Things You Need: Green Gables Knits by Joanna Johnson

Joanna hits it out of the park with patterns inspired by L.M. Montgomery's classic books.

My friend Joanna (of Phoebe's Sweater fame) decided last year to publish a sweet little book based around Anne of Green Gables. As a child of the 80s, I have a long and storied history with not only the 6 books, but also the made-for-TV movies. At my house, the Megan Follows movies reigned supreme; I generally preferred Anne of Avonlea to Green Gables, but both were watched overandoverandover with much love. Naturally, when I first heard from Joanna that she was planning a Green Gables book, I expressed so much enthusiasm over the idea that I was one of the first to receive a signed, bound copy.

The gorgeous photos alone are worth the cost of the book; mine is sitting on the coffee table!

I've been envious of natural redheads for as long as I can remember. Anne played a big part in creating this obsession, and I was always confounded that she was wishing away her beautiful auburn locks in exchange for Diana's raven ones. Since I wear the same raven curls as Diana, I was immediately drawn to the Diana's Hat pattern in the book. I reached for my needles and whipped one up in an afternoon and a half.

Leftover silk & llama yarn from my Fisherman Twist sweater make up the bottom portion...

...while blue alpaca adorns the crown.

I really enjoyed knitting this simple pattern, and am quite delighted with the results. The size is just right to accommodate my curls without being too large, and the extra-large circumference of the brim rests just perfectly on your head without giving you "hat hair" when the hat is removed.

If you're an Anne fan, like me, or just a fan of beautiful, wonderfully photographed knits, this book is a must have. And best of all, you can purchased a signed copy directly from Joanna for just $14.95.

Well done, Joanna! I'm hoping you'll consider a sequel...perhaps some knits inspired by Anne's days and acquaintances as a schoolteacher in Avonlea?

Things You Need: Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet, Volume II

Regulars to the blog may remember my review of Hunter Hammersen's Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet, and how impressed I was with that beautiful book. Good news, kids, Hunter's just come out with Volume II, and it's every bit as beautiful as the first!

 There are 18 patterns in all; 9 socks, and 9 accessories.

Where the patterns in Volume I were inspired by vintage botanical illustrations, Volume II is inspired by...wait for it...vintage BUTTERFLY illustrations! Perhaps a sneak peek at my studio will tell you why this is particularly exciting for me:

Covered in butterflies!

Butterflies are just fascinating to me; I feel like they're almost like floating flowers. The stunning variety of colors and patterning, combined with the delicate nature of the creatures' wings, just delights me. When I found out Hunter's new book centered around this species, I was more excited than perhaps was strictly necessary.

As with Volume I, each individual butterfly has inspired 2 patterns; 1 sock, and 1 accessory. Here are a few of my favorite patterns from the book:

Lycaena virgaureae Shawl

Metopsilus porcellus Sock

Polyommatus argiolus Cuff

Polyommatus corydon Hat

You can find purchase information over on Hunter's website, or queue up the whole collection on Ravelry here.

Things You Need: The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet by Hunter Hammersen

Today's featured author is Hunter Hammersen, whose work you may already be familiar with through her wildly popular first book, Silk Road Socks. Today, though, I wanted to share with you a little bit about how much I like her latest couple of books, The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet and Rabble Rousers. Let's start with Curiosity Cabinet, shall we?

This has such a gorgeous cover I've been leaving it out on my coffee table ever since it arrived!

This book contains twenty patterns, each inspired by a particular variety of flower or plant. What I find incredibly ingenious here is that there are two designs for every inspiration - one sock pattern, and one accessory pattern. Even better, instead of developing one stitch pattern and applying it to a pair of socks and a coordinating accessory, Hunter has actually taken the time to give each design has its own unique stitch pattern that relates back to the inspiration. Brilliant!

Pinus Silvestris Hat is one of my favorites

I particularly loved all of the little extra pretty things throughout, like the antique, hand-drawn illustrations depicting each of the inspirations. These are so pretty, you'll be tempted to rip them right out of the book and frame them! (But, you know....don't.)

  

The incredible collection of flora illustrations really makes this book quite special!

The front of the book has a lovely intro section all about the history of curiosity cabinets. Who knew that today's variety of decorative hutches had their beginning in science? Not I!

I am so happy to have added this book to my library; not only is it incredibly lovely to look at, but it also contains so many lovely patterns that I have a feeling I'll be referencing it often for quick gift knitting. I'm also thinking that I need a pair of these Dianthus Superbus Socks for myself!

Loasa Lateritia and Dianthus Superbus socks show off Hunter's interpretation of their namesakes

The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet is available in hardback for $26.95 from Amazon, or as a digital eBook for $18.95 from Ravelry. About half of the patterns are also available individually for $6.00; check Ravelry for more details.

___________________________________________________________________

Also new from Hunter is her very newest book, Rabble Rousers. This is a 7-piece accessory collection in the same beautiful style as the previous book, this time in a much more condensed 24 pages.

Another gorgeous cover!

Ruction Cowl, Ruction Mitts, Tumult, Fracas Hat, Uproar, Clamor, and Fracas Cuffs

Talk about bang for your buck! This collection retails for only $12.95 in print or $10.95 for digital, and odds are, if you like one of these patterns, you like them all. (That Clamor cloche is really calling my name! The beauty!) Once again, each knit is styled and photographed absolutely beautifully, making this a book you'll really want to show off. 

___________________________________________________________________

Hunter has generously offered a print/digital combo of The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet and Rabble Rousers to two lucky winners! To enter, leave a comment below stating which book you'd prefer to win.

If you're on Twitter and would like an extra entry, tweet the following:

"Enter to win a FREE copy of Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet or Rabble Rousers from @TheSexyKnitter & @HunterHammersen! http://tinyurl.com/huntergiveaway

Winners will be chosen via the Random Number Generator. I'll announce the winners on December 1st, and the winners will each have 3 days to claim their prize or I'll select someone else.

_________________________________________________

Picks of the Day:

Want your Etsy Mini in this spot? Click here!

Things You Need: Step It Up Knits by Vickie Howell

Step It Up Knits

Ooooooh you guys, I got a copy of this book in the mail from the publisher, and it's one of those books that just made me go "Squee"! Vickie Howell has hit it out of the ballpark with her latest book, Step It Up Knits, chock-full of 25 beautifully styled knits for men, women, and children.

So many projects to pick from!

Vickie's signature girly-punk style comes across loud and clear all throughout this book, from the chic navy nail polish she sports in the techniques section (a fat 30 pages, including some unusual techniques like needle felting, below) to the funky-yet-wearable styling of the knits themselves. Even the font choices, book layout and paper choices all screamed "Vickie" to me! (Hot pink patterned endpapers, anyone? How fabulous!)

 

The techniques section is generous on photos and covers some techniques you might not already know! 

I know what you all want to know: What about the KNITS? Are they amazing? Are the photos going to make me want to knit them all, pronto? The answer to these questions is yes. Yes, you are, and they will. Take a peek at some of my favorites, below:

 

 

I love the way these socks are styled! Here, Leg Bone and  Sock It To Me are paired with cute booties and tights.

Every single pattern in this book was photographed with such jaw-droppingly gorgeous styling that I've become a fan of Vickie's all over again! I will say that this book sports a much different vibe than her previous books, so even if you weren't so much into those, I still think you're going to want to give this one a look. This book to me feels like a cross between Vogue's old Knit.1 magazines and an issue of Rowan. In my opinion, that's the best of both worlds, and I'm excited to have added this book to my library.

Boasting mostly accessories, the few garment patterns in this book are not to be overlooked. Here, Fair Weather, a fabulous Fair Isle cape, and Vested Interest, a textured-and-sequined layering piece.

This is a book you're going to want to set out on your coffee table and show off to the world. You'll also want to keep it handy for the upcoming gift-giving season, because there are a ton of quick-to-knit accessories here! I'm thinking I probably know someone who could use a Cable Ace or an iLace uLace...how about you?

_________________________________________________

Picks of the Day:

Want your Etsy Mini in this spot? Click here!