Amy Detjen

There are primarily three types of knitting books: project books, stitch dictionaries, and those of educational techniques. It's this last category that is difficult to write effectively, how does one translate a class to paper? A mere transcription of a class session does not suffice. Knitting with Two Colors is a slim book that does the impossible and more. In just 64 pages you learn how to knit effectively, efficiently, and effortlessly with two colors.

The volume begins with some basics, covering several methods to cast on, the importance of swatching and measuring for gauge, and there are several helpful tips for confident chart reading. The clear color photos and line drawings enhance the technique descriptions. Personally, I found the tips for trapping yarn the most helpful, and it solved some of the issues I had experienced in my color knitting. The suggestion of hats for skill building is a practical solution, they are great projects to practice color knitting -- they're smaller and faster than a sweater and cover most skills needed to master knitting a two-color garment.

After this introduction, the book delves into the entirety of sweater construction. With tips for casting on a sweater body, to choosing hems, borders, and placing steeks. There are many tips throughout this chapter for the garment, including shaping within a pattern and different methods for working short rows. Steeks are covered in a clear and straightforward manner, and while purposely taking scissors to one's knitting can be scary, with the many tips and photos to guide you, there is no reason for fear. There are many helpful tips sprinkled throughout; I like the low-tech method for keeping track of increases every x rounds. There are amazing example photos throughout for inspiration and illustration of technique.

In the third chapter, you are guided in designing your own sweater. The EPS system for a seamless yoke and drop shoulder sweaters are explained and several cast-on numbers are provided for gauge from 6 to 8 stitches per inch. You are again stepped through the process of knitting a sweater and as a technique is required, it is cross referenced back to the second chapter where it is discussed in detail. It is in this chapter that you learn the magic of working motifs into different stitch counts, primarily through the use of pivot and panel stitches, centering motifs is also covered in more detail.

The final chapter includes a few other tips and tricks that didn't quite fit in elsewhere in the volume but are helpful for two color knitting. Both indexes are detailed and beneficial, the topical index is cross referenced and the photo identification index is wonderful, including the designer and where to find the pattern.

Whether new to two color knitting or highly familiar, I think every knitter will pick up skills and tips. I highly recommend Knitting with Two Colors.… (plus d'informations)