Sarah Simi, and it’s ‘Bernard and
Barbara’s guide to getting it all out in
the open’. The exhibitionist inhabitants
of Woolly Bush are making the most of