New Day Knits Connections
This is an attempt to list the voices that have helped.
Books, Blogs, Websites, Magazines and so on that have influenced me.
I have many others that I have heard or read, some I will add as time goes by, some I will not. I will add those I feel provide value to the journey.
Give someone a fish and they eat for a day.
Teach someone to fish and they eat for a lifetime.
— Someone said
Books & Authors:
I’m a big fan of stitch dictionaries and own many. These give me inspiration and a reason to swatch.
Pattern books are like cookbooks for me…a really good place to start, but I have never met one I wouldn’t mod. No offense to the original creator, I just need to put my stamp on it.
Books that combine patterns or techniques with real knowledge and understanding of a topic rate really, really high on my lists. If you can walk through how to think about something, well, you’ve just been taught to fish.
Elizabeth Zimmerman —
Anything she has written works. There is value in all of them, not just for knitting but for being.
- Knitting Without Tears — Didn’t just learn knitting basics, she pushes you to learn how to think about your work.
- Knitter’s Almanac — Monthly projects intermingled with the stories of how they came about and some of her un-vented techniques.
- The Opinionated Knitter — EZ shares stories about who she is and how she got there through an anthology of her most popular patterns. Great tales about a personal journey that has had a very public affect on the knitting community.
Barbara G Walker —
OK, another one for: get her entire library!!! This woman has been prolific and shows her intelligence in many areas. If you just want to stick with her knitting books, great. Understand she was also a feminist and a researcher who wrote on many topics.
- A Treasury of Knitting Pattern — Volume 1, have you heard of mosaic knitting?
- A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns — Volume 2, an oft-referenced favorite with a serious expansion of available mosaic designs.
- A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns — Volume 3, the journey continues.
- A Fourth Trasury of Knitting Patterns — Volume 4, the last of a must-have collection.
These four volumes need to be in any designer’s library for reference and inspiration.
- Knitting from the Top Down — top-down continuous construction with pieced and fitted appearance. Making the complex easier.
- Mosaic Knitting — Barbara is the original queen of mosaic and this volume shows the depth of her knowledge of the style.
Shirley Paden —
A modern-day design diva in a tremendously effective and understated package. Shirley breaks down design into the individual elements and walks you through it all. Not just the ‘how’ but how to think about your project to get the fit and the design right.
This one is out of print, hopefully it will be updated and brought back, meanwhile check anywhere used books are sold. The original cost about $40.
- Knitwear Deisgn Workshop: A Comprehensive Guide to Handknits
Vogue Knitting —
They are kind of iconic, with many books in print.
- The Ultimate Knitting Book – A very worthy purchase and updated in 2018. Reference for how-to on almost any technique you will use.
A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.
― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
Voices:
There are lots of voices out there to listen to and culling the list to fit within the time we have is critical. Mine are mostly in the knitting and faith realms. I don’t always agree with everything they say, but I do learn from them. They may have websites, newsletters or podcasts. The form is yours to choose.
Knitting —
Many here that I check in with regularly or occasionally and in no particular order. Each brings something to my craft.
- Francoise Danoy — Frenchie brings her authentic self to her work, demonstrating it can transform not only you, but those around you.
- Kristin Nichols — Color. Crazy, wild, unexpected, riotous color.
- Modern Daily Knitting — for the fun of it all.
- Sister Mountain — Claire shares her loves and how she makes them happen.
- Ysolda Teague — A long-standing advocate for many and having the privilege of watching her grow and transform over more than a decade, a beautiful human.
Faith and Hope —
Sarah Bessey — Always kind, always hopeful. Sarah’s newsletters help remind me that I am good and I am loved. She has two versions: free and subscription.
Nadia Bolz-Weber — honest, brassy, humble and forthright, but never, ever silent. Always standing in a gap.