Knitting Bazaar

Knitting Bazaar

by: Jo Sharp

Topics include: front bodice length, back bodice length, incorporating shoulder shaping, yarn allocated, first side rev all shaping, rem sts, alt row, complete second side, leave rem, rejoin yarn, sts down left front neck, stitch holder, col changes, facing using, right front neck, neck edge, neck shaping, warm iron, shoulder seams

Book Description:

Book Description -- With three books, a line of wool knitting yarns, numerous catalogs, and knitting articles to her name, Jo Sharp is becoming one of the best known knitting designers. Her designs are stylish and colorful without being trendy. Despite the numerous publications to her credit, she always manages to come up with fresh ideas, each one more stunning than the last. This book collects 39 projects based on 15 styles. The projects include sweaters, cardigans, and vests, with a few home projects thrown in. There is a special emphasis on the beginning knitter, yet despite their simplicity, the designs are unique and stylish and will appeal to a wide range of knitters. Full step-by-step instructions are given for the projects, with clear readable knitting charts where needed. Colorful photos show the projects to their best advantage and will inspire any knitter.

Knitting Bazaar -- Jo Sharp -- 39 projects based on 15 styles. With three books, a line of wool knitting yarns, numerous catalogs, and knitting articles to her name, Jo Sharp is becoming one of the best known knitting designers. Her designs are stylish and colorful without being trendy. Despite the numerous publications to her credit, she always manages to come up with fresh ideas, each one more stunning than the last. This book contains 39 projects based on 15 styles. The projects include sweaters, cardigans, and vests, with a few home projects thrown in. There is a special emphasis on the beginning knitter, yet despite their simplicity, the designs are unique and stylish and will appeal you regardless of your skill level. Full step-by-step instructions are given for the projects, with clear readable knitting charts where needed. Colorful photos show the projects to their best advantage and will inspire you to create stunning garments.

Best of Jo Sharp's collections -- Some of Jo Sharp's sweater designs are a bit outlandish for me, since I'm more conservative in dress, although I expect a good number of them, since they are colorful, unusual and eye-catching, can be quite popular. I was happy, though, to find this collection, which has something for everybody and certainly lots for me. Jo Sharp yarn is extraordinary -- quite unusual for our market, these are strong, substantial yarns that knit into luxurious garments on anywhere from the recommended size 6 needle to a size 8 or 9. They are expensive, comparatively, at $6.50 for a ball of 107 yards, but you get great coverage, and the end result is a sweater that is both durable, comfortable, easy to maintain, and versatile, not to mention warm. A whole sweater can cost about $100, which is not bad for the quality that you get. Knitting Bazaar has great designs for single colored sweaters, two colors, or the more complex trademark styles of multi-hued intarsias. Very inventive designs for the new colors added to her palette, and some wonderfully conservative styles that I can wear to work. The best of the collection, though, is Precious Jewel -- a brightly colored intarsia of op-art flowers and scrollwork. The cover style, Boheme, is also very attractive, as is the colorful Paragon. Sharp also gives us a cape, some pullovers (some in stranding or fair isle), cardigans and an attractively cabled jacket, casual wear and formal wear sweaters, cables and intarsias. Some designs are highly appropriate for new knitters, others are simple examples of intarsia or stranding for those just learning the techniques. Precious Jewel looks to be the most complex. In all, this collection is highly inventive, not so much a departure in Sharp's styles but a ripening -- and I think she's gone further into styling that is appropriate for the American market. Certainly she's one of the best designers out there, second in inventiveness only to Kaffe Fassett, who seems to be depleted as far as sweater designs, and comparable to Alice Starmore. Jo Sharp has 3 or 4 previous books, most quite good. Knitting Bazaar is a great collection, a pleasure to browse through, and well-worth adding to your knitting library.

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