J288 The Journal for WSD

Book Reviews Compiled by Sally Firth

Books marked with a star (*) will be added to the Stuart Groom Memorial Library.

Weaving Outside the Box Denise Kovnat Independently published ISBN: 9798388788450 RRP: £32.41

advice before diving into the projects, six of which come from just two warps for four and eight shafts respectively. Three projects are above eight shafts. Techniques include woven shibori, deflected doubleweave, pleats, twills and doublecloth. Active weft threads include metallic yarns, woollen, high twist and elastane. Non-active yarns such as cotton, bamboo and superwash wool are also used. Relevant information is repeated in each stand alone project, so there is quite a bit of duplication. I was a little bemused by the sudden appearance of at least one sample that did not seem to be related to the material around it. However, this is a good introduction to dimensional surfaces through specific tried-and-tested projects for the weaver who wants step-by-step guidance. Stacey Harvey-Brown, Online Guild You will quickly learn how to cast on, manipulate stitches to form patterns, decrease and increase, how to shape with partial knitting and how to construct a garment without hand stitching. A chapter on the ribber opens up more scope for colour, texture and construction. There are some simple patterns (hand-warmers and headband) and a chapter showing how to design a jumper using your own measurements. Profiles of several successful designers provide further inspiration and encouragement. This is so much more than a manufacturer’s standard instruction manual: you will still need to swatch – but it’s faster, and you will get to complete a garment so much more quickly. As the book suggests, ‘you will fall in love with your knitting machine’.

This 118pp, spiral-bound, soft-cover book is written in a larger-than-standard print format, making it a quick read and easy to both read and use when at the loom. It’s for weavers who are new to textural weaving, with 12 projects from 4 to 16 shafts. Even the advanced projects will be manageable by most weavers, especially if you try the beginner and intermediate projects first. Three main principles of structure – fulling and differential shrinkage, active/inactive yarns and finishing – are covered in the Introduction plus sett

Discovering Machine Knitting* Kandy Diamond Crowood ISBN: 9780719841996 RRP: £16.99

For those with arthritic fingers and a mountain of fine-spun yarn, handknitting can be painful and frustratingly slow. Machine knitting could be your solution to not only the tedious swatching, but also as a means of gobbling up yardage without the need for further plying. Kandy Diamond, senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University is a designer and artist with over 10 years’ experience in the practice and teaching of machine knitting. Her copiously illustrated, colourful book is perfect for instructing beginners, starting with the essential basics of how a knitting machine works and how to look after it.

Sally Firth, Eden Valley and Online Guilds

In Search of Wild Silk Karen Selk Schiffer ISBN: 9780764364976 RRP: £31.37

learn about wild silk. Sericulture is central to the social, spiritual, and economic life of the Adivasi. The book describes the long, complex process from seed (silkworm egg) to sari. We learn much about the Adivasi, the silk moths, the government funding and training provided to increase production, and the organisations set up to help with selling the products at a good price. Like many indigenous people, the Adivasi have been impoverished and marginalised, but with support, better communications and plenty of hard work, their situation continues to improve. Selk shows us that wild silk is eco-friendly and sustainable. Detailed and sumptuously illustrated, this is an inspiring book. Heather Seddon, Online and Eden Valley Guilds

‘Wild silk has its own language’ Karen Selk hears on one of her many visits to the wild silk regions of north and east India. Vanya (wild) silk comes from three moth species: Antherea mylitta , Tasar; A. assamensis , Muga; and Samia ricini, Eri. For thousands of years the moths have been tended by the Adivasi (tribal people) who live in remote forested areas; rearing the caterpillars, reeling the yarn and weaving the cloth. Selk takes us with her on three decades of travel to meet the people and

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Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 288, Winter 2023