We tagged along with my mom to the German Texan Heritage Society meeting last weekend. The girls and I took a couple of hours to shop at the venerable Yarn Barn of San Antonio, at 4300 McCullough.
The Yarn Barn has an impressive selection of needlework books, old and new. The owner, Bobbi, showed me some yellowed British volumes that were humbly dedicated to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. We are spoiled these days with beautiful photography, color, and layout, but those old books are packed full of information for the person who is willing to read lots of text.
Françoise Tellier-Loumagne, who has taught knitting and textile design for over thirty years, wrote The Art of Knitting: Inspirational Stitches, Textures and Surfaces, for the many knitters, including her students, who want to explore the enormous versatility of knitting.
It is heavy on pictures, which show knitted fabrics next to photos from nature. Sometimes the knitted fabrics are incorporated into the natural setting, like these knit-covered stones among real stones. The right combination of stitches and yarns look like the surf, or like leafless stalks rising out of the snow. Breathtaking!
The author includes a few diagrams and notes—just enough to get you going in the right direction if you want to reproduce some of the textures and stitches. It’s a book that expects a lot from the reader, because you have to find your own uses for these beautiful textiles.