Donna Druchunas & “Ethnic Knitting Discovery” featured on Riehlife

We have an interview, guestpost, and book excerpt featuring Donna Druchunas new book “Ethnic Knitting Discovery: The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and the Andes” coming up on Riehlife. Here’s some background information about Donna’s new book “Ethnic Knitting Discovery.”

Donna’s blog tour stop on Riehlife will focus on the idea of craft and art, how knitting is connecting, how knitting is making a come-back and why rather than technique and knitting how-to.

For the entire blog tour schedule on “Ethnic Knitting Discovery” click here.

For today’s post on Women Writing the West, click here.

In “Ethnic Knitting Discovery” Donna Druchunas presents traditional knitting designs and techniques from across the globe in step-by-step fashion. She begins with what ethnic knitting is, what you don’t need to know, and color tips. For each geographic location, she offers brief knitting-specific history, instructions for key techniques, and a handful of versatile patterns (texture or
color). A small introductory project lets the reader practice new skills, which are then applied to the knitting of individually designed pullover sweaters.

“Ethnic Knitting Discovery” features four skill-building small projects and eight sweater projects, each with worksheets geared to three levels of knitting experience—suitable for self-study or group workshops. This is the first of a set of three books introducing traditional knitting techniques in a graduated fashion.

The skills covered in this book include:
• knitting patterns back-and-forth and in the round
• working from charts
• steeks
• puntas
• stitch-and-cut armholes
• centering patterns
• managing repeats
• welts
• half-gussets
• Andean-style purling

The audience for “Ethnic Knitting Discovery” are beginning to intermediate knitters. One reader commented that, “What is really nice is the three levels of detail in pattern presentation, which makes it a great book for people transitioning from magazine-style patterns to rule-of-thumb approaches. . . . It took me a little bit of time to understand how subtly masterful it is.”

Here are a few other raves (though I attest they were in their right minds at the time):

“This carefully crafted book will invigorate today’s growing community of highly intelligent knitters who are eager to learn and
fly solo like those who preceded them.” —Cat Bordhi, author of New Pathways for Sock Knitters and many other titles

“The twelve projects are all based on ethnic designs proven by the test of time. With this book in hand, one need not fear getting
lost!” —Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, “Knitting in the Old Way”

“Whether you are a timid beginner or a seasoned knitter, you’ll find instructions that fill your needs and inspiration to fill your hours
of knitting pleasure.” —Beth Brown-Reinsel, “Knitting Ganseys”