Poems of Color: Knitting in the Bohus Tradition

Rating:
Summary: Poem is the right title for this book, but it's a lot more
Review: The Bohus Workshop in Sweden was started about 50 years ago and brought together creative designers and hand knitters to make some of the most stunning knitted creations ever. The wool was carefully chosen, the designs modern and timeless, with that ineffable Scandanavian flair. Sadly the Bohus workshop has long been closed. All that remains are some treasured vintage sweaters and...this book to document their history. And not only does this book document the history of Bohus Workshop, it also has patterns so you can make some of the famous designs yourself.

This isn't knitting for the timid; many of the designs boldly go where color knitting isn't supposed to go; there are patterns with 3, 4 even more colors per row. The colors are subtle and varied, knitted in an angora/wool mix to create the "shimmering" effect the Bohus designs were famous for. But if you embark on such a knitting adventure you will surely make a masterpiece you will wear or give with great pride.

A source for the kind of yarn that closely matches the Bohus mix is provided in the book, plus patterns for the famous fairisle-like yoke pattern models. Also included are jackets with matching designs to the yoke pullovers, mittens, and hats. You can certainly adapt the design to your own creations. Not all the designs require many colors per row; some are two color only throughout and some rely more on texture than color.

This book is worth reading for textile history, for history of women in clothing design, and for knitting history. And it's also a valuable knitting reference for people who like to knit their own designs as well as reproduce them from patterns. All in all, this book has a lot and is one of my great favorites.