Kristin Nicholas

Pattern is everywhere. No matter where you are on the pattern-mixing comfort scale, you can learn from Kristen Nicholas' newest book, Crafting a Patterned Home. Perhaps best known at Knitty for her colorful knitting [Felted Tea Cozy, Macarons], Kristin Nicholas is a multi-talented artist and experienced author. In this title, she invites you into her home to see how you can craft projects that will brighten your abode.

Crafting a Patterned Home begins with an introduction to pattern. In this show more section you learn how different motifs, repeats, and scales can create various visual effects. There are also tips and tricks for how to begin to create your own patterns.

Next, we enjoy a tour of Nicholas' home (a working farmhouse for Leyden Glen Farm), inside and out, and selected creative projects that you can do. You’ll discover the inspiration behind each project and why particular techniques are applied in certain situations. Even if you aren't familiar with a technique you are guided every step of the way. Each project includes the pattern style, the repeat format, the featured crafting technique (painting, print making, knitting, crochet, and embroidery are all represented), a list of tools, a list of tools and supplies, and a detailed tutorial.

Nicholas invites you to add pattern to your home and understands that it may be overwhelming. Her expert guidance will help you begin to create a look that is cohesive and colorful, not garish. The beautiful photographs by Nikki Snyder add to the inspiration in this book. And the adorable kittens and farm cats help to remind me this beautiful home is one that's lived in and not just pretty inspiration.

This review also appeared at knitty.com.

I received an eARC of this title in exchange for a review. The FTC wants you to know. show less

Color by Kristin by Kristin Nicholas
Genre: Knitting
ISBN: 9781933027838

Rating: 5

Color by Kristin is an awesome knitting book, great for knitters who love to design their own projects. My realm is free-forming to create patterns, so flipping through this book was a lot of fun and very inspiring. I have a passion for color, and this book made my mouth water and my fingers twitch.

There are 25+ patterns—very colorful patterns—and a variety of graphs in the back for creating your own show more variations. The patterns range from very beginner to advanced, but they all have similarities: using graphs, embroidery, and several colors to create beautiful knits. There are mittens, socks, hats, scarves, shawls and wraps, pillows, sweaters, ottomans… the list goes on and on.

In the back is a "designer sourcebook" full of ideas for color changing, stitch patterns, color mixing, edges and trim, and of course graphs galore. The graphs are sorted by how many stitches your project has to have: several graphs for multiples of 2 stitches all the way up to multiples of 30.

If you love color, love fair isle, or love creating your own unique knits, this is the ideal book for you. show less

Colors explode in the author's home, the palette for this collection of bohemian painted and crafted items that take less money and better personalize one's living space. Includes photos for inspiration, steps for recreating the look, and templates. Recommended. Review copy received via NetGalley.com. (156)

This is a really fun book full of exciting patterns. I recommend it for lovers of colorwork.