Review: Brave New Knits

Print publishers have made many attempts to embrace the crafty blogosphere – some more successful than others. I think the mix works best when a printed book seeks to create a tangible record of the wonderful-but-intangible community we enjoy.

Julie Turjoman is about to release Brave New Knits: 26 Projects and Personalities from the Knitting Blogosphere – a book that celebrates how blogging has influenced knitting, and vice versa.

I should say right up front: I’m not a knitter, so I’m not qualified to comment on the instructional side of this book. I’ll show you some of the garment projects included, but you’ll want to check out some knitters’ reviews for details on the patterns.

I do love how Julie has selected a nice blend of knitwear designers to represent the knitting blogosphere – a mixture of established stars and new arrivals. I particularly liked the contributions of Teresa Gregorio, Mari Muinonen, Shannon Okey, Jared Flood (who also photographed the book), and Kathy Veeza.

The projects are divided into two sections: a variety of sweaters and a variety of accessories (including hats, scarves, and socks). This is a book for people who have basic knitting skills already – there is some coverage of special techniques in the back of the book, but no coverage of basic knitting stitches (which I always like in a craft book, because it leaves more room for projects.)

Interspersed with the patterns are profiles of the 26 designers, which reveal how they fell into knitting, and how the web has shaped their career paths. Many of these designers participate in traditional publishing, but there’s no denying that the influence of Ravelry has created strong indie publishing streak in the community.

(Don’t you wish we had a Ravelry for every craft? So do I. But I digress….)

Other themes that emerge in these interviews are how a blogger’s community of readers influences his or her design process, and how sharing your inspirations and designs publicly can lead to career opportunities. I was also struck by the way the web has allowed many more unique design styles to emerge than the traditional publishing world (always in need of widespread sales) has been able to foster. Because there are no gatekeepers in the blogosphere, the knitting community has been able to grow in all kinds of original directions.

Though we’re all immersed in the online community, it’s true that there’s still a vast swath of the world population who’s never looked at a blog. Brave New Knits is a nice introduction for these folks to a world that can change your creative and career path profoundly.

For those of us who hang out in the blogosphere all the time, this book is a lovely archive of this exciting moment in the collision of a very old craft with a very new social landscape.

(The usual disclosures: Julie sent me a review copy of her book, and the title link is an affiliate link.)