As a desirable item of fashion, a cherished gift or a wardrobe essential, the shawl enjoys enduring popularity among knitters and non-knitters alike. The most admired of these beautiful accessories are designed with inspiration drawn from a wide range of themes and ideas. This creativity is achieved by blending a knitter’s imagination with their knowledge of how to translate a source of inspiration into an exciting new design. A Knitter’s Guide to Shawl Design will inspire knitters of all levels to personalize their knitting and create original shawl designs. Author Emma Vining describes her own design processes, encouraging readers to explore and experiment with shawl shapes and stitch patterns. Beautifully illustrated with photographs, sketches and explanatory diagrams, this book explores tradition and innovation in shawl design. It demonstrates the effects of yarn, knitting techniques and finishing choices on the end design and considers the framing effect of edges and borders and how to plan these into your project. The geometry of the shawl shape is examined - there are individual chapters on squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, semi-circles and crescents. Finally, the design process is illustrated in full over five detailed case studies, each culminating in a full shawl pattern by built environments.
Emma Vining is a creative designer, with a passion for all aspects of hand knitting and design. Her design inspiration comes from both the natural world and the built environment. Her original designs regularly feature in publications such as The Knitter magazine, The Knitter Deutschland and Knitting magazine. Her previous book, A Knitter's Sketchbook: Design Inspiration for Twists and Cables, was published by The Crowood Press in 2019. As an active member of The Knitting & Crochet Guild, she regularly contributes articles to Guild publications and represents the Guild at shows and online events. She enjoys visiting and participating in virtual and in-person events at museums and galleries such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, where she is proud to be a volunteer.
Press Reviews
As well as being a handy toolbook and an academic look at many knitters’ very favourite knits, this is an inspiring introduction to knitting design that gives you all the skills you need to create your own unique makes. It is a really in-depth guide that looks closely and authoritatively at all aspects of shawl design.
A very impressive book. This is a comprehensive and inspiring guide that can be used not only for its individual shawl patterns – I particularly loved the Open Doors shawl – but as a course in knitting design with tips and techniques that are widely applicable to all kinds of knitting.
Emma Vining’s new book will inspire knitters of all levels to personalise their knitting and create original shawl designs from cosy and comfy, to chic and sleek.
If you’re keen to try designing your own shawls, this expert guide will give you all the tools you need to get started.
The book is a rich resource - it has three main sections: shawl design in context, individual shawl shapes and, finally, shawl patterns. The sum total of all these three parts adds up to a very impressive book. Emma’s encouragement to create our own designs, is inspiring and a shawl is a very achievable project, so I’m extremely tempted to give it a go. I am sure you will be too!
f you're still not sure that you have the skills to come up with your own designs, A Knitter's Guide To Shawl Design might help. Emma Vining explains her design process from how to find inspiration, to the specific techniques that you'll need to make shawls of different shapes. She has also included five finished shawls as case studies of her design process, complete with pattern instructions.
This book is aimed at knitter of all levels who want to crate their own designs; it also includes patterns for some pre-designed shawls to illustrate the design process. It is well illustrated with photographs, diagrams , charts and clear text. Overall I would say the book is great for anyone new to shawl knitting and in particular shawl design, and it meets it's brief of explaining the shawl design process
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