A knit kimono is a great first garment for a newish knitter. Kimono traditionally are made of a series of squares or rectangles sewn together, so if you can knit a scarf, you can knit a kimono.
Vicki Square takes the basic kimono shape and jazzes is up a bit with curves and V-necks, but also often combines traditional shaping with beautiful stitch patterns in her book Knit Kimono: 18 Designs with Simple Shapes.
The Kimono in History
An interesting addition to this book is the section that describes the different kinds of kimono and how they have been worn throughout history. While it's not absolutely essential to know the history of this diverse garment, this information does give knitters an understanding of how it has been used throughout history and why its a shape we keep coming back to.
This section also includes drawings of the different styles and explains what they were made of and how they were decorated. One of the great things about knitting is feeling a part of the history of the craft back through the ages; this history lesson can make you feel the same connection to the generations of kimono craftspeople.
The Patterns
The book includes 18 kimono patterns, all for women, and all of which are knit in one size only. The garments are meant to be generously sized, so they should still fit a range of women.
While the kimono is traditionally a pretty basic shape, not all of the patterns in the book are basic. There are many beautiful stitch patterns, striped chevrons, intricate Fair Isle and intarsia designs that make some patterns more complex.
Still there are plenty of patterns that use the basic rectangle shape (or something close to it) and a solid stitch pattern throughout the fabric that would be good choices for new knitters looking for a bit of a challenge.
Some of my favorite patterns include the checkerboard Kabuki Theater Squares kimono, the Komon, using the traditional shape with a lattice-like pattern (pictured on the cover) and the floor-length Iki, worked in a Garter Stitch brick pattern with highlights of orange.
If you're a fan of the Japanese aesthetic, you'll enjoy looking at and working from this book. Even if you've never given kimono much thought, you'll see the possibilities for casual wear around the house and even as garments for fancy occasions.
The book also includes a basic formula for a standard-sized kimono you can use as a starting off point for your own unique kimono designs.
Publication date: September 2007.
