Some knitting books I’ve read from the library lately:

Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
This knitting book has a kind of goth inspired design, with a black vinyl cover and chain imagery, but the projects are not so much goth as contemporary. True, there’s some devil horns and a mohawk hat, but there’s also flower broaches and a cute hoodie cardigan. The patterns are quite original too, with interesting shape and detail, not kind of the standard look that you find in a lot of knitting books. There’s also a really extensive how to knit section in the front with nice photographs illustrating how to do a range of different stitches and techniques.

Twinkle’s Big City Knits: 31 Chunky-Chic Designs
I think the premise of this book appeals to a lot of knitters – cool looking patterns using chunky yarns. I know I enjoy a good quick project with a chunky yarn, and with the right pattern this kind of yarn gives a really nice look. The patterns are well-illustrated, with modeled photos and pictures of the garment on it’s own. I’m drawn to all the cabled cardigan patterns, like the best friend cardigan, twinkly hoodie, and rockefeller cardigan, but there’s also some great hats, scarves, skirts, and vests.

Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter
Stephanie Japel is a bit of a celebrity in the world of internet knitters, with very popular contributions to knitty and Interweave Knits and her own blog and website selling patterns. Now she has a book of her own designs, which tries to teach you how to adjust patterns to get the right fit for your body. This is a great concept, since one of the reasons I have yet to complete and wear a knitted garment is that they always come up kind of ill-fitted and odd looking. While the idea of the fitted knit really appeals to me, I have to say that the result of all the patterns being knit top down, as well as probably Japel’s own personal style, many of the patterns are of a particular shape and style that I know would not be flattering to my body type. Some of the boleros, wraps and short sleeve patterns I could manage, but the sweaters all seem to have waist details or ribbing that I find difficult to wear. But if you’re a fan of this type of design and want to learn more about creating well-fitted knits, you will probably really enjoy this book, as it’s got a lot of great information in it!