Mastering Color Knitting: Simple Instructions for Stranded, Intarsia, and Double Knitting

Mastering Color Knitting is a book of techniques, and, even though I consider myself an accomplished knitter, Leapman has included many techniques I have not learned and am ready to try. Here's my take on Mastering Color Knitting: PROS: 1. I've known about steeks for some time, but the idea of actually cutting into my knitting made me quake. Leapman's explanation is sufficient and calming enough that I may give it a try. 2. What about double knitting? The previous instructions I've tried were insufficient to make this a useful technique for me. Now I've changed my mind, and I've already completed a cap for a cancer patient who complains of a cold head. 3. The book is packed with tips on keeping an even tension when doing stranded knitting. In addition, there are many charts that you can use to create your own color knits. CONS: 1. While I do not believe this is a negative, knitters looking for complete sweater patterns will not find many in this book. Leapman's focus is on technique and chartings, so if you're looking for garment patterns, this will not be the book you want. 2. The book itself does not lie flat when it's open. To work from a chart it will be necessary to copy the chart to a separate page, or to weight the pages to keep the book open. OVERALL: There's plenty here to delight most knitters - stranded knitting, double knits, intarsia and a wealth of charts to get you started. A worthy addition to your knitting library!

Good patterns for mediate knitters. I liked this. (Also good reminders for knitting techniques)

I bought a pattern for a scarf with a cat on the front and on the back Maggies. I purchased dark grey and light grey yarn and sat down to knit. Reading the instructions I soon realized that this was a double knit project and I have never double knit anything. I don't have any double knit patterns but I thought it was good that I would learn this method. I tried and tried the limited instructions (they apparently assumed that you knew how to double knit). I watched several you tube videos and found that not only was the stitch different, everything was different. I had a couple of knit instruction books but they did not have double knit instructions they had double knit cast ons. I am 84 so that might be part of it but I have never run into this problem. I became extremely frustrated and I have never ripped out so many stitches ever. I found this book on Amazon and it proved to be the solution. It is so well written and easy to understand. My husband is also very glad that I found the solution in this book.

In Mastering Color Knitting, Melissa Leapman offers up a fun and creative look at colorwork in knitting and focuses on three techniques for incorporating color: Fair Isle, Intarsia, and Reversible Two-Color Double Knitting. The first part of the book looks at some basic color theory and Leapman offers some ideas on how to use a 12 color wheel to find combinations that satisfy the requirements of the project at hand. For those of us that tend to shy away from making big color statements, I thought the discussion on choosing colors was both encouraging and helpful. The Fair Isle section offers clear instruction on the basics of Fair Isle knitting for techniques for tangle-free multi-strand knitting and steeks. The role of color dominance is also discussed. The colorways that are shown and suggested are very pretty and the pattern charts are plentiful. I found this section lacking, however, in two ways: there isn’t enough information provided about designing a Fair Isle item for a reader to be able to do it successfully without having read something else like Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting in addition to this one. My second issue was in regards to the discussion on shaping Fair Isle knitting. I haven’t read a lot on shaping stranded colorwork, and Leapman provides a side panel chart that was used in one of the sample projects; but there is no photograph of the side seam showing how the side panel works into the sweater, and no discussion on how the side panel was designed to blend in between the fleur de lis pattern shown in the project. I would have liked to have known that. The Intarsia knit section was very good. There are very good instructions and tips for changing colors and “painting with stitches”. I learned a couple of new techniques that I didn’t know about, like three techniques for knitting intarsia in the round. I don’t know who came up with those, but I thought they were very clever and sound easy to work. There are also a number of references provided for computer-generated graph paper and graphics-charting software in addition to the reproducible graph paper grid at the back of the book. The Reversible Two-Color Double Knitting section was lots of fun. I have done double knitting in the past so I was aware of the basic double knitting idea (like green dots with blue background on one side and blue dots on green background on the other) but I was not aware that the patterns could be different on both sides! After having read the explanation it makes sense now, but who’d a thunk it? Leapman’s book makes you think of color in some new and different ways and was an inspiration for a knitter with monochromatic tendencies like me.

Very comprehensive easy to understand instructions. It is one of the best knitting books I have purchased.

Lots of great information for stranded knitting. Im new at it and found it very helpful.

I bought this because I was struggling to maintain tension when I tried colorwork. I was getting holes in my work and the YouTube tutorials weren’t making sense to me. This book is very clear and it has something for everybody in it! I’d say a beginner could use it too once they master knit, purl, and their tension. There’s some really pretty patterns I eventually want to try and a lot of motifs your can use in your own pattern making! Could not recommend more! The last photo (the cloud panel) is after I figured out colorwork with the help of this book! I’d recommend practicing by making little swatches instead of having to undo a big projects and getting frustrated.

An excellent guide to advanced knitters. (I plead guilty here because I am not sufficiently expert to take advantage of Melissa Leapman's knowledge.) It is odious to compare similar authors, I know. However, speaking as a knitter whose abilities are at intermediate standard, I am drawn to "Teach Yourself Visually Colour Knitting." Whereas "Mastering Colour Knitting" intimidates me.

Obwohl ich schon einiges zum bunten Stricken gelesen habe, fanden sich hier gute und neue Informationen für mich. Einige Sachen habe ich entweder vorher nie begriffen oder sie wurden noch nie so gut erklärt - die Tipps sind nützlich und stehen genau da wo man sie erwartet und gebrauchen kann. Der Aufbau des Buches ist vorbildlich: einige Seiten übersichtliche Farbtheorie (Newton und was hue, tone, tint and shade bedeutet!) wie Kombinationen nach einem Schema wirken (harmonisch, frisch, streng, kaleidoskopisch usw) und dann die wichtigsten Techniken und verschiedene Methoden sie erfolgreich zu meistern: Fair Isle/Norweger + Intarsien + Doubleface, jeweils Technik, Anregungen für eigene Designs und einige Anleitungen zum Üben und Probieren (Mützen, Pullover, Jacken, Decke, Kissen, Schals) Egal wie bunt es wird, man hat maximal 2 verschiedenfarbige Fäden in den Händen (beide links, beide rechts oder einen links und einen rechts - sehr gut erklärt! Kontinentales picking und Englisch/Amerikanisches throwing endlich einmal sachlich im Vergleich nebeneinander gezeigt). Und wie man angstfrei mit Steeks arbeitet ist auch enthalten, die Tipps zur Häkeleinfassung gefallen mir besonders gut. Insgesamt ist das Buch bestens illustriert, Zeichnungen, Fotos und aufgelockerte Textblöcke ... einfach und anschaulich präsentiert. Der flüssig zu lesende, erfreulich knapp und präzise gehaltene Text ist hier wichtig, die Bilder alleine unterstützen die Erklärungen, können diese aber keinesfalls ersetzen ---> Englisch (solide - oder unerschrocken!) ist Voraussetzung. Es gibt noch ein Farbmusterbuch von Melissa Leapman: "Color Knitting the Easy Way" Color Knitting the Easy Way: Essential Techniques, Perfect Palettes, and Fresh Designs Using Just One Color at a Time der alle Grundlagen (über Farben und Strickschrift lesen - wiederholt sich in Mastering) sowie eine Vielzahl "einfachere" Techniken mit jeweils nur einem Arbeitsfaden/Reihe erklärt, diese Muster wiederholen sich nicht. Da die Grundlagen in beiden Büchern ähnlich enthalten sind, wäre es vermutlich wünschenswert in einer unseren Strickhorizont bereichernden deutschen Übersetzung alles in einem einzigen Buch unterzubringen. 'Mastering' enthält vielleicht auf den ersten Blick schwierigere Themen als 'Easy', auf den zweiten Blick sind sie nur anders und ergänzen sich gut -letzten Endes kann auch ein mutiger Anfänger mit jedem der beiden Bücher zu erstaunlichen Ergebnissen kommen. Hier wird klargemacht worauf es wirklich ankommt - Fadenspannung, nicht nur dass, sondern auch warum diese so wichtig ist und was man dafür beachten, tun und lassen kann inkl. Problemlösungen für einiges an dem (hoffentlich nicht nur) ich, mir bisher die Zähne ausgebissen hab. Ein Kauf der sich für mich rundum gelohnt hat. Die Decke im Buch trifft meinen Geschmack nun nicht, aber viele Muster- und Übungslappen in unterschiedlichen Längen und Breiten zusammengenäht ... das Patchwork-Schema in dem kreuz und quer alles unterkommen kann inspiriert.

Il libro è effettivamente molto interessante ed utile anche per chi come me è alle prime armi con le tecniche a più colori. Servizio da parte del venditore ottimo, consegna puntuale con imballaggio protettivo. Lo consiglierei senza dubbio agli interessati

I love this book great patterns and info

I have not tried any of the projects but it seems to be a good book

英文なのでdouble knittingを知りたくて買いました。他のところは興味がないのですが編み図がたくさん載っているので参考になりました。本自体がしっかりしていて立派だと思います。中古で安く手に入りありがたいです。