Japanese Knitting

You recall my telling you I once knew a lady from Japan. At the time she was becoming deeply interested in quilting. She showed me the books her sister and mother would send her from home. The small town we both lived in, in southern Alberta was steeped in quilting tradition, and books and material were easy to find. The books she showed me though that the Japanese sensibility to quilting was on a different level. It seemed to me that they began the process as an art form and made art be what they clothed and covered themselves with.

I think the same can be said of their knitting designs. Check out this from the Rainey Sisters. Seriously, who could not love the delicate beauty of this. I am absolutely inspired just looking.

Needle Arts Bookshop has some lovely Japanese books. This book of knitting patterns, and this one recently hit my must have one day list.

Because of the quality and gaining popularity of the designs coming out of Japan, there are all kinds of resources on the net. Here is just the second of many sites, over 400,000 when I googled Japanese Knitting. There are blogs, and podcasts, and all manner of things. There are people with pro opinions and a few cons too. Everywhere you go though, it says it is for an experienced knitter. It seems to be a matter of reading the language and understanding their symbols, so if you move toward Japanese knitting books, be prepared to think.

I might never get to the level of knitting understanding needed to read the design books. I might never ever learn to understand and translate the symbols on the charts, but sometimes, just looking at these lovely things, inspires me and I am a better knitter for it.

Sometimes you just cannot get the idea of something so beautiful out of your head.