Thursday, April 03, 2008

More Big Girl Knits

More Big Girl Knits by Jilliam Moreno and Amy Singer (authors of, surprise, surprise, Big Girl Knits) arrived yesterday (preordered by Russell as part of my Christmas present).

It's subtitled "25 designs full of color and texture for curvy women" - I love color, I love texture, and I loved Big Girl Knits so I knew this one would be well received.

I really enjoyed flipping through the patterns. I have to admit that I completely skipped all the frontmatter, so I can’t comment on that.

I think the patterns overall are very good (yes, there were a couple of duds - one in particular that I couldn’t imagine many larger women would even consider wearing); better than the first book, I think. And, there are more than a couple that I’d definitely consider knitting:
- Hot Cocoa Jacket (a textured blazer)
- Goddess Shawl (a gorgeous cabled shawl completely beyond my skill level)
- Cable Love Jacket (a low-cut, tunic-length cardigan with a bit of cable and lace)
- Twisted Pullover (pictured on the front cover; it looks like something I'd buy in the store)
- Pastille (a pullover with lots of pattern, using colors that aren't too different to make it subtle)
- Perfection Wrap (a light, lacey wrap made with Handmaiden Sea Silk)

I’m intrigued by the Modular Spiral Jacket, but I’m not sure that it’d actually look good on me - I almost wish it was pullover instead of a jacket since the edging seems a bit bulky. I also like the halter top with the special bra-hider flap... though I never wear halter tops. And, I can totally picture my sister in the Orange Smoothie Tank (hers would have to be a deep magenta, though).

Personally I don’t mind the inclusion of socks at all. I particularly thought the Twisty-stitch Socks were relevant as they are perfect for those of us with huge calves - though I’m not so crazy about the idea of knitting socks with Cascade 220. (I also kinda like the Indian Summer Socks, but mostly because the pumpkin-colored Fleece Artist yarn is oh-so lovely).

I was less crazy about the bags (do larger women need special handbags?) and the bulky scarf (yes, it proves a point, but a scarf is a scarf).

2 comments:

  1. They did suggest in the first book that larger women need larger handbags, because the size of your body will make your bag look smaller by comparison.

    I suppose I can see their point, but I have to say I've never put that much thought into "handbag as fashion statement" versus "handbag as place to keep my stuff", so I don't think proportionality is really even something I'm looking for in a bag.

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  2. That sounds like fun. I feel like I can see the designs from your descriptions. It makes me want to pick up a pair of needles again!

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