blocked_10_final

Number Knitting Continued...
rection for the garment/item, and the stabilising edges
of picked up stitches draws the stitches
back together again.
Another unusual aspect of Virginia’s
method is her use of gauge-shifting.
The gauge recommended can vary incredibly
within a garment or item. For
example, in her Winged Blouse (page
206) the modules are knitted in varying
needle sizes to change the fit of the
item in certain areas. This enables the
patterns to remain simple in presentation
and avoids complicated mathematical
grading.
In general, Virginia’s gauge use is extremely
loose. As a tight knitter, I find
some of her gauges jaw dropping. For
example, the Lanier Circlet: Evening
Hood (page 150) is knitted with a gauge
of 2 stitches to the inch, using a fine
grade yarn!
Virginia’s novel approach doesn’t
end there. Her charts/diagrams are, in my opinion, genius.
Although many of her innovations have been copied
and facsimiled until her virtual watermark/signature
has been eroded, this is one aspect of her work that is
still unique to her.
In the chart/diagram for the ‘Patchwork Blues
Afghan’ Virginia provides all the information needed to
create the blanket. Each square of the graph paper represents
9 stitches x 9 ridges in garter stitch. The gauge is
3 stitches per inch. So, each square (of the paper) equals
3”. The finished piece will measure approximately 60”
long and 27” wide. The box number is a crucial part of
the understanding of Virginia’s patterns. Without this
number the patterns are next to impossible to understand.
The numbers on the colored sections indicate the
order and direction the knitter should work in. This in itself
is impressive. The modules of each pattern in the
book are numbered in an order that eradicates (or significantly
reduces) the need to break the yarn. In this particular
example it probably wasn’t necessary as Virginia
uses four different shades of blue, yet she still maintained
that principle throughout.
Before publishing the book Virginia ran mail-order
classes using the techniques she developed. Kelly has
been trying to track down one of the mail order courses
with no luck (so far). The book is, in and of itself, a full
course in learning to knit, not just Virginia’s methods. I
suspect experienced knitters may miss important information,
or misunderstand parts of the book, by thumbing
ahead to the parts they feel
are aimed at the more experienced.
However, a word of caution,
no matter how experienced
we are as knitters, we are all beginners
when it comes to Virginia’s
unique approach.
As you can probably tell, this
knitting book is amongst my alltime
favourites. If you enjoy the
process of knitting, aren’t looking
for a modern, perfect sweater pattern
in row by row directions, then
it might become one of your favourites
too. If you enjoy modular
knitting and ‘Cosy Memory’ mitresquare
blankets, then I highly recommend
you contact Kelly for
your own pdf copy. It’s telling that
the original modular blanket patterns
herein are still more varied
in placement patterning than any of the modern versions.
(For example, see ‘The Mulbury Bush Afghan’
placement suggestions: page 103).
This leads me to what I originally considered to be a
little contentious; the price.
As mentioned, the hard copy books are so rare they
are generally sold well in excess of $500 per copy. There
are library copies around the USA and one copy in the
UK. These are probably going to be difficult to obtain
and, due to rarity, might be available for reference only,
and not to be removed from the library.
There are two electronic versions available to buy.
The first version is a pdf at $74.99 from Kelly’s own
Knitswag site: Number Knitting: The New All-Way
Stretch Method, Digital Scan of The O – KnitSwag
The other is a Kindle ebook at $39.99 From Amazon:
Amazon.com: Number Knitting: The New All Ways
Stretch Method eBook : Bellamy, Virginia Woods: Kindle
Store
At almost half the price you would think the
Kindle/Amazon copy the obvious choice. However, the
Amazon version has some quite strange formatting, you
can’t print from it, and many of the photographs are
blurred. Whereas the Knitswag version is printable, has
colorised charts, clickable annotations, and is generally
of far superior quality.
Initially I struggled with Kelly’s justification for charging
$74.99 until I learned just how much work she clearly
put into creating the pdf. It isn’t as simple as just scan-
Continued on next page...
24