Jo Sharp embeds this collection of knitting patterns in the history and tapestry of colors of a special place in her native Australia, Rudgyard Beach.
The over 30 designs in
"Rudgyard Story" are timeless classics. Jo Sharp adds her unique sense of combining stitch, style and color to make them her own. There is something here for everyone from beginner to challenge seeker, and all are knit with Sharp's own 8 ply DK wool hand knitting yarn.
There are patterns for sweaters, caps, vests, and a gathering basket. What makes this book extraordinary is the combination of knitting style and artistic photos of landscapes; it's the interaction between the two that makes this book a coffee table delight and an absolute inspiration for the knitter.
Interwoven between patterns, subtly so as not to take over the purpose of the book from the patterns, is a few pages of poetic text descriptions that invoke the spirit of place.
My favorite patterns in this book are ones where the photos show how embedded knitted creations can be in place. The picture of the model wearing Bronzewing shows how Sharp has picked up the purples and orange from the lichen growing on the rock next to her. The model wearing Harmony almost disappears against the backdrop of rocks and trees in the brilliant Australian sunlight. The zigzags in the sweater copy the zigzag branches of the tree. And Lorikeet's purple and blue zigzags duplicate the ripples in the water behind the model.
All in all, a lovely book. I'm not a lover of garter stitch or horizontal stripes and Sharp uses them in several of her patterns, but garter stitch empowers the beginner. Stripes are defined by color choice, and as I mentioned, Sharp often chooses color to evoke place and the stripes work for me. Garter stitch and horizontal stripes, for me, are the only drawbacks of this luscious book, but these are not so important in the light of the myriad of design possibilities she awakens me to as a fellow designer.
Rudgyard Story and Jo Sharp have won themselves a place on my bookshelf and in my heart.
You can also find this book on my bookshelf at Powell's Bookstore.
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