Wood - Refined Knits: Sophisticated Lace, Cable, and Aran Lace Knitwear

When my oldest daughter was in middle school (and I was in my mid-thirties), she read The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. The descriptions of colonial women knitting captivated her, and she begged me to teach her how to knit. So I purchased an instructional knitting book, two sets of needles, and some scratchy yarn. We sat down to knit.

First, we learned the knit stitchto our surprise, our knitting did not have the pretty little Vs like in the pictures. We learned the purl stitch. Voil! We had the pretty little Vs. I loved those Vs enough to keep going, even after my daughter finished the book and put down her needles.

My first real knitting project was a cabled scarf. I do like a challenge! I wanted to learn how to knit cables, which add interest and complexity to a plain stockinette scarf. But I had no idea what I was getting into! I trudged on and finished the scarf because I was making it for my husband. It had quite a few mistakes, but it was made with lots of love.

As interesting as I thought cables, I did not do many cabled projects after my husbands scarf. I found using a cable needle a cumbersome, slow processuntil I discovered cabling without a needle and reversible cabling. This opened up a whole new world of Aran knitting for me. Imaginea beautifully cabled scarf with no ugly side!

Soon enough, I spied a sample scarf knitted in lace at my favorite knitting store. It was so beautiful that I had to learn how to knit the lace. Like my first cable scarf, I had no idea how difficult that lace scarf would be. I made the mistake of using mohair yarn. Even after I blocked it, the scarf hardly resembled the picture in the pattern. But I was determined to learn lace knitting. After more practice, I began to enjoy the rhythm of lace knitting, the swing of the needles for yarnovers and decreases and knit and purls all in one row.

Something about this age-old craft took hold of me. When my hands are busy, my mind is free to think, wonder, pray, or listen to a good book. I knitted at every opportunity.

Before long, I wanted to write my own patterns and sell themat the very least, I thought I could turn my patterns into money to spend on yarn. I launched Wood House Knits, self-publishing a range of adventurous cable and lace garment patterns for women.

I began with a few straightforward stockinette designs, adding only simple details such as eyelets to decorate them. They were fine, but I missed my two favorite techniques, cables and lace. Determined to design wearable sweaters with intricate, graceful details, I focused on creating flattering silhouettes with pretty pattern stitches that are fun to knit.

Interweave Knits published one of my designs for the first time in the Fall 2011 issuethe Cardiff Coat was chosen as the cover! I realized then how important it is to me to make my patterns work for as many sizes as possible. Learning to size made me a better designer. Now, I start an Aran and lace design by thinking of how it would work for a range of sizes.

Cables add interesting and structural details to garments. Useful and beautiful, even the oldest Aran patterns can be adapted to create new forms. Inventing new cable patterns enables me to connect with old designs while creating something modern. They add fortitude and history to new designs.

Knitted lace conjures images of the world around meintricate shadows cast by the empty tree limbs on a moonlit winters night. I am constantly amazed at the breathtaking designs that can be created with lacework.

Cables and lace are special enough by themselves, but there is something wondrous in combining the twolike uniting strength and grace. I absolutely love playing with stitch patterns, rearranging, adding a lace stitch here, a cable there until it becomes just right. Cabling and knitting lace are the two techniques that I concentrated on for this book. If you are new to these techniques, start with one of the simpler designs, such as and work your way up to the more complex garments.

I loved designing the cable and lace pieces in this book. Once you begin knitting these beautiful, contemporary pieces based on old techniques, you will love the old-style knitting rhythm and the modern results.

My daughter was watching me knit cables one day and said, All you are doing is rearranging the stitches! The array of beautiful patterns that can be made just by rearranging stitches is so intriguing.

Traditionally, cable panels are arranged to run down the front and back of a sweater, as in ).

But cables are timeless, and they can be worked in unique and modern ways, such as bordering the neckline of makes a traditional garment fresh and new. When you join the adventurous world of cable knitting, you can create modern garments rooted in a rich history.

Cables and seed stitch go together like tea and cookies. The mix of the cabled circles and seed stitch give beauty and grace to a standard cardigan. Make it with an airy, lofty wool and you will have a cardigan that you will want to wear every day, whether to cozy up with tea and cookies at home or attend a high tea out.

Willa means resolute protection, and this cardigan will definitely protect you from winter temperatures. I named this cardigan after classic novelist Willa Cather for her portrayal of pioneer strength and grace.

I used Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, a splendid, lofty, tweedy 100 percent wool yarn that is the perfect mix of elegance and comfort for this cardigan.

About 33 (3614, 40, 4312, 4614, 49, 5134, 5514)" (84 [92, 101.5, 110.5, 117.5, 124.5, 131.5, 140.5] cm) bust circumference, buttoned with 2" (5 cm) overlap and 2034 (2214 2212, 2314, 24, 2414, 2514, 26)" (52.5 [56.5, 57, 59, 61, 61.5, 64, 66] cm) long.

Cardigan shown measures 3614" (101.5 cm).