Lace is a very popular technique in knitting. Basic lace knitting is as simple as creating yarn overs. Have you ever tried mosaic knitting? Mosaic knitting is also known as slip stitch knitting. It's a fun and easy way to add some colorwork to your knitting. The easy part is that you are only knitting with one color at a time. There is no need to carry multiple yarns. Barbara took lace knitting and mosaic knitting and combined it together. GENIUS! ... These techniques may look intimidating, but fear not. Barbara has added a instructional section in the book that covers the basics of knitting slip stitches, how to read lace and mosaic charts, how to work mosaic in the round, and tips and tricks to help you avoid potential troubles. She includes clear photos to help you learn the techniques that will lead you to success in knitting mosaic and lace. I really like the part where she goes into detail about carrying the colors up the sides and what kind of selvage it would create. Barbara took the time to knit a swatch to show the different examples and how it would like like if you chose one technique over the other. I am a real stickler about details and finishing techniques and that kind of information is so important, in my opinion.
Barbara Benson has been experimenting with the fusion of mosaic knitting and lace stitches over the past few years, and has created "Mosaic & Lace Knits: 20 Innovative Patterns Combining Slip-Stitch Colorwork and Lace Techniques", a truly impressive collection of 20 shawls, cowls, scarves, hats, and other accessories. To make the patterns accessible to any knitter, she has added a helpful instructional section in "Mosaic & Lace Knits" that covers the basics of knitting slip stitches, how to read lace and mosaic charts, how to work mosaic in the round, and tips and tricks to help you avoid potential pitfalls. The book has projects for all level knitters. Start with a project in which the mosaic and lace are worked in different sections, such as a hat with alternating bands of mosaic and lace. Then progress to more complex patterns where the slip stitch and lace stitches are worked at the same time. Each stitch plays an important role — these patterns will keep the interest of even the most experienced knitter! Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Mosaic & Lace Knits" is very highly recommended for community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reference collections that "Mosaic & Lace Knits" is also available in a digital book format.
Mosaic &Lace Knits is not just a collection of beautiful and wearable designs. This book is full of newly developed slip-stitch patterns that merge lace with mosaic slip-stitch techniques in a very clever and precise way. I am a huge fan of Barbara’s designs.
So have you noticed how I tend to say things like "don’t worry, it’s not really colorwork" or "it’s ok, you only ever work with one yarn at once" when I talk about my projects? Yeah, that’s because I’m sort of scared of having to manage two strands of yarn on one row (and just possibly a little in awe of folks who can pull it off it). Judging from what I hear from you guys, I’m not alone. If you’re with me in the one-yarn-at-a-time camp (or if you’re one of those fancy two-at-a-time folks and want to try something fun), check out Barbara Benson’s new book, Mosaic & Lace Knits. My first introduction to mosaic knitting was in Barbara Walker’s books (she talks about it in some of her stitch dictionaries, and later did a whole book on the subject). Barbara Benson was inspired by the same books (as so many of us designers are!), and wanted to take the technique even further. She’s developed methods for incorporating lace and patterning into mosaic knitting. The result is fabric and projects that still have the "how the heck did you do that?" wow factor, but without any of the heaviness that sometimes comes with traditional mosaic knitting. The book starts off with a very approachable introduction to the subject and shows you all the techniques you’ll need to work the patterns. Now, Barbara isn’t mean enough to say this, but I am…don’t skip this bit. This technique is probably new to you, and you’re going to have much more fun with the patterns if you take the time to read the introductory bits. I promise it’s worth it. Once you’ve read it, you’ll be ready to dive into the patterns! Twelve of the 20 projects are what I affectionately think of as snuggly neck things (meaning scarves, shawls, and cowls), three are hats, three are hand things (the fingertip equivalent of snuggly neck things), and the last two projects are a shopping bag and a pillow. Smaller scale projects like this are the perfect place to experiment with a new technique. They give you enough room to practice and feel clever without making you worry you’ve taken on something daunting! I confess I wish a few more of the patterns came in multiple sizes (I have a big head and big hands…one-size-fits-all things don’t generally fit me), but I suspect for many of them you can improvise by either adding in extra repeats or working at a bigger gauge (you’re a knitter, you’re clever, I have faith in you).
Mosaic & Lace Knits is a collection of 20 shawls, cowls, scarves, hats, and other accessories, plus an instructional section with the basics of knitting slip stitches, how to read the charts, how to work mosaic in the round, and tips and tricks. It’s full of big, beautiful color photos of all the projects and closeups of stitch patterns.
For knitters who like a little challenge, this book features a number of colorful and fun projects that combine the best elements of both lace and slip-stitch (mosaic) colorwork techniques and patterns. There’s good tutorials and technique information, and it’s well within the grasp of an intermediate knitter – it’s clever and innovative, but not nearly as difficult as it might seem. The projects range from a pair of quick-knit mittens designed as an introduction to the methods, to some not-too-overwhemling hats, and some larger shawl projects. I also like that the projects offer lots of interesting new ways to use up all the skeins of variegated and hand-dyed yarns we have in our stashes.
Barbara Benson shares her expertise as well as her love of mosaic lace knitting in this incredibly comprehensive book. Her creativity and ingenuity shine through in every project. Mosaic & Lace Knits is a must-have for your knitting library!
