About the Author
Nicky Epstein is a renowned knitwear designer and teacher. Her distinctive work has been featured in Vogue Knitting magazine, as well as many other knitting publications, on television, and in museum exhibits
Disambiguation Notice:
The name “Nicky Epstein” is used by several different authors. "Nicky Epstein 1" is an American knitter who lives in New York, and has published several books on knitting and crochet patterns. "Nicky Epstein 2" is an Australian who has published several cookbooks (possibly including some under the name ZZ?). "Nicky Epstein 3" is a TV and movie critic, and "Nicky Epstein 4" has published mathematics textbooks. LT recently introduced a method for partially separating these authors. In the near future distinct authors will have their own pages.
Image credit: Author offical home page
Series
Works by Nicky Epstein
Knitting on the Edge: Ribs, Ruffles, Lace, Fringes, Floral, Points & Picots: The Essential Collection of 350 Decorative Borders (2004) 1,331 copies, 2 reviews
Knitting Block by Block: 150 Blocks for Sweaters, Scarves, Bags, Toys, Afghans, and More (2010) 196 copies, 5 reviews
Knitting in Circles: 100 Circular Patterns for Sweaters, Bags, Hats, Afghans, and More (2012) 120 copies, 1 review
Cover Up with Nicky Epstein: Knitted Afghans from her Personal Collection (2007) 86 copies, 1 review
Knitting Reimagined: An Innovative Approach to Structure and Shape with 25 Breathtaking Projects (2014) 46 copies, 1 review
Knit a Square, Create a Cuddly Creature: From Flat to Fabulous - A Step-by-Step Guide (2016) 45 copies, 3 reviews
Nicky Epstein The Essential Edgings Collection: 500 of Her Favorite Original Borders (2012) 37 copies, 1 review
Nicky Epstein Knits for Dolls: 25 Fun, Fabulous Outfits for 18-Inch Dolls (2013) 36 copies, 2 reviews
Nicky Epstein Crochet for Dolls: 25 Fun, Fabulous Outfits for 18-Inch Dolls (2013) 18 copies, 1 review
Nicky Epstein Enchanted Knits for Dolls: 25 Mystical, Magical Costumes for 18-Inch Dolls (2015) 15 copies, 1 review
Petite Bell Ruffle Pullover 2 copies
Nicky Epstein 1 copy
Associated Works
Art of the Sweater — Designer — 7 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1952-05-05
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Disambiguation notice
- The name “Nicky Epstein” is used by several different authors. "Nicky Epstein 1" is an American knitter who lives in New York, and has published several books on knitting and crochet patterns. "Nicky Epstein 2" is an Australian who has published several cookbooks (possibly including some under the name ZZ?). "Nicky Epstein 3" is a TV and movie critic, and "Nicky Epstein 4" has published mathematics textbooks. LT recently introduced a method for partially separating these authors. In the near future distinct authors will have their own pages.
Members
Reviews
Knit a Square, Create a Cuddly Creature: From Flat to Fabulous - A Step-by-Step Guide by Nicky Epstein
Usually I think of knitting a square, taking a few tucks in it, and stuffing it as a simple way for a beginner to create something impressive using less time than a scarf. I start young knitters with the delightful classic square-to-rabbit pattern. There are toys of simple construction in this book, (adorable polar bears!), but there are also patterns that require additional small parts, lace knitting abilities, or even intarsia skills. Upon reflection, there are reasons that experienced show more knitters (me!) might choose to knit toys constructed from a basic square. These are absolutely adorable and when pressed for time, it's so nice to be able to make a cuddly toy in less time than knitting twenty-five pieces and painstakingly seaming them together. If you want to put a knitted triceratops into six kids' stockings and didn't realize it until sometime in December, this book will make you very happy. show less
Why on earth would a person sew a zipper on the surface of a block (and how does that qualify as a knitting pattern)? Or imagine laying your head down on a pillow covered in garlic bulbs, or worse-- wearing garlic bulbs on a sweater constructed of square blocks. It just gets uglier from there. Even the layout, organisation, and pattern instructions are ugly.
Knitting Block by Block: 150 Blocks for Sweaters, Scarves, Bags, Toys, Afghans, and More by Nicky Epstein
This review is also available on my blog, Read TIll Dawn.
Yes, I really did request a knitting book for my next read-to-review. I clicked before I finished thinking it through, okay? My inner voice was going "you know, you've always wanted to learn how to knit" and I had requested the book before my brain remembered that this isn't actually a book that's made to teach people how to knit. It arrived two weeks ago, and it's been interesting. I really have learned how to knit! I've had a blast show more learning the ins and outs of knitting, purling, and even cabling (though I have a sinking feeling I'm doing it wrong), and after half a dozen bad starts I even got a project well under way. I decided to make the "Reversible Cables" block (in retrospect maybe I should have started with something toward the beginning, instead of the back, of the book), and I'm about halfway through. It's taken me a really long time, though, because my hand is still weak from the surgery I had in December (though on the whole it's doing much better), and so it gets sore if I knit for more than half an hour at a stretch. Also, I had an English assignment and two science tests in the last two weeks, and not a lot of down time. I decided I wouldn't wait until I finished the entire square to write the review, because I'm not exactly gathering any new knowledge about the book itself while I knit - I know how it works, what the projects are, and (bonus!) even how to knit now, so I've got everything I need to review the book - following the same instructions for another two weeks won't give me any deeper understanding into the books as a whole.
I'm not exactly a knitting patterns connoisseur, but I really love Knitting Block by Block. It has patterns ranging from simple beginners' blocks to the intricate ones I can't even begin to decipher at first glance (how the heck do you put a decorative zipper on a block of knitting?!), with detailed pictures of every project so you can see exactly what it should look like when you're done. The instructions are laid out neatly and concisely, listing exactly what you should do in simple enough terms that I caught on with only one Google search necessary - and that was just for the cable. There are also box chart thingies that show you what to do using dots and slashes and things, but I'm afraid I still can't make heads or tails of those. It's fun, it's detailed, and there are some really cute projects that I can't wait to try out. There's also a chapter with some ideas for ways to sew blocks together into bigger projects, like scarves and afghans and a (rather ugly) shrug/shawl thingy. I obviously am not far enough to attempt any of these, because I don't have the blocks to do them, but I'm excited to make some of the projects - I think I'll start with one of the one-block projects, which are these cute little stuffed animals, and then try either the tote (which is a two-block!) or the "cool ruffle pod bag," which is a weird name for a cute purse.
All in all, the only complaint I have is that there aren't more projects for using the blocks. There are tons and tons of awesome block designs, but only like ten ideas for putting them together in larger pieces. For someone who knits more than me, this might be a problem if they wind up with more blocks to try out than they have projects to put them in. As for me, though, I think this book will provide fodder for my knitting projects for a very, very long time. If you are at all interested in knitting blocks, then this is most definitely the book for you!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review show less
Yes, I really did request a knitting book for my next read-to-review. I clicked before I finished thinking it through, okay? My inner voice was going "you know, you've always wanted to learn how to knit" and I had requested the book before my brain remembered that this isn't actually a book that's made to teach people how to knit. It arrived two weeks ago, and it's been interesting. I really have learned how to knit! I've had a blast show more learning the ins and outs of knitting, purling, and even cabling (though I have a sinking feeling I'm doing it wrong), and after half a dozen bad starts I even got a project well under way. I decided to make the "Reversible Cables" block (in retrospect maybe I should have started with something toward the beginning, instead of the back, of the book), and I'm about halfway through. It's taken me a really long time, though, because my hand is still weak from the surgery I had in December (though on the whole it's doing much better), and so it gets sore if I knit for more than half an hour at a stretch. Also, I had an English assignment and two science tests in the last two weeks, and not a lot of down time. I decided I wouldn't wait until I finished the entire square to write the review, because I'm not exactly gathering any new knowledge about the book itself while I knit - I know how it works, what the projects are, and (bonus!) even how to knit now, so I've got everything I need to review the book - following the same instructions for another two weeks won't give me any deeper understanding into the books as a whole.
I'm not exactly a knitting patterns connoisseur, but I really love Knitting Block by Block. It has patterns ranging from simple beginners' blocks to the intricate ones I can't even begin to decipher at first glance (how the heck do you put a decorative zipper on a block of knitting?!), with detailed pictures of every project so you can see exactly what it should look like when you're done. The instructions are laid out neatly and concisely, listing exactly what you should do in simple enough terms that I caught on with only one Google search necessary - and that was just for the cable. There are also box chart thingies that show you what to do using dots and slashes and things, but I'm afraid I still can't make heads or tails of those. It's fun, it's detailed, and there are some really cute projects that I can't wait to try out. There's also a chapter with some ideas for ways to sew blocks together into bigger projects, like scarves and afghans and a (rather ugly) shrug/shawl thingy. I obviously am not far enough to attempt any of these, because I don't have the blocks to do them, but I'm excited to make some of the projects - I think I'll start with one of the one-block projects, which are these cute little stuffed animals, and then try either the tote (which is a two-block!) or the "cool ruffle pod bag," which is a weird name for a cute purse.
All in all, the only complaint I have is that there aren't more projects for using the blocks. There are tons and tons of awesome block designs, but only like ten ideas for putting them together in larger pieces. For someone who knits more than me, this might be a problem if they wind up with more blocks to try out than they have projects to put them in. As for me, though, I think this book will provide fodder for my knitting projects for a very, very long time. If you are at all interested in knitting blocks, then this is most definitely the book for you!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review show less
I bought this book (fortunately at clearance prIce) intending to knit for American Girl dolls; apparently the dolls modelling the clothing in the book are the same height but slimmer, so modifications will be necessary, and apparently checking the publisher`s website for errata is also a must. The really annoying thing about the book, however, is the yarns. No indication is given in the book about the weight of yarns specified, either by traditional "fingering, sport, Dk" or by the 0-1-2-3 show more system. the 0-1-2-3- system is explained in the appendix, but rather pointlessly, because even there they don't give a list of yarns used in the book. Since many of the yarns are very high end, specialized products (pure cashmere for a doll bathrobe, seriously? how about mohair/silk/nylon/wool with gold beads? or silk/merino?) or not-so-high-end but still rather specialized (glitter, etc) it's quite frustrating that no suggestions for substitution are given. Most of the yarns called for are probably out of production by now, three years after the book was published. I can only compare it to turn-of-the-twentieth century instructions that begin "Take a suitable weight of wool floss..."
The book also suffers from a lack of schematic drawings of the clothing, and strangely for such a profusely illustrated book, from a lack of photographs. There appear to be many photographs of each garment, but upon closer regard, the three full page photos of School Days are the same photo in full-body, upper body, and lower body cropping - no back view!; the four photos of Mirror Mirror are the same; and so on throughout the book. No actual photos of back views, except the five outfits on the cover, and very few detail photos other than the detail cropping.
In conclusion, I feel that the book is one to borrow from a library, and best used in conjunction with a comprehensive yarn database such as that on Ravelry, not to mention the publisher's errata pages. show less
The book also suffers from a lack of schematic drawings of the clothing, and strangely for such a profusely illustrated book, from a lack of photographs. There appear to be many photographs of each garment, but upon closer regard, the three full page photos of School Days are the same photo in full-body, upper body, and lower body cropping - no back view!; the four photos of Mirror Mirror are the same; and so on throughout the book. No actual photos of back views, except the five outfits on the cover, and very few detail photos other than the detail cropping.
In conclusion, I feel that the book is one to borrow from a library, and best used in conjunction with a comprehensive yarn database such as that on Ravelry, not to mention the publisher's errata pages. show less
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