Bookshelf laden with new works for knitters

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First, designer Nicky Epstein gave knitters “Knitting on the Edge.” She followed that with “Knitting Over the Edge.” In her most recent book, “Knitting Beyond the Edge,” she shows knitters how to add interest, whimsy and pizzazz to the cuffs and collars, necklines, corners, edges and closures of hand-knit sweaters, jackets and other items.

Knitted details such as ruffles, bobbles, lace and other touches in the book are meant to be incorporated into whatever garment one is working on, or to serve as a starting point for designing your own knit piece. However, the designs can be knit separately and sewn into place on a knitted garment. The designs also can be used as the starting point for a sleeve, or the finishing point for a neckline.

The collars and cuffs section offers lacy, ruffled, smocked, latticed and bobbled designs.

The necklines section includes eyelet, cable, turtleneck, floral and I-cord designs.

The corners and edges section features an English garden edge of knit flowers and leaves, floral motifs, scalloped edges and many others.

The closures section lets knitters play with plackets, incorporating frogs, button loops, a raised leaf motif and cables, to name a few.

Patterns for a jacket, a sleeveless sweater with a deep V-neck, a cardigan with cabled points and a hooded shawl also are included in the book.

Those who find knitting socks endlessly fascinating will find plenty to keep them occupied in “Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave.” The patterns in the book were published previously in issues of Interweave Knits magazine.

The patterns, the book’s Introduction states, “were among the most popular projects in each issue.”

Each sock pattern is the brainchild of designers whose names are familiar to dyed-in-the-wool knitters and include Nancy Bush, Ann Budd and Evelyn A. Clark.

Knitters will find patterns for lacy socks, plain socks, striped socks, multicolored socks and many others.

The patterns call for lightweight yarns in wool or cotton manufactured by Brown Sheep Co., Cascade, Dale of Norway and Koigu Wool Designs to name a few.

Most of the patterns are knit on size 3 or smaller needles, although a few patterns use size 5 needles.

The book is amply illustrated and has a spiral binding, making it friendly to use.

Knitters in search of adventure will find much of interest in “Knit Kimono” by Vicki Square, especially the section on the history and anatomy of Japanese kimonos, which discloses the fact that Japanese kimonos are constructed of seven straight pieces cut from a single piece of fabric approximately 121/2 yards long and 14 inches wide.

That section is followed by a lesson on how to design your own hand-knit kimono – in other words, you do the math and figure out how big to make it, then decide on the design aspects you want, in terms of color and texture.

Kimono patterns in the book range from simple, striped vest-like patterns, to short jacketlike kimonos, to long kimonos you can wrap up and get lost in – sort of like an afghan only with sleeves and other shaping.

The author writes that her kimono designs are easy enough for beginners to knit because they are made of five rectangles that are sewn, or knit, together.

Fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books know that knitting appears in all of the highly popular tomes about the magical world of Hogwarts. Not only do some of the characters knit, they wear lots of knitted things, such as sweaters, scarves and caps.

Having homed in on that fact, knitting blogger and Harry Potter fan Alison Hansel has compiled “Charmed Knits: Projects for Harry Potter Fans.” Hansel writes, “In each book, we catch another glimpse of one of [Rowling’s] characters taking up the needles: Hagrid knits up something huge and yellow while taking Harry to Diagon Alley the first time; Mrs. Weasley charms up sweaters for her entire clan; Hermione learns to knit in an attempt to free Gryffindor elves … and even Dumbledore admits that he enjoys reading a good knitting pattern!”

Hansel’s book improvises on the Harry Potter magic theme by offering a compendium of patterns categorized by level of difficulty. A dozen designers contribute designs inspired by Harry Potter books and films.

Knitters will find patterns for The Weasley Sweater, Errol the Weasley’s owl, the Student Wizard Cap and Robe, the Invisibility Shawl, Wand Cozies, the Quidditch Sweater and Socks and all manner of hats, socks, mittens and other sweaters giving knitters delightful entry into the magic knitting needles can do.

“Isn’t knitting itself a form of alchemy, giving form to fiber, shaping yarn into useful objects, conjuring a sweater from sheep’s wool?” Hansel writes. “A knitting pattern, much like a magic spell, is a set of instructions for transfiguration.”

In “Charmed Knits,” as in J.K. Rowling’s books, stitchcraft and witchcraft go hand in hand.

To learn more about these books and where to get them, call your local bookstore or public library.

Snippets

The Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society will sponsor a quilt documentation day 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, at the Sullivan Town Hall. Quilts made before 1960 are appropriate for the event and will be examined, photographed and documented by members of the Maine Quilt Heritage association. No appraisals will be given. Bring information about the history of the quilt. There is a limit of five quilts per person or organization. For more information and to register, call 422-3047.

Cotton Spice, an online quilters’ magazine, features a Block of the Month Challenge in which 12 fabric artists each contribute a square each month until the quilt is complete. The patterns then become available to others who want to make the quilt at the Web site www.cottonspice.com.

Call Ardeana Hamlin at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.