Book review

A couple of weeks ago I got an offer I couldn't resist. Taunton press asked me if I would like a preview copy of their new book on felted knitting. All I had to do was review it on my blog, which I do anyway when I get hold of an interesting book. Of course I will tell you my honest opinion. Unfortunately the company that handled the last step of the delivery tried to deliver it to my door when I was at work and it took a few days extra to finally get hold of the parcel. Last night, the day the book was published, it finally reached my hands. Since then it has accompanied me to work and two knitting cafés, but tonight I finally have the time to write down what I, and some of my friends and colleagues, thought about it.















The book is I love felt by Kathleen Taylor. The title is just right, because all through the book, in designs, layout and the text there is a feeling of joy. You believe in the writer when she tells you that this is easy, inspiring and fun. My colleague the teacher of textile handicraft, who is usually not a fan of knitting, looked like she was going to steal the book and use it with the kids. My second reaction, and that of my friends at the knitting cafés, is that this isn't so much about the knitting, which is fairly basic, but a good course on felting knits and a source of ideas. If you know more about what you are doing and have a wider range of techniques available, felting becomes more fun.

Like the writer, I have knitted huge, plain objects and tossed them in the washing machine just to watch the miracle of felting. It gives you a nice fabric, but the knitting isn't that inspiring. I have two Norwegian books on the topic which are about making garments in stockinette and felting them, and that is about it. On the other hand I had a look at Nicky Epstein's book on felted knitting last summer, and it was totally amazing but looked so advanced it could be intimidating even for the experienced knitter. I love felt is somewhere inbetween these extremes. It is not as amazing as the promotional texts imply, but it gets you started on new ways of thinking about felting. It is very easy to understand, detailed and thorough in its instructions but still friendly and fun.

The patterns are nice but not all that special. For me they could serve as a basis for understanding the technique and a source of easy-to-make gifts. My favourite is the intarsia bag with grazing sheep, but I would add a knitted strap and probably change the proportions (and feel confident doing it). There is another design that might soon end up on my needles and that is the beaded crown and wands (the stars in the picture below). My little girl was very excited when she saw them. It might be a way to make her try knitting herself...















In conclusion I'm glad I read this book and it as taught me a few things I didn't know about eg. felting multicoloured knits. It is not a book that would have caught my eye under other circumstances, since I'm usually a more traditional knitter. I'm not sure I will make any of the projects, but it I might have gotten confident enough about felting to try making that bag I saw in a magazine last year. The only problem is that Kathleen Taylor says I have to get a top-loading washing machine, well I probably need a new one anyway...