UPDATE 6.6.14: Congratulations to Emma, the winner of New American Knits. Emma, please check your email for further instructions. Yes, Massachusetts was the 6th state and I did indeed grow up in Norwell.
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It's no secret I'm a fan of our great country.
Yes, a country - like people - is always a work in progress, but I'm proud of the ingenuity that continues to come from our fellow citizens. One of my very favorite things about knitting is that it's truly universal. Sure, some of us may be continental knitters, other English, we may have a few "pit knitters" who tuck the needle under their armpit, or throw it around their neck like the do in Portugal, but we all end up with a knit stitch that looks universally the same. I used to teach in a women's shelter when we lived in New York and only half the women spoke English. The great thing about volunteering there was it didn't matter what I spoke or what they spoke - we communicated through our knitting, a lot of them told me they forgot their troubles for a couple of hours and we bonded over our craft, like so many millions of women have done before us.
I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Amy Christoffers' new book, New American Knits (Interweave / F+W; $24.99). I was immediately drawn to the title and was interested to see what Amy's take on classic American sportswear patterns was.
I was lucky enough to work with Amy when she had a garment in my Knitting Architecture book. I loved the cardigan inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement she designed and knit. She was recently announced as the new Design Director for Berroco and you can read her blog here. Talk about a talented lady!
I found this book to have quite a few designs I'd want to knit. I like "sporty" knits and am very much a cardigan girl. This book has a great balance of both cardis and pullovers with a few accessories like a cowl, shawl and fingerless mitts thrown in coming to total of 20 patterns. I liked the yarn choices and the palette was nicely paired with the photo location. All of the garments would be ideal wardrobe staples and are classic enough that they can be worn for years to come. In true Interweave fashion, the charts were easy to read, the schematics clear and readable and the garments had a nice array of sizes provided. I wear a lot of jeans and t-shirts with over-the-top sparkly jewelry, and a lot of these designs would fit into my style.
A few of my favorites from the book:
I really want to knit this red sweater. I love cables and calling for a worsted means it would knit up pretty quickly!
And now for the giveaway!
Leave the answer to this trivia question in the comment section of this post to be entered to win a copy of this fantastic book (USA residents only, please): Massachusetts became part of our nation as which number state (I am from Massachusetts. Bonus points if you know the town I grew up in)?
A winner will be randomly chosen on Friday, June 6th.