Joelle Hoverson - More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

MORE LAST-MINUTE KNITTED GIFTS

by Joelle Hoverson

Photographs by Anna Williams

JOELLE HOVERSON is the founder of Purl Soho, one of the most renowned yarn and fabric stores and websites in the world. She is celebrated for her sense of color and quality and for the classic beauty she brings to everything she designs. Her first two books, Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and Last-Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts, have become invaluable resources for tens of thousands of crafters.

In More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, the newest addition to the bestselling series, Hoverson presents a collection of 30 fresh, new ideas for elegant gifts for all levels of knitters. As in her other books, she organizes her projects according to the time it takes to complete them-from less than two hours to more than eight-because she understands that the desire to knit something beautiful must often be balanced by the reality of a busy schedule. She also includes quick, creative suggestions for customizing and wrapping gifts to make them feel even more special to both maker and recipient.

Among the projects featured in More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts are pyramid-shaped sachets, seed-stitch bracelets, holiday ornaments, mittens, gloves, hats, sweaters for children and adults, baby blankets, and throws. Each one is shown in at least one exquisite, carefully selected yarn. Many are shown in more than one color or type of yarn and with ideas for unique embellishments because Hoverson understands that knitters today love to personalize their gifts but sometimes need guidance along the way.

Photography by world-class photographer ANNA WILLIAMS only adds to the irresistibility of every project and to the pleasure of turning the pages of this exquisite volume.

Published in 2010 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS

Text copyright 2010 by Joelle Hoverson
Photographs copyright 2010 by Anna Williams

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Hoverson, Joelle. More last-minute knitted gifts / Joelle Hoverson ;
photographs by Anna Williams.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-58479-860-6
1. Knitting--Patterns. 2. Gifts. I. Title.
TT825.H6785 2010
746.432041--dc22
2009035052

Editor: Melanie Falick
Designer: Brooke Hellewell Reynolds
Production Manager: Tina Cameron

The text of this book was composed in Avenir.

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www.abramsbooks.com

For Jen and Page,
with love and affection.

As knitters, we are always looking for something more to knit, and its always a wonderful feeling when we can spend our knitting time working on a project for someone special. After I wrote my first book, Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, I joked to myself that the next knitting book I would write would be called Gifts That Take a Really Long Time to Knit, for all of the time-consuming projects I considered creating but knew wouldnt work within the context of that book. But alas, I still have a limited amount of time to spend knitting, and Im sure you do, too! Besides, there is nothing more satisfying than creating something beautiful and thoughtful without having to labor over it for an extended period of time.

The projects in this book are organized according to the time it took me and the knitters who helped me to complete each one. Because none of us knits at exactly the same speed, please use the times we give as guidelines rather than as hard-and-fast rules and allow extra time if you are a beginner or are knitting a larger size. To use this book, you can either pick your favorite project and find the time to make it, or you can choose a project according to the amount of time you have to work on it. The projects in the first chapter are truly fast and easy, even for less experienced knitters, whereas the projects in the last chapter are more complex and take more time. Whatever you decide to make from the following pages, rest assured that I designed every project to be a classic that will stand the test of time and that I included shortcuts or timesaving techniques in every pattern to help you finish it as quickly as possible. In some of the project introductions and in Personal Touches starting on are some easy ideas for beautiful wrapping.

Although I cant imagine ever having the time to write my fantasy book, Gifts That Take a Really Long Time to Knit, Im excited to share More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I present it with so much gratitudefor my readers, customers, friends, and family. All of you are wonderful gifts that I treasure.

When I knit a gift, I tend to stick with a classic style that I can personalize so that it will be treasured by the recipient for a long time to come. I find the most effective and elegant way to do this is actually a simple matter of choosing the color and fiber content of my yarn with great care and consideration and sometimes adding a special stitch pattern for texture or embellishing what Ive made with a very personal detail.

Color
Anyone who has met me, been to my shops, or read my other books already knows about my passion for color. For me, choosing a color for a gift for someone is in itself a symbol of my affection for them. And you can do the same. For example, if you give your sister and each member of her family a Family Ribbed Hat on in a man-friendly neutral tone but add a zipper in a color that matches his eyes, you are showing each of them that you know and love them.

Most of the patterns in this book are knit in solid colors, which is usually my first choice since it means weaving in fewer ends (and therefore taking less time to finish!). Of course, stripes are always an easy option to add. Several of the projects are worked in a solid main color with an accent color. The Sideways Fingerless Gloves on are a perfect example. I knit this pair in two brightly contrasting colors to give to a friend who appreciates a lot of hot color in her accessories. If I had made them for someone who loves vintage style, I might have chosen an antique white for the main color and red as the contrast color (like vintage mattress ticking or antique toweling), or, alternatively, I could have knit them in one subdued color for someone who likes to keep her wardrobe understated.