This review is meant as a positive look at the work of EZ, Meg & Cully Swansen.
All pictures are taken from the book. The quality may not be great, I took them with a camera on a rainy Friday night.
First off, let me say this book is great. Filled with pearls of EZ wisdom, wonderful, practical garments and intuitive design features. As with all EZ patterns, there is lots of choice for you to make the garments unique to you, and most of all to make them FIT. There's a lovely intro and throughout the book there are watercolour pictures painted by EZ.
But let's get to the meat of the knitty sandwich. There's a TON of patterns in here. The book is divided into sections, the first of which is Head, Hands & Feet.
The first is the Chambered Nautilus Tam which is also the cover picture:
A short row spiral hat. Love it. I think it's very chic.
The next hat is a bit quirkier, Brimmed Hat - Panache:
To quote EZ: "Here's a ridiculous hat - but worn with panache by a self-confident young woman; this would look gorgeous." Well said, EZ. Reminds me of Robin Hood.
Next we have Single Border Cap:
I can see Alice wanting one of these for school. She loves hats with strings.
Next is the Brimmed Hat - Horizontal:
I love all the different ways this can be worn, a few simple folds and it transforms into a totally different style of hat!
Brimmed Hat - Vertical:
I think this would be a cute sunhat in a cotton yarn. Reminds me of a floppy sunhat Alice had when she was a baby.
Another one that reminds me of a baby bonnet is the Diamond Back Bonnet:
Not so sure I'd wear this one to be honest, but if it gets as cold as it did last winter I'm sure that will change! It reminds me a bit of the headscarf worn by Kelly McGillis as an Amish woman in Witness.
The Katmandu Cap or Bonnet is next:
There's something a bit catlike about this one. Maybe it's the pointed "ears"? Quite cute.
On to the Pillbox Hat:
Love this one. There's another version in the book that's striped & looks like a circus tent. Brilliant. Short rows rock.
On to hands now, first is Ambidextrous Mittens:
LOVE these as they can worn on either hand. No more mistakes for me in putting the thumb on the wrong side!
On to Mittens from the Top:
More lovely mittens. I love mittens. These are worked from the top down. I like the flared cuff.
Sideways Gloves are next:
These are really clever. Doing fingers in the round is a total pain. These are done sideways using provisional cast on. Can't wait to try these. There's also a variation given for Fingerless Gloves:
For the Fagin in all of us.
On to the feet. The name of these is Add-a-Booties. Great name!
Basically, there are multiple layers of soles for padded comfort and they never wear out. Yummy toasty feet. I think I might make these for myself.
The next pattern is a quirky one, Knitted Clogs:
Not so sure I'd wear these, but I can be pretty sure Alice would. Plus I bet they'd be fun to knit. On little kids feet they'd probably be adorable.
Next is Garter Sole Slippers:
These are fab! They look so snuggly! I bet they are mega comfy. Mmm.
Socks now, and Sideways Socks. I love trying new sock construction ideas.
Mosaic Socks:
Striped Socks:
And Clock Socks:
They're socks. I'm gonna knit them all.
On to a new Section, Babies, and the cuteness factor escalates dramatically.
First up, my previous blog post of Star Booties:
You all know how I feel about these already. LOVE!
Next is my next baby knit hopefully, Tie Booties:
AWWWW! Look! Widdle cutie booties! Divine.
Baby Surplice Jacket:
This is one I was looking forward to, having seen sneak peek pics of it before publication. Isn't it lovely? So easily customized for little boys or girls, or different closures. I love it.
2-Piece baby Jacket:
Super cute. versions for babies & small children are given, with a v or round neck.
Flared Baby Jacket:
No-one does baby jackets like EZ. So many different versions and so easily customized using stripes, edgings etc. Love.
I-Cord Sampler/Potholder/Baby Blanket:
I think I remember Meg doing something similar on the Knitting Around DVD. A great way to learn I-Cord edging and have an FO at the end. As EZ says, "A pot holder? A Baby Blanket? The difference is only in size."
The next section is for the grown-ups, Vests.
First is Cully's Vest:
I like Cully's designs. He's come up with some interesting ones over the years. He did a really cool brick jumper in a previous Wool Gathering, and some quirky hats too. This vest is lovely, it looks really comfy and practical, plus has some nice pattern detail on the bodice that you can't really see in the picture. Not something I'd wear, but I know my Dad would.
This one is nice too. V-Vest:
This looks really interesting, you cast on at the neck and knit on the bias. Can't wait to try this one!
When I saw this I immediately thought of Wyvernfriend (a knitty friend who likes waiscoats). Waistcoat Vest:
Cute! The back looks cool too, but you'll have to trust me, I didn't take a pic. ;)
Yoked Top:
I love this one. Nice and plain and simple. The different directions of the knitting do all the talking. I'm thinking like EZ and immediately wanting to alter it to suit me, a mantra she always had. I'm going to add sleeves.
The next section is Sweaters, and the first is New Zealand Sweater:
Apparently the yoke shape matches the silhouette of the NZ volcano, Rangitoto. I love how EZ got inspired by maths & nature. This can be easily altered by adding a pattern to the body:
Looks like a totally different sweater, doesn't it? I think hubby might be getting the plain version for his Christmas jumper; although knit in a lightweight yarn, it could end up on me instead...
This one is great. Striped Blouse:
Maybe it's the navy & white, but I think it's such a classic look. Really smart. Not one I think I'd be able to wear, sadly. I think the stripes would make me look ridiculously larger. Not sure. I think it would look fantastic on Alice though, maybe in black & white with a pair of jeans.
Bias-Sleeve Sweater:
This is knit lengthways. Lots of stitches! But, the end result is fab. A great vehicle for making the most of hand dyed yarns I think.
This one has me excited. Mitered Cardigan:
ooooh. Look! Isn't it just gorgeous? This is DEFO on my list. I have the perfect Autumnal coloured Cushendale wool. Mmm. This is going to be by Autumn cardigan this year. Absolutely.
Icelandic Overblouse:
This is great because it makes the most of the colours of the yarn and the stitches. The shoulder is really unusual too, another one that would be really interesting to knit.
Striped Jumper:
Another vertical sweater, with short rows. The stripes are a great way to break the monotony of the knitting.
Suspender Sweater:
This is a great contemporary design. The neckline is really cleverly done, and the "suspenders" look great. The choices for the type of suspender you could add are endless, you could make a fab unique cardi.
Next section is Jackets and the first is Long Collared Jacket:
Jackets are brilliant, but a real investment of time and love. I'm not sure I'd ever get round to making one, but I would like to think I would. The collar on this one is great, you'd be lovely and snug against cold breezes. Knit plain, this would be lovely.
Next is Adult Bavarian Jacket:
Isn't this a great photo? A traditional German garment given a make-over. This garment uses the bent-elbow technique, a great idea for thicker yarns to allow your arms to move.
Of course, there's a child's version too, Childs Bavarian Jacket:
How cute is that.
I love the name of this one, Ribbed Dirndl Top:
Dirndl is a great word, I think. Evokes images of the tv show Heidi I used to love as a kid. I think this is really pretty, and would look great over a blouse with a floaty skirt. The shaping at the back is really interesting, creating a fab texture.
On to the Zig-Zag Jacket:
Isn't this great? Look at the way the arrows flow around the corners at the bottom. This looks super comfy. I think I might break the no-jacket rule and make this one for me...
Hand-toHand Cardigan:
This comes in adult and child sized versions. The cable on the sleeves is lovely. Again there is interesting uses of direction to create texture in the garter stitches, and the curved bottom edges are lovely. The kids version is really nice too, using different coloured yarn to emphasise the sections.
So there you have it! Isn't it brilliant? I want to knit everything really, all I need is the time. Thanks so much Schoolhouse Press for all the hard work in deconstructing EZ's notes and giving us lots of lovely new knits!
Good knitting!
