Debbie Stoller - Stitch n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics

Coco Cardigan, see .

GO BEYOND THE BASICS

Debbie Stoller

with photography by Gabrielle Revere

WORKMAN PUBLISHING NEW YORK

This has been the longest, most postponeiest book Ive ever done. For their incredible patience and generosity in working with me and my busy schedule, and for allowing me the time I needed to recover from some health-related events, I am forever indebted to Peter Workman and especially Suzie Bolotin. I cannot express how thankful I am for their help, not just professionally, but also personally.

I am so very happy that my editor, Ruth Sullivan, was available to work on this book again. Not only did she manage to carefully edit a highly technical book even though she hasnt gone beyond the first Stitch n Bitch books skills in her own knitting, but she also managed to do so while dealing with some health issues of her own. Even when its wounded, her talented hand is able to make my writing so very much better, and I dont know what Id do without her.

Im equally glad that Janet Vicario was able to art direct the book and photo shoots once again; she always knows just what to do to make everything look great. On this book, she was assisted by Jen Browning and Claudia Petrilli, who brought a whole new level of cuteness to the page designs. And to Adrienne Yan, who had to draw my creaky hands over and over again, thank you so much. Also, a special shout-out to Julianna Cavano, Jodi Doff, and Peter Stoller for taking reference photos for all those illos.

Edie Eckman and Eve Ng brought their careful eagle eyes to their pattern tech-edits, and Irene Demchyshyn brought her No. 2 pencil to get all the copyediting done well and correctly. For their precision, patience, and good humor in the face of a lengthy and challenging project, I am ever thankful.

Photo editor Anne Kerman and her lovely team, including photo coordinator Danielle Hark and photo assistant Sophia Su, produced an exquisitely beautiful photo shoot for this book. I am most grateful to the talents of wonderful photographer Gabrielle Revere, amazing wardrobe stylist Ellen Silverstein and her assistant Lisa Metropolis, skilled hair and makeup gal Amy Schiappa, and photographers assistant Hibbard Nash and digital tech, Jessie Adler. None of these projects would look nearly as adorable if they werent being worn by such great models: Chyna, Ciara, Hannah, and Jeanette, as well as John, Shannon, and Dudly the dog of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, where these photos were shot. And, once again, I am grateful to Michael Lavine for taking such a nice cover photo despite the poor choice of model.

Of course, there wouldnt even be any projects to photograph if it werent for the incredible talents of all of the designers who allowed me to include their patterns in this book. I am so amazed at their mad skillz, and insanely indebted to them for their contributions.

Every girl needs some backup, and I am so glad that Jennifer Wertkin and Sarah Graham were available to assist me with this book project, and thankful to Jill Astmann, Marney Andersen, and Jennifer Wendell for their helpful knitting hands.

My agent and fairy godmother, Flip Brophy, continues to make my life so much better, and I deeply appreciate the lovely ladies at BUST magazine, especially my biz partner Laurie Henzel, for giving me the space I needed to write.

Finally, for all the support they give me in everything I do, I want to thank my mom, Johanna Stoller, and my boo and best friend, Michael Uman.

CHAPTER 1
ROWS ARE RED, ROWS ARE BLUE: COLOR KNITTING USING ONE COLOR AT A TIME

CHAPTER 2
KNIT, IF YOU WILL, A PICTURE: CREATING IMAGES WITH INTARSIA

The Life Aquatic, see .

CHAPTER 3
STRAND AND DELIVER: TWO-COLOR KNITTING USING THE STRANDED TECHNIQUE

CHAPTER 4
CABLES AND BITS: ADDING TEXTURE IN YOUR KNITTING WITH CABLES, TWISTED STITCHES, BOBBLES, AND MORE

Love Me or Leaf Me Bag, see .

CHAPTER 5
LACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

CHAPTER 6
KNIT BLING BLING: ADDING A LITTLE SUMPIN SUMPIN WITH BEADS AND EMBROIDERY

CHAPTER 7
STITCH WITCHERY: A USEFUL ASSORTMENT OF STITCHES

Sweetheart Sweater, see .

CHAPTER 8
DIY: DESIGN IT YOURSELF: SKETCHING, SWATCHING, MEASURING, AND DRAFTING

Tiger Lily Stuffed Animal, see .

CHAPTER 9
DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT: DRAFTING A DROP-SHOULDER SWEATER

CHAPTER 10
FROM RAGS TO RICHES: DRAFTING RAGLAN-SLEEVE AND CIRCULAR YOKE SWEATERS

CHAPTER 11
BRINGING OUT THE BIG GUNS: THE SET-IN SLEEVE SWEATER

CHAPTER 12
DETAILS, DETAILS: NECKLINES, CARDIGAN BANDS, AND ESTIMATING YARN AMOUNTS

Little Red Riding Hoodie, see .

In 1999, when I first got back into knitting, the world was a different place. In Manhattan, where I lived at the time, there were only two knitting stores that I knew of. When I took my knitting out in public, people would stare at me with the kind of curiosity usually reserved for sideshow performers. And although all the older women on my moms side of the family knit, I was aware of only two women in my age group who knew how to wield the needles. Desperate to learn as much about the craft as I could, I invited them, along with anyone else I could find who wanted to learn to knit, to come to a caf in New York Citys East Village every Wednesday evening to stitch and, you know, bitch.

That early Stitch n Bitch group was but one outlet for my knitting evangelism. As the editor in chief of BUST, the magazine for young women that Id started in 1993 with a few friends, I had the opportunity to publish knitting patterns (including one for a knit bikini), recommend my favorite knitting magazines, and, of course, write about my Stitch n Bitch group and invite any of BUSTs readers to join us. And it wasnt just BUST that gave that early group coverage. The idea that young women wereof all thingsgetting into knitting was deemed newsworthy enough that we were visited by reporters from Fox News and The Early Show.

Nevertheless, it wasnt easy keeping that first Stitch n Bitch group from unraveling. At the beginning, eager learners would show up with their yarn and their needles, the enthusiasm in their eyes slowly draining away as they struggled to make clumsy rows of knit stitches. A few stuck it out through making a garter stitch scarf, never to knit again. Fewer still continued showing up regularly. That summer, especially, saw our numbers drop, from about 15 knitters down to only 3 and sometimes as few as 2 members gathering to knit together. Still, we kept meeting, and in Los Angeles and Chicago, women who learned about us started up their own Stitch n Bitch gatherings. The next winter, our group picked up steam, and by 2001, we had to move to a larger caf. The cat had been let out of the knitting bag, and there was no stuffing it back in.