Knitting Architecture: 20 Patterns Exploring Form, Function, and Detail

I really love this book. There are only about four patterns that I wouldn't consider knitting which makes this very good value. I have had the book just over three weeks and have already knitted the first pattern in the book for a friend. ( I am going to repeat it in another colourway for me.) I found the chart very clear and easy to follow. The fit was exactly as stated in pattern.

Tanis Gray has edited a knitting book that contains wonderful designs and patterns for the knitter. According to the introduction, " Using our bodies as a foundation, we can create beautiful, effortless designs with elements borrowed from architecture." "We need our knitwear to be able to move with the push and pull of our bodies. Construction can be the difference between a garment and a garment with purpose." The very first pattern, King's College pullover, designed by Mari Muinonen is a work of art. It contains a cabled yoke and is a pullover in a lovely dark golden/orange hue. Its name is taken from the King's College Chapel. The Sagrada Familia Cardigan, designed by Cirilia Rose, has "dropped and wrapped stitches, bobbles, vertical and horizontal elements that accentuate the form by cinching in the waist, garter and stockinette stitch." It is just lovely and is knit in a worsted weight yarn in a deep rose colorway. One of my favorites, and the cover design, is the Opera House Shell, designed by Suvi Simola. It is a sleeveless pullover shell in two colors. "Cleverly placed short rows and waist shaping create a gentle, curving structure, and a unique curved bottom edge form by hugging the wearer's hips." The bodice is knit in a lace pattern. The colorway is a deep cinnamon with a yellow/orange accent. The Arts and Crafts Cardigan is worked from the bottom up and is designed by Amy Christoffers. It utilizes "reverse stockinette stitch and cabled lace" and evokes the Arts and Crafts movement. It is knit in an a coral colorway and I can't wait to knit this pattern. The Mucha Cardign is designed by Glenna Harris and is "knit in pieces, seamed together, then topped with a short row collar" inspiring an art nouveau kimono style. "The combination of textural stitches, cables, and a draped style offers both contemporary versatility and classic comfort." The Byzantine Pullover, designed by Tanis Lavalee, evokes to me an ode to Icelandic knitting. It is "knit in the round from the top down and.... is a work of art not unlike the Byzantine mosaics that inspired it. Knit in a traditional stranded technique with five colors, the Fair Isle pattern is based on mosaics." The colors are offset by the main color of beige. This book contains several sweaters, mittens, hats, wraps, shawls, a dress and accessories. Primarily it contains cardigans and pullovers. The patterns are beautiful and tasteful, many of which I'd choose to knit. As with most knitting books I review, I ask myself three questions: Will I knit the patterns? Are the patterns easy to read? Is this book a good resource. The answer to all three questions is 'yes'. I recommend this book for intermediate and advanced knitters. It is filled with glorious patterns.

The looks of the patterns are awesome but I haven't made anything yet. The pattern on the cover is a must do.

The book has many nice patterns and ideas, I didn't try to knit from it yet, so I cannot rate the quality of the descriptions.

KNITTING ARCHITECTURE is a collection of patterns inspired by architecture, not (as I'd hoped) a technical book about the "architecture" (construction) of knitted garments. However, the designs are pretty and wearable, and a couple of them are technically innovative. The Pompidou Wrap (by Grace Anna Farrow) is a black rectangle with colorful zigzag lines that wrap around the wearer. The lines are set far enough apart to create an elegant garment (not an op-art effect). The construction is intriguing--it begins with five separate triangles, and the triangles are added to and joined as you proceed through the 12 sections of written-out instructions. The Hotel Tassel Wrap (by Asa Tricosa) is, for me, a "why didn't someone think of this before" design. It's a lace mesh rectangle with a border band of garter stitch and small cables. The band separates at both ends to outline mesh triangles that give the impression of sleeves when the wrap is worn. Other designs that especially appeal to me are the Byzantine Pullover (by Tanis Lavallee), the Rococo Mittens (by Jane Dupuis), and the Tower of Pisa Shift (by Veera Valimaki). The pullover is a pretty top-down-knit sweater with a wide, colorful geometric-design band that runs around the shoulders; the band is set low, so it doesn't look like your usual Fair Isle yoke. The blue and white mittens (a charted design) have asymmetrically placed swirls on a background of knitted "lice" (single contrasting-color stitches that form v-shaped dots). The simple shift dress is knit mostly sideways, and achieves its shaping with strips joined as you go. Each of the 20 included designs is accompanied by a photograph of the building or type of architecture that inspired it (e.g., Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, the beautiful Gothic King's College Chapel, the Sagrada Familia, Victor Horta's Hotel Tassel). The architectural photographs are displayed in sidebars with text explaining the featured architectural styles. The book's patterns are not easy-to-knit designs, but an adventurous knitter with intermediate skills should be able to knit them. This is another beautiful book, filled with high-quality patterns, from knitting book publisher Interweave Press.