Not To Be Added To My Library

Another book I picked up from the library is The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book.

If you like history (which I do), it's worth checking this book out at your local library for the nine pages of history in the beginning of the book and the other essays and old photos scatter throughout the book.



However, none of the patterns in the book appealed to me. (Apologies to those who like this book, but I found quite a few of the garments to be in the fugly category.) Worse yet, I found the descriptions, well...you be the judge.


This vest "can easily be reinterpreted as hip-hop preppy or tongue-in-cheek chic."

Uh-huh.



"Even now, Mr. Ski Lodge strikes the perfect balance between well-groomed stylishness and casual cool - a piece that works just as well at a rock concert as it still does at a mountain resort."

I'd like to know the last time the writer was at a "rock concert." (And if they have been to one recently, what they were smoking?)



If you're not a fan of bolero vest, this could be lengthened into a longer vest as it's knit in one piece. But if this were my book, I wouldn't have included this photo and would have had the item re-knit. Take a good look at the photo. Does it appear the model is holding one shoulder up in order that the hem is even? It also appears the right and left side corners are not symmetrical. Not only that, but the embroidery is a long 4 step process that includes photocopying (and enlarging) the guide to fit the vest, and on from there with tracing paper, running stitches, etc.



"Earth Mother captures what it meant to be an emancipated woman. Its long lines and knee -grazing length suggest stature, comfort, and confidence - a woman free from the constraints of the male idea of beauty. The dynamic pattern also has an ethnic flavor that imbues a sense of worldliness and whimsy. Whether worn at a cocktail party or for running errands, Earth Mother is a statement piece that surely announces, in Helen Reddy's words, "I am woman, hear me roar!"

Stature?

Whimsy? (Can one be worldly and whimsical at the same time?)

Cocktail party?

A Helen Reddy quote in a book published in 2010?

Uh-huh.


As awful as the description is, the finishing of the garment is worse. Take a close look at the neckline and the hem. This crocheted hem looks really sloppy and "hand-made" in the worst sense of the word.

Among the other patterns are "The Grooviest Poncho" and "Hippie Stash Bag." (And does "stash" in the title refer to yarn or another kind of stash or is it a cutesy double entendre?)

This book would be interesting if I was a costume designer for a re-make of the Partridge Family or the Brady Bunch. But until Hollywood calls, I'll save my money.