The Alchemy of Color Knitting

By Gina Wilde
Potter Craft, $24.95, 144 pages

Remarkable is the inspiration that a few well-taken photographs can provoke, the sheer force of which can induce one to pick up long-abandoned knitting needles with renewed fervor. Even more noteworthy are this book’s lessons in color scheming, an art in itself. Included are informative sentences on how good colors pair, along with the names of various categories.

Wilde has excelled where few others have succeeded–in making a knitting book interesting to not only past knitters, but also complete strangers to the craft. Aside from the stunning pieces depicted, the lessons are thankfully well-spaced to be as readable as possible whilst juggling threads and multiple needles. The author’s proficiency in hues and tones is immediately apparent; the becoming woolen socks pictured fairly beg to be worn; the blue-green scarf holds the watery grace of a Monet painting as it falls elegantly from a young woman’s shoulders. The notion of one-color sweaters is led to the public square with flair and promptly ended via the decisive blade of Artistry.

The concept of pairing complementary colors to create a fabulous piece is presented with such ease as to enable even the most old-school knitter to try something new, to experiment with the most eye-pleasing of all things: fetching colors.

Reviewed by Meredith Greene