The Colorwork Bible
Jesie Ostermiller

Knitting

160 pages
Published October 6, 2020
Penguin Group PPG

I’ve been an avid knitter for 20 years now and I find it so cathartic. I love learning new techniques and there is always something to learn. I read a sample of The Colorwork Bible and was impressed.

Nothing brings the right mood to your knitting like color. A handmade item in your favorite color lifts your mood and in a different color might be forgettable. I am an accountant in the real world, so knitting is my escapism and I must admit I love color!

Chapter one is all about color: choosing color, picking multiple colors that work together… It is a primer in color theory to give you the basics on the why and how of colors in your knitting. This is a study type chapter with no yarn use.

The other chapter in the sampler discusses stripes and as a seasoned knitter I can say there is quite a bit of detail on techniques and tips to help make your stripes look great. Also included with the chapter is directions to make a swatch that incorporates the lessons.

From the chapters I’ve read this is great reference tool on color and what you need to end up with a great finished project.

I see colorwork - a knitting term that scares me, yet I admire all the more - and I want to read everything about it.

Thus why I applied to NetGalley for a review copy of this book (and why it took me over a year to review it). Short version: even experienced knitters like myself find colorwork terrifying. But if this excerpt is any sign, they shouldn't.

While I only received 16 pages of the book to review, it was more than enough for me to realize I need to have a copy of this book in my knitting reference section. Yes, the bits and pieces I could read were simplistic - like how to knit rows of different colors - but even for an advanced level knitter like myself, I learned something new. I wanted to click on other reference pages to learn more about 'weaving' a color' up a seam while you work another color, and how on earth multi-colored garments don't turn into a tangled kitty mess of yarn.

While I cannot say if the other sections were as clearly and simply explained as the ones I read, I'll hazard that since it's from Interweave, the book's a gem throughout.

I'd personally buy this for my own reference, and can see it as an excellent addition to any library reference section that doesn't already have a knitting colorwork tome.

I liked it. I didn't get to read the whole book but the preview I had was enough to make me want to read it. The information of it was very helpful, as were the pictures explaining it, which make it a lot easier to understand. I loved the chapter about stripes which is exactly what I was looking forward when I try to read this book because it is something I'm learning and struggling with. Such an interesting book.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love knitting. It started as a college hobby to avoid stress and turned into something I do often. My current obsession is knitting blankets and quite a few people are getting one for Christmas (sh!). Anyway, this book was naturally something I wanted to pick up and read to hone my skills and give me new ideas.

"The Colorwork Bible" by Jessica Ostermiller gives tips and tricks ranging from color to technique. Ostermiller gives easy to follow steps and encourages you to work each new skill until it becomes natural before moving on to the next step or the next level. Ostermiller is easy to read and her instructions make a lot of sense.

I gave this book 4 stars. I loved the portion I was given to review and if the rest of the book is anything like the first few chapters this is a must have for anyone who loves knitting!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The small section that I read of this book is really beautiful. Each technique was illustrated clearly with a photograph or diagram.
I especially found the section on colour theory very interesting. I find that while I can usually tell what looks good together, it's not always easy to pick out more than two colours. I love that this book is going to break down this process and make it quicker to pick colours that work and get to the actual knitting.
Everything is very clearly laid out on the page and very easy to read. I find that sometimes these types of books can be filled with too much information, but this is definitely not the case here.
I would love to read more of this book and I might be buying it for a few Christmas gifts. I don't think any knitter can go wrong with having this book at their disposal.

Had there been the opportunity to review more of this book I would've given it a 5 rating. It certainly showed great promise and interested me.

I had access to only a few chapters but I can tell it's an interesting and useful book. It provides easy but complete information about the color wheel and cromatic theory full of examples and clear pictures. It you like playing with colors in your knitting (or embroidery or other crafts!) you need this book.

Love the extensive explanation of the color wheel. Thorough enough that I can use it not only for knitting but also for my other crafts (painting, etc).

The photography was bright And colourful with easy to follow visual steps, the first two chapters are a tedious rehashing the basic colour wheel.

Of the short preview, I saw, all I can say is "ooh!" Like all Interweave publications, the design is very appealing with rich color and beautiful photos. The few pages I saw were also full of very informative tutorials and I can't wait to see what patterns come in the rest of this book. A must have for colorwork beginners.

I looked forward to reading this book, but only the first three chapters were included in the digital review copy. The first three chapters were great, and I really wish I could have read the chapters on mosaic and other kinds of knitting color work.

**For this title the Introduction, Chapter 1: The Color Wheel, and Chapter 3: Stripes, were provided for review.**

This promises to be a beautiful and instructive book. The chapter on color theory via the color wheel was engaging, well illustrated and served as a color “workbook” for exploring color combinations. The chapter on stripes started exploring color contrast, stripe size and knitting technique. The guides included solid instructions, with helpful pictorial guides, for a range of striping methods that will be helpful to knitter at all skill levels.

I look forward to seeing the rest of this book, if the rest meets the standard of these sample chapters, this will be a must-have for one’s knitting library.

The Colorwork Bible is a new tutorial and style guide for planning and using color in knitting projects written by Jesie Ostermiller. Due out 6th Oct 2020 from Penguin Random House on their Interweave Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The excerpt provided for review included a chapter selection from chapters 1 (understanding color) and 3 (stripes). Each of the excerpts included good basic instruction in the form of short tutorials, for example the use of color wheels to select and plan color as well as the use of greyscale to determine color dominance and contrast.

Interweave has a 45 year record of excellence in fiber-arts instruction and history. The two chapters which were included aren't comprehensive in terms of a review of the entire book, but they -are- well written and accessible, and the publisher's longstanding excellence allow me to say that the entire book will very likely be similarly well written and high quality and full of useful information. Note: the chapters which were provided did not contain any actual patterns, but the table of contents provided indicate that there are 11 project patterns in the book - including small projects: hat, socks, mittens as well as larger pieces: sweaters, shawl, cowl and jacket.

Four stars for the chapters with which I was provided, probably five for the book overall.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I was provided with the introduction and Chapters 1 and 3 to preview.

<i>The Colorwork Bible</i> appears to be an excellent introduction to colorwork. I consider myself an experienced knitter, though I haven't attempted every technique that exists. The introduction to color theory was well demonstrated with images that illustrated the text.

Chapter Three explores stripes. Stripes may seem simple, but they are a form of colorwork. The author explains how they work and provides a "leveling up" way of learning them - begin by swatching simple and swatching small, then add to the techniques, trying things she's described earlier in the text. Making the swatches only 19 stitches across is smart - too many stitches and a person might feel less willing to rip out and try again.

I can see this approach working well for many knitters. Many people feel more confident when they can scaffold their skills. I think this approach will be especially successful for them. For more advanced knitters, or folks like me who sometimes throw caution to the wind, there's still excellent information and the chance for guided practice when something is out of our usual comfort zone.

This book will be an especially good match for newer or less confident knitters who want to branch out into colorwork.

I voluntarily read and reviewed advanced excepts of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.