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Knitting on the Edge
by
Nicky Epstein Nicky is a well established designer of knits and author. You can always depend on a quality book if Nicky authored it. Knitting on the Edge spotlights ribs, ruffles, lace, fringes, flora, points and picots and supplies you with the stitches and instructions to make them. Nicky’s book is more of a sample book than project oriented, although she does include a cardigan, ruffled bag, lace pullover, 2 scarves and a sweater so that you can make an item and use the stitches you have perfected. The book is laid out beautifully, with page after page of textured full color samples. Each sample has the rows or round pattern provided and is very easy to follow. The stitches are very diverse and too lengthy to list them all. There are some point ruffle samples that could be worked into a glamorous collar with the right yarns. There are fat stitches and thin stitches, stitches that look like relief; leaves; scallops; little bobbles; dew drops; arrows; tassels; fringes with braids, knots, loops, corkscrews and what I call swag stitch. There are soft feathery stitches and strong strident waves, something for everyone. Each sample group is worked with a different colorway, in soft tones and shades, bringing a harmonious effect as you peruse through the book. All the photography is very clear and every sample is enticing. I like making samples and saving them so I can refer back to them when deciding on using a stitch for my designs. You will certainly learn new stitches from Nicky’s enormous collection. I have never seen so many different type rib stitches in a sample. All these stitches can be used on the edge of your wearables including ponchos, shawls and scarves. You could use one wearable pattern and by changing the edging on each and make the final item look completely different from the others. Nicky has authored a book with all the tools to get your creative mind going with 350 decorative borders, a great reference book. I collect Nicky’s books because I know I will never be disappointed. Review by Lydia Borin |
