Clearance

Please note that the sales of all Clearance books are final.

Inspired Cable Knits

If cables could talk, what would they say about themselves? And, what questions would you ask them? Where would the conversation go? And where would a cable go if you gave it free reign to express itself, to reveal the heart of its motion?

Inspired Cable Knits is packed with answers to just this sort of questions - in fact, it is the only knitting book in my experience where the word "inspired" within the title is not hyperbole. It's as though Fiona Ellis were a yarn whisperer (you know, like a horse whisperer, only she listens to yarn and knit designs). She has listened closely to all manner of cable designs - sometimes they want to melt into the rich textures of nature, losing some of their even rhythms in favor of a more intriguing, deeper pattern; sometimes, they have their beginnings in prosaic conventions that simply leap into surprising, delicious outcomes; and other times, they move right off the fabric, change their being completely and reveal their purpose as a completely new direction.

I could go on, but I'm sure you already get it - this is a book that illuminates, inspires and delights. To look through it is to find page after page of designs you'll want to knit and love to wear. And in each one a secret is expressed in beauty. This book is a joy.

You can see some of the designs and read a really interesting review of Inspired Cable Knits in The Yarn Harlot's March 24, 2006 entry. Enjoy!

New Knits on the Block

This is a joyous collection of various and sundry delights to knit for the children in your life. In fact, it's hard to imagine not being able to find something even a picky child would love in this happily creative collection of non-typical knitwear. Forget things like sweaters or mittens; instead, the Vickie Howell has offered up great gifts that children will really love: wizard & princess hats, a Mermaid costume, a Unicorn hat with rainbow-colored tail (my personal favorite!), and many, many more.

Dive in, have fun, and share the joy with a child.

Fair Isle Knitting

Fair Isle Knitting is my all-time favorite Fair Isle book. Somehow, Sarah Don managed to breathe so much life into her portrait of this tradition that every time I pick up my old, worn copy (more than 20 years old at this point), it sets my heart abeating and my fingers flying to find needles and yarn.

Imagine, then, my delight at learning that this great book -- having languished in the twilight zone of out-of-print books for decades -- was being reprinted. And now it's here, to share with knitters once again.

In it you'll find history, and motifs and the information you need to transform it all into a sweater, vest or scarf or hat. You'll also find an infectious enthusiasm and warmth, something with which Don seems to penetrate each of her words. Her discussion of techniques is thorough, yet concise and inviting; and her garment designs are wonderful -- ranging as they do from classic to bold. Perhaps most importantly, what you'll discover is decades of wonder and enjoyment -- just to read Fair Isle Knitting is to feel uplifted. It is just so very good to see this book back in print!!

And if you use a good quality Shetland, you'll rediscover why this wool and the yarn made from it has been so beloved all these many, many years.

The Yarn Lover's Guide to Hand Dyeing

Discover the rainbow world of hand dyeing along with a gallery of designs you can use to show off your new creations!  Now you can create the yarn of your dreams easily and with confidence and then go on to knit that yarn into something beautiful.  Linda LaBelle's passion for color and dedication to the art of hand-dyeing combine to give us one of the best "how-to" manuals on the subject ever written.  If you've ever wanted to explore dyeing as an art, this is the perfect book to guide you every step of the way.

Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose and Knickerbocker Stockings

What a treat to find this classic back in print! It is to Dowager Lady Gainford that we owe this sparkling collection of traditional Scottish stocking top turn-overs and cuff designs, gathered by her from her friends and neighbors in the countryside surrounding her home. Some of these are just breathtaking in their combination of beauty and design - really, you'll want to make yourself a pair even if you never want to be seen in a kilt. As a sourcebook for sock knitters, it belongs on every shelf, maybe even in every knitting bag - it is just that inspiring.

I should add that if you are very new to the world of sock knitting, you will want to read Lady Gainford's instructions closely. Her manner of presentation is not as intuitive as we have become accustomed to, though her instructions are complete, once you grasp how she conveys them. And, you will need to simply trust your own common sense as to gauge -- she never once (that I've found, at any rate) gives a suggested gauge for a stocking, though she does give suggested needle size ranges in some places. However, you must also remember that she uses English sizes, not American or metric. So, when she says, for instance, to use "nothing larger than a 10 or smaller than a 13," please translate that to "nothing larger than a US 3/3.25mm or smaller than a US 1/2.5mm."

With those few things in mind, you will quickly find yourself happily ensconced among some of Scotland's greatest knitting traditions, able to knit stunning stockings with ease. Maybe you'll even develop a craving for bagpipe music, who knows? (I love the stuff myself, but, then, I grew up on it.)

Nordic Felted Knits

Discover a world where felting becomes an art and felted things are beautiful and luxurious.  Gerd Fjellanger takes you into the Nordic traditions of felting and fulling, showing you just how it's done and how to create fashionable yet very practical sweaters, jackests, hats, purses and more.   She also shows you how to control your felting and how to make sure the finished garment or accessory are just the right size.  For the explorer in every knitter!

Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting

Marianne Kinzel's Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting continues where her first book left off -- and forges ahead into moe complex lace patterns, larger projects. As with the First Book, instructions are given in both line-by-line form and in easy to read charts. There are over 29 projects and new lace designs -- all created by Kinzel herself! Some of the designs are virtuoso accomplishments which are shown to be adaptable to many different forms and sizes.

Included in the Second Book are altar cloths, dress trimmings, tea cloths, scarves, stoles, dinner cloths and cheval sets -- all wonderful!

Poems of Color

In 1937 a group of women approached Emma Jacobsson with the request that she help them start a home-based business. The result was one of the most vibrant design houses in the history of knitting: Bohus Strickning. The founding decisions shaped the course of one of knitting's most exciting colorwork traditions: they would produce an exclusive product with only the best designs and yarns; women in their homes would knit from patterns created by some of the world's best knitting designers; marketing would be to the luxury market so that everyone could make a living. Their success can be measured by the fact that Bohus Strickning continued until 1969 - no small feat for a cottage industry!

Wendy Keele has created beautiful portraits of the women who guided Bohus Strickning, and managed to capture both the excitement of their venture and their dedication to their craft. For some excitement of your own, the second half of the book reproduces many of the the most beautiful Bohus original designs as patterns for you to knit in modern yarns. These are classic styles that will wear well through myriad fashion trends and showcase some of the best color pattern knitting ever designed. Really fabulous stuff in a landmark book!

More Big Girl Knits

If you've got it, flaunt it!  The philosophy behind Big Girl Knits continues to offer larger women ways to cast aside the belief that they are adrift in a skinny world, and embrace instead the beauty of being ample.  The geniuses behind Big Girl Knits present 25 all-new curve-flattering projects that explore the beauty of color and texture. Part knitting instruction book and part sassy style guide, More Big Girl Knits goes beyond teaching the basics to tackle all-new methods for creating beautiful plus-size knitwear.

Andean Inspired Knits

Here is a book you can turn to when you crave stunning design and innovative, fresh construction. Whether offering up a scarf or leading the knitter through the intricacies of a cardigan with all circular lines (you'll want to spend time looking at this one, for sure), Helen Hamann breathes vibrant new life into the possibilities of knit garment design. A fascinating aspect of her smashing designs is that the motifs and over all color schemes are as genuinely traditional as her designs and construction techniques are innovative, modern and inspiring.

This is a book to spend time with, dream with and go back to often. There is so much about design, color, what is old and what is new here that your relationship with this book can only flourish over time. Another must-have for the knitting colorist.

Felted Knits

Bevery Galeskas' reputation as the "queen of felting" is more than evident in this book. I especially love Felted Knits for her really detailed, clear presentation of how to felt and the importance of checking the progress of a garment as you felt. The fact that she follows this with 36 interesting and beautiful projects is so exhilarting that even as I write I'm plotting ways to get away from the computer for a knitter's holiday so that I can carry an armload of new creations into the laundry room.

I just love felting -- the process of creating something that is oversized and almost always sloppy looking, tossing it into the washing machine and after a very short time seeing it emerge completely transformed into something that resembles a cat after a hard rain, well, it always excites me. Even more exciting is what happens after I tug and pull and poke at it to shape it just right and then let it dry. Sudden the drowning cat has become something I just love to look at and use. Now there's alchemy for you!

For those of you with a front loading washing maching, I have a Maytag Neptune and can testify to its usefulness as a felting tool. If you are uncertain about how to use a front loader for felting, please click here . I've put everything I've learned so far in the left margin of that page. Let me know if you still have questions or discover something new - I'm still learning, too.

Folk Mittens

Enter the world of mittens - simple mittens, wondrous mittens, amazing mittens. They are all represented in this charming book that takes us around the world, stopping wherever traditional mittens are knit. Represented are traditional designs and construction from Europe, Asia, North America, South America as well as some whimsical newcomers of the author's fancy. The techniques sections does a remarkable job of conveying not only all the basics of mitten knitting, but illustrating and describing techniques and approaches that are unique to particular traditions. All in all, Marcia Lewandowski has given us a feast of history and knitting -- and some beautiful ways to keep our hands warm in the winter!

After Dark

After Dark is any girl's delight - sensual, unique high-style knits that add just the right touch to any outfit for any occasion. From capelets to beaded halters to pashmini shawls, why, there's even party clothes for children! This is a great collection by one very inventive and fashion-savvy author. High style within any knitter's reach!

The Eclectic Sole

It is such a treat to find someone who has taken up the delicious possibilities of using handpainted yarns in multiple colorways, and even more of a treat to see the shimmering creations with which Janel tantelizes our needles and our eyes.

And, once your eyes have feasted on her creations, you'll most certainly want to have you knitting needles poised to cast on and cast away any hesitations you may have had about combining more than one multi-colored yarn with another. Her creative results are so very wonderful that there can be no hesitations left and only the wonders of color to discover.

Regardless of what your favorite handpainted yarns are, you'll find inspiration and instruction on using them aplenty.

We think this is one of the most exciting new sock knitting books to come along since Cat Bordhi's New Pathways. Try it - we know you'll love it, too.