Ulla Engquist is a master of small details. She began knitting when she was five years old, and developed her interest in finishing techniques for various types of textiles when, in the early 1970s, she was a trainee in the Swedish Lace Association in Linkoeping. Between 1976 and 1978, she studied in the Advanced Program in Handcrafts at The School of the Association of Friends of Textile Art in Stockholm. Over the years Ulla has taught several types of textile handcrafts, but eventually she landed completely in the world of knitting and is now a well-respected teacher in that area. She is also an examiner for journeyman's and master's certificates in handcraft knitting. For the past ten years, she has managed the shop Speciall, which is focused on knitting, yarn, and leather. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
The concept: Overcome knitting's devilish details armed with this treasure-trove of knowledge, which includes clever tricks and solutions for every problem, from casting on to weaving in ends. Photo finish: This book leaves no stone unturned. Each technique explanation is accompanied by illustrations and/or color photos. Newbie-friendly? Geared more toward the maker who is comfortable with improvisation, this is still a great resource for all knitters to have in their knitting arsenals. Choosing your own adventure: If you're looking to experiment with changing up a pattern to suit your preferences, this book is a great jumping-off point. Techniques: A wide variety of methods for casting on, binding off, edging, increasing and decreasing, ribbing, seaming, shaping for necks and armholes, short rows and more. Knit Simple Magazine Detail is the key to this book. If you like to see as well as read how knitting techniques work and appear, take a look at this book. Are you curious about cast-on? Not just which cast-on is stretchy, but what makes it that way and what bind off to pair it with? What about edge stitches? Why should you use a different edge stitch for edges that will be joined and edges that won't be joined? And would you like to see large photos of swatches shows several different methods on swatches? This kind of deep dive into knitting technique runs through this whole book. Lots of samples, words, drawings, and photos, and in some swatches, she brilliantly carries along carries a contrasting sewing thread so you can see exactly what going on in the stitches. This book covers the intricacies of casting on, binding off, edge stitches, ribbing, edges for various parts of garments, increases, decreases, Kitchener stitch, shoulders, necklines, setting-in sleeves, short rows, knitting in the round and stranded knitting. Plus there are quick tips sprinkled throughout the book. If you like to learn and think about different ways of improving the details of your knitting, add this book to your library. www.knitty.com Fall 2017 Knitters who appreciate the hows and whys behind knitting will be drawn to the technical information. Library Journal, April 2017