I was lucky enough a few months back to win a blog contest sponsored by a fellow spinner and knitter Keri (over at Its Otrembarific) and won a copy of Ysolda Teagues booklet Whimsical Little Knits!
I had been admiring several of the patterns in it, so of course I was completely thrilled when the book arrived in the mailbox. I had never worked any of Ysoldas patterns before, but knowing how many people already have, I was certain that they must be excellent to be receiving so much attention in the knitting world.
Like many other knitters, I headed straight for the Ishbel Shawl pattern. With the first 2/3 of the pattern in Stockinette stitch, Ishbel is a very quick knit. Unusual in that there are YO increases on EVERY row (not just every knit row like many triangular shawls) the resulting triangle is longer and leaner than the usual almost 90 degree triangle of the traditional shawl. It took me only 2 evenings of knitting to complete the basic stockinette part of the shawl, and another 2 sessions to finish the lace portion from detailled, organized and accurate charts. Normally I head straight for the written-out lace directions, but the clear concise charts made me feel confident that I could handle it so I worked the lace portion directly from the charts.
I understand the Ishbel Obsession now
before I had finished the first I had already made plans for a second. Both the one I knit in Alpaca/Silk Laceweight and the one in Sock Yarn were both lovely and reasonable. I see profiles on Ravelry where people have made 4-5 of these and I can totally see why
I might be thinking about a third too!
Generally, I dont make knitted toys, mostly because I dont have any need for them at this point, but maybe some day when more children come into the picture (aka my own, or friends children) I will have to remember the cute doll pattern in this booklet
she looks like the perfect pattern for a simple doll with adorable little shoes and a customizable pinafore. I can also see the pattern for the little grey baby booties coming in handy for a fast new-baby project.
Overall, though I have only used one complete pattern and browsed the rest, this booklet appears to be well organized, has a nice variety of reasonable and attractive projects, uses a variety of yarns, and has lots of useful diagrams, drawings and photographs to illustrate each project. The glossary of stitches is very complete, and even goes so far as to offer online help if things in the book arent clear enough. I would have liked to see a few more detail photographs, but overall the whole booklet is well done. I can see why Ysolda is described as having her own distinct sense of style and known for her attention to details
I can almost spot her designs now after admiring them for so long. I will be anxiously awaiting the release of her new collection: Whimsical Little Knits 2 which is due for release sometime in November 2009.