HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

Poems of Color: Knitting in the Bohus Tradition (1995)

by Wendy Keele

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
432257,375 (4.13)None
Full-color reproductions of original pattern swatches, sweaters, and accessories from the Bohus workshop in Sweden, along with the history of the women who designed them.
None
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

Showing 2 of 2
I had seen (and loved) the beautiful sweaters on Ravelry that were knit from Bohus Stickning designs, but I didn't know their origin. Two of my favorites were "Blue Shimmer" and "The Swan." With my own Swedish heritage, I was thrilled to learn the history of the sweaters' unique design — which sprang from a province in southwestern Sweden. And I was inspired by the story of Bohus Stickning and its smart, ambitious and artistic leader, Emma Jacobson.

Emma's husband was serving as governor of Bohuslän province in 1937 when she was approached by a group of women asking her to help them start a home-based industry. In response to the widespread depression of the 1930s, Emma and the other women worked to find a craft that could be produced continuously, required no specialized equipment and that all the women could participate in to supplement their household incomes. After a few trial runs, the women decided to develop locally unique designs for high-quality, hand-knitted garments. The success of Bohus Stickning over the next 30 years owes much to the leadership of Emma Jacobson, whose artistic sense in collaboration with local designers helped develop the organization's beautiful, characteristic design aesthetic. Her business sense and high standards helped the women to create the highest quality knits and place them in the most exclusive boutiques.

This beautiful and fascinating book has a number of historic photos that illustrate the history of Bohus Stickning, along with many color photos of the famed Bohus knits. It includes detailed descriptions of the training used and knitting process followed by the women who knit these garments, including original design sketches and photos of the color charts the knitters used. The book also includes color charts and instructions for 16 of the original Bohus designs, along with instructions for seven different garments: cardigan, pullover, yoke cardigan, yoke pullover, jacket, cap and mittens. The patterns have been updated for the looser fit that was popular in 1995, which is when the book was published.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I've added it to my wish list. There were just a few small disappointments, that I might offer as suggestions for consideration if author Wendy Keele and Interweave Press decide to create a second edition. First, there were a number of beautiful designs pictured in the book for which patterns were not included. I would love to see color charts (even as an online bonus) for all the pictured designs, especially "The Almond Tree," "The Gray Mist," "The Forest Darkness," "The Star" and "The Rose Collar." I'd also like to see instructions for the pillbox hat and gauntlet gloves. (I may try to reproduce these on my own.)

Also, although I understand Interweave's desire to "modernize" the fit of the designs when the book was published, I was disappointed that the book doesn't provide instructions for the original "sweater girl" fit — especially given the current fashion trends. There's a very cute ribbed-waist cardigan in "The Finish Spike" pattern, for example, that would be fun to reproduce.

Finally, since I am a very visual knitter, I would love to have a photo, even a small one, of each of the designs/body styles for which instructions are included in the book.

Special thanks to author Wendy Keele for her dedicated work to preserve the history and designs of Bohus Stickning, and bring them to the English-speaking world. ( )
1 vote singsastarrynight | Feb 19, 2012 |
Showing 2 of 2
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Keele, Wendyprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Olsson, KerstinContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

Full-color reproductions of original pattern swatches, sweaters, and accessories from the Bohus workshop in Sweden, along with the history of the women who designed them.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

LibraryThing Author

Wendy Keele is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.

profile page | author page

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (4.13)
0.5
1
1.5
2 2
2.5
3 4
3.5 2
4 16
4.5 2
5 13

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 202,657,820 books! | Top bar: Always visible