Laura Irwin is a knitting experimentalist. She loves patterns that are knit in a different way from the traditional, where parts are felted and other parts are not, or where interesting hardware taken from leather craft or jewelry making are incorporared.
Her book Boutique Knits: 20+ Must-Have Accessories uses all these aspects to produce fashion-forward patterns for hats, bags, wraps, gauntlets and more.
The best word to describe these patterns might well be pretty, but they're also creative, unusual, useful and would make great gifts for yourself or others.
The Patterns
There's almost nothing to this book other than the 24 patterns and a few sidebars, which we'll get to in a minute. There are a couple of pages of basic knitting instruction at the back for those who need a refresher.
The patterns range from an intarsia scarf meant to be tied in a bow when worn to a ruffled alpaca neck kerchief, a textured headband cover, a lacy hat with a row of buttons down the side and an oversized but cropped raglan button-up for layering.
Many of the patterns are suitable for adventurous newish knitters, but use construction methods, materials and techniques you may not have seen before. For that reason they're also fun for knitters with more experience.
Some of my favorite patterns include the Sunshine Intarsia Bag, a two-tone felted handbag; the Side Slip Cloche, pictured on the cover, which makes me wish I'd look that glamorous in such a hat; the Bamboo Diamond Shell, a cropped ode to quilting; and the ingenious Silky Wool Vest, which uses bridal button loops to join the sides to the bottom front, and looks shapely even though there's no shaping to the front at all.
In addition to the patterns there are sidebars providing information on techniques and materials you might not be familiar with, such as Chicago screws, grommets and D-rings. You'll learn how to install zippers and lining into knit bags and get a basic lesson in felting.
Bottom Line
The patterns in this book are really cute and have a classic feel with a modern look. A project from this book (or the book itself) would be great for any woman who likes to keep up with fashion but make it her own at the same time.
Publication date: October 2008.
