Product Description

Here, Erika Knight combines conventional knitting with unusual yarns and other crafts to give it a modern and upbeat twist. Knitting is expanding upon its traditional roots and is now more closely allied to contemporary trends in both the world of fashion and interiors. This title showcases Erika's upbeat take on interiors, which can be seen in her striking black and white patched throw, comfy knitted denim beanbag and woven woollen rug. Similarly, Erika has reworked several classic designs; a traditional rose chintz cushion is translated into contemporary chunky yarns while an old-fashioned Aran is given a new lease of life as a sumptious armchair cover. The 20 projects in the book are organized into four specific colour groups, modern brights, black and whites, urban neutrals and organic naturals - each with its own distinctive chapter. Including throws, cushions and rugs for the home and a range of accessories, from sumptious slippers to a delicate beaded scarf, the book should appeal to both experiences and aspiring knitters.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119527 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
Erika Knight is a much respected knitwear and crochet designer, as well as a sought-after fashion and crafts consultant. For many years she has been working towards a greater understanding and accessibility within the crafts arena to bring it to a new generation. Erika has worked for a number of major fashion houses including Nicole Farhi, Whistles, Edina Ronay in the UK; J. Crew and Gap in the US; and Country Road in Australia; as well as running her own company producing designer knitwear. Erika has published a number of highly acclaimed knitting books including Baby Bloom, as well two books on crochet: Simple Crochet and Essential Crochet, which have sold in excess of 200,000 copies worldwide. She has published four titles in the Collectables series, Classic, Glamour, Classic at Home, and Glamour at Home, each a collection of 15 stunning designs for womenswear and the home. Her latest book, Beads and Buttons, is on jewellery design.

Customer Reviews

Contemporary twist? You weren't joking. Yee-ha!
If you are new to knitting or if you have been at it for ages, then get this book. It is fantastic. Beautifully produced with gorgeous photographs and clear instructions, it must find its way in to your stash. Gone are the usual plain old sweaters, socks and hats and in comes knitted works of art for the wall, boudoir slippers made from ribbon and a holdall made from recycled chopped up carrier bags. Inspirational. I am especially fond of the retro poodle bottle cover(!). I am dying to attempt the projects in this book (got to finish a million other projects first) but one glance through and your mind is whirring with ideas. Forget about just knitting with yarn, and think about wire, felt strips, plastic and parcel string. Erica, I salute you!

New Knits: 20 Knitting Projects with a Contemporary Twist
I am sorry to say I was dissappointed. Unlike her previous book this book does not have really useful patterns to actually knit for the home. Knitting pictures for the wall, a poodle wine cover, a dog vest, a wire basket are not really what I am interested in for the home. Some of the design ideas are interesting and inspiring but not really that attractive. Other knitted designs like the bed cover are a bit basic so I guess useful for a beginners project. While I like the aran arm chair cover there was no provision for adapting the design to other chair designs or a even to make a throw. It is not all bad there are some nice basic stich patterns and interesting ideas like knitting bags with plastic shopping bags and other materials.

I wish I had bought her previous book,which I get from the library, as I have knitted most of the projects in it and it is brilliant, practical, easy and stylish.

Bland and boring
I was really unimpressed with this book. Good news first: The patterns are well written and the information provided throughout the book is very useful. It is a good starting point for ideas, such as knitting with materials other than yarn (e.g. plastic, twine, wire, fabric, etc...). But there is not a single pattern that I will be making and I cannot imagine how this collection was put together. Seriously, would you honestly want to spend your time and effort knitting a lining to go into a hanging basket and get covered in dirt & soaked with water? Or knitting an intricate cable & bobble cover for your armchair?! Props to you if that's your kind of thing but it is just not my taste at all. I suppose the patchwork blanket is a good idea for using up odd balls of yarn, but it's just a bunch of knitted squares sewn together and it didn't take a lot of imagination to create that design. The only pattern that I really liked was the 'barcode' dog jumper and I don't have a dog :(