Ode to Norah Gaughan

I'm not the rah-rah type, and even if I admire someone, you won't catch me sending a fan letter--something I've never regretted, as I don't have to cringe with embarrassment when recalling that drooling, fawning letter I never sent to (for instance) Leif Garrett, the one preteen crush I can remember. Saw a recent photo of him not long ago--ouch.

But this is different. Really. It's more accurately called, um, professional respect and admiration. Since I knit this sweater, designed by Norah Gaughan, I've noticed that she often has a design or two in Interweave or Vogue, and (more to the point) I usually like them. She creates her own stitch patterns, like the amazing cable panel at left, and she often uses unusual contruction methods. So when I realized that she just published a hardcover book, Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature--well, I bought it. And I'm glad I did!

The book is divided into six sections, each containing patterns based on some element common in nature: hexagons, pentagons, spirals, phyllotaxis, fractals, and waves. Some designs are fairly conventional, while others are quite funky. This one, called "Honeycomb Henley," is one of my favorites. Although the stitch pattern is simple, the repetition is appealing and the fit appears to be flattering--always a plus.

The above sweater is in the "hexagon" section, and this one, "Shell Tank," is in the "spiral" section. Cute, huh? If you're blessed with flat abs and nonexistent love handles, you could knit it as shown, and if not, it appears that the stitch pattern could be extrapolated, allowing the tank to be lengthened to hip level or so. In "Phyllo Yoked Pullover," shown below, I particularly like the way the decreases are worked into the pattern--something I am always trying to do, with varying degrees of success. The name of this sweater makes me think of phyllo pastry, as in baklava and spanakopita, and therefore I picture some flaky layered concoction...but then again, those delicacies are often cut into diamonds or triangles, so I guess the name actually still suggests the sweater's appearance, whether you're thinking phyllo-bio-geek thoughts or phyllo-buttery-snacky thoughts.

In any case, this book is a perfect addition to the "coffee table/eye candy" section of the knitting library. As for its practical use, (a) it assumes a certain level of expertise, (b) I haven't made anything from it yet, so cannot vouch for the quality of the instructions, and (c) although the photographs are of high quality, in many cases they don't show the design features of the garments very clearly. The book is listed at U.S. $29.95, but Amazon discounted it to $18.87.

Comments

I bet it is published by Interweave Press. For some reason they don't understand that knitters or any craft person might actually want to see the design features. Their pictures while beautiful are more like spreads for retail sales. It is so frustrating. And if you write to them, they tell you the photographer didn't understand about showing the design features. eh? I think it is just endemic with anything they publish. A full page of skirt, cute little lacy hem, toes curled up. So adorable. But not a view of the the toe design or the how the heel is made. Sad very sad. There are days when IK makes me want to run screaming into the streets, pulling my hair out :D They just don't get it. Add that to an aging population and there insistence of printing med grey text on a white page. "Oh! you have difficulty reading that chart?" tsk we will put it on our website for you grannie ;-)

Posted by: Suzann | May 03, 2006 at 08:58 AM