Every once in a while, a knitting book will pop into my life and really change things. A few years ago, my mom bought me The Art of Knitting by Françoise Tellier-Loumagne, and this book has become the single most helpful item on my shelf. Whenever I start to feel burned out or uninspired, I open it up and, without fail, I find something new to get excited about.
Rather than a stitch dictionary, this book catalogs knitted textures – it highlights the seemingly endless number of ways a knitter can combine a yarn with a stitch structure to create a new fabric. There are no patterns, and none of the photographs suggest what the final end use of a fabric might be – instead, this book treats knitted textures as achievements all their own.
Feeling inspired by The Art of Knitting once again, I started snapping photos of some of the textures I’ve recently encountered –
The riot of colors in pompons made from Boboli
Waves of slipped stitches make their way up a panel of stockinette in Vintage Chunky
The cables on Kaide create mountains and valleys in Peruvia Quick
With a such a wide range of fibers, yarns, colors, and stitch patterns at our fingertips, the texture possibilities are endless!
Amanda
thanks so much for sharing a bit of inspiration!! I haven’t seen that book before, I’ll keep my eye out for it now, though!
Looks like a good book. Thanks!
I haven’t seen that book either, but will definitely check it out. Texture is sooooo important to me, and I really like that you’ve taken such inspiration and run with it. Your photos are great!
Thanks for this post. I’ve been wondering about getting this book for ages, but have only seen it online (not in the shops) so haven’t been able to flick through and see what it’s really like…..think I’ll probably add it to my wishlist now. 🙂
Françoise Tellier-Loumagne’s other books on embroidery and felting are also fabulous. I often look at one before I fall asleep, and they have inspired some amazing dreams. All can be ordered through your friendly independent bookstore, and they are worth every penny!
Thanks for the tip! I just reserved this at the library and look forward to a treasure trove of texture!
The Art of Manipulating Fabric is a fantastic resource. I love how simple many of the moves look at first glance and how so many can translate to knitting, but then it’s fabric too.
Lately I’ve been looking at history of costume books, the kind with line drawings and descriptions of costumes through the ages. Drapery and knitting! Now there’s a lovely thing.