‘Tis the season to knit! As the weather turns and we finally get some cool and cozy weather all I want to do is sit and work on projects. Especially with the Vermont Sheep and Wool festival that took place earlier this month, I’ve got all sorts of exceptional yarn to play with. I make almost exclusively socks, as I rarely have the patience for larger projects, but when I do want to go bigger my go-to is Jesie Ostermiller’s The Colorwork Bible. From patterns to techniques, Ostermiller has set me up for all my fall knitting needs.
Colorwork can look intimidating, but it's quite easy, if a hair fiddly to get your technique down. I lean toward basic English colorwork knitting, but this book got me started on much more exciting techniques. I’ve always wanted to figure out intarsia (without making a gigantic mess) and brioche techniques, and Ostermiller’s simple, clear instructions with plenty of photos and swatch practices have made learning easy.
While the fancy and fun techniques are delightful to finally learn, I’m the most excited to be transitioning to Continental colorwork, something I’ve been struggling with for years. There are some incredibly clear and helpful photos and instructions for both types, as well as a hybrid for multi-color knitting that’s helped me transition over to a much speedier way of working.
Unfortunately, I left my project bag at home so I don’t have any good photos to include for you this time around, but everything I’ve made from its patterns or utilizing its tricks and techniques has come out spectacularly!
H Rooker is the Assistant Store Manager at Still North Books and Bar, and a lifelong New Englander.
You’ll find all previous Enthusiasms here.