Book Notes #1: The Joy of Spinning, A Close-Knit Family, Wild Color
I'm not an experienced spinner, knitter or dyer; what I am is learning, about things I'm likely to do and things I just like, and these are some notes I've made for myself along the way. Comments are welcome.
- The Joy of Spinning, Marilyn Kluger (1971, scantly updated in 1991). A charming introduction to spinning, this book gives practical how-to information in the context of the author's own exploration of spinning as well as other historical stories. Spinning on both wheels and spindles is covered, as well as basic fiber preparation and 'natural' dyeing, particularly appropriate for a book originally published when fewer prefab materials were available. Although other fibers are mentioned, it focuses on wool; there is a small section on creating with handspun, but no actual projects. It has a helpful glossary and index as well. While I can't vouch for the technical details, I plan to recommend it to someone who enjoys personal anecdotes and supporting background information told in this conversational sort of style, and who would seek out more current/comprehensive manuals if she wanted to learn the art.
- A Close-Knit Family: Sweaters for Everyone You Love, Melissa Leapman (1999). This book presents family ensembles where the sweaters look related rather than being identical versions in different sizes; common elements include braided cable patterns, Fair Isle patterns, etc., but the sweaters may vary considerably in shaping or how those elements are used.
My favorites to look at were the 'Entwined Hearts' with its tiled stitch pattern that could be used for other garments as well; the 'Spicy Fair Isles' set, mostly for its warm curry-inspired color palette that, although too busy for me as all-over patterns, could be great with just a few stripes over a plainer body; the child's dress in 'Pastoral Pastels' that has a pretty, lacy bodice and stockinette skirt; and the slip stitch variations in the 'Seaside Stripes' even worked for a sleeveless pullover. Although the 'Nordic Warmth' set looked like pretty basic Fair Isle for the adults, the child's version with a plainer top and patterned hem was charming. The 'South Hadley Tweeds' had an interesting use of cables, down the torso for one sweater and down the sleeves for another.
I wish I knew how to assess how well patterns are written, but I can at least say that stitch/color patterns were charted and there were also fairly clear schematics. Women's sizes varied garment by garment, but a sample loose-fitting sweater went from a finished 39" to a 50" bust; a more snug argyle pullover, by comparison, went from 36" to 42". The corresponding men's sizes were 44" to 54" and 41" to 50". Children's sweaters were sometimes for toddlers, sometimes for older children. This will be a library resource for me.
- Wild Color, Jenny Dean with Karen Diadick Casselman (1999). This book calls itself "the complete guide to making and using natural dyes" and is very appealing to my inexperienced eye with its organized layout and clear, lovely pictures. It encourages experimentation but with laboratory-style documentation, and emphasizes safety guidelines as well. I loved the information on modifying dye colors in particular, as well as the examples of how the same dye can be absorbed differently by silk, cotton, linen and wool. In the section that has a page for each plant, there are color swatches that actually show likely variations with various mordants and modifiers. For plants where multiple parts are used for dyeing, such as juniper berries and leafy shoots, corresponding sets of swatches are included. This is a book that should live on my shelf.