Knitting a Kiss and Color by Kristin

I was recently sent two books from Sixth & Spring Books, Nicky Epstein’s Knitting a Kiss in Every Stitch and Kristin Nicholas’s Color by Kristin How to Design Your Own Beautiful Knits.

Nicky Epstein’s Knitting a Kiss in Every Stitch

This is the first book by Epstein I have spent any time looking through and I am very impressed. The quality of the photos, which are incredibly important because a good photo shows the objects to be knitted with enough detail that you can see how the pattern works. Pattern books often are geared to one type of thing, for example, scarves or felting or lace. This book has a variety of styles and items, lace, cable-work, hats, shawls, purses.

Ms. Epstein is known for her knitted embellishments and they are on display here in the Charitable Gift Afghan, the Ruched Mittens, and the Cable and Leaf tote for starters. The patterns are fresh and different and will make lovely gifts for some lucky people.

Some tips from Ms. Epstein:

Tip 1: A Pointer on Pillows
When making a pillow, you can use a purchased pillow with corresponding colors and just stitch a knitted front to the pillow (this saves knitting the back). Knit some tassels and attach them to the corners for added interest.

Tip 2: Keep Your Count
When working lace, always place a marker between each repeat to assure the stitch count and help you find possible mistakes.

Kristin Nicholas’s Color by Kristin How to Design Your Own Beautiful Knits

Learning to do justice to the amazing color ways that exist in today’s yarns is a skill and a gift. Nicholas’s book is a great place to get inspiration and practical advice. The first section of the book calls you to look around you and really see how colors work together in nature. On page 14 she knits swatches using different colors and explains why the combinations work and do not work. Then a tutorial on Fair Isle ensues, with great examples, photos and instructions that are great for the novice and a good refresher for the more advanced knitter.

The rest of the book is devoted to patterns and projects and they are wonderful in their freshness. I particularly enjoyed adding the Felted Laptop Cozy, the On-the-Go Knitter’s Tote, and the Mother-Daughter Mittens to my project list.

Conclusion

One thing about reviewing books that I get, borrow and buy is that there are so many, that I do not have time to test the quality of the patterns before writing the review. I have quite a few works-in-progress (WIP) and to start a new project every time I am given, borrow or buy a new book, would increase the WIP count considerably. Therefore, check the publisher site before starting any project in any book for pattern corrections.

Happy Knitting!