Many of us who enjoy knitting and crochet would also say that books are an important material factor in what we make. Books provide guidance as well as inspiration and the sharing of books is often part of the communities we form through our practice. At the heart of the Knit and Matter research is the historic connection between text and textile; this continues in the role of books in the everyday practice of lots of fibre crafters today.
At the Knit and Matter workshops, we have shared book recommendations of all kinds: guides to colour, stitches and patterns, as well as books about history and the wider world of knitting.
Here are some of the books that have featured in our conversations and that participants have shared during our work so far at the Knit and Matter workshops. We will add to these as the list grows. Feel free to also make your own suggestions in the comment box below.
Colour and Dyeing
Botanical Colour at your Fingertips by Rebecca Desnos
Wild Colour by Jenny Dean
Collins Artist’s Little Book of Colour by Simon Jennings
In the Mood for Colour by Hans Blomquist
Exploring Colour in Knitting by Sarah Hazell and Emma King
Inspiration and ideas for making
Knit the Sky: Cultivate your Creativity with a Playful Way of Knitting by Lea Redmond
Simple Crochet by Erika Knight
Freeform Crochet and Beyond by Renate Kirkpatrick
Japanese Stitches Unravelled by Wendy Bernard
Reflections on Knitting
The Mindfulness in Knitting: Meditation on Craft and Calm, by Rachel Matthews
Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting edited by Ann Hood
The Yarn Whisperer by Clara Parkes
Yarn Harlot, At Knit’s End and other works by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Remembering the Way Home by Kyoko Mori
For a beautiful exploration of the relationship between books and knitting, see Karie Westermann’s This Thing of Paper.
