Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature

This interesting knitting book has chapters titled Hexagons, Pentagons, Spirals, Phyllotaxis, Fractals and Waves. All of the patterns are inspired by natural forms found in nature The author, Norah Gaughan, in the introduction, states that she has "always been torn between simultaneous desires to study art and science". This book is a good example of how she combines the two and creates beauty. As Norah's life progressed, she realized that what she truly loved was knitting and wanted to make a career as a knitting designer. "The work in this book feels like the melding of my science - and art-loving selves...". "Some of the designs in this book are structurally similar to nature's example." This can be seen by the chapter headings themselves. "In some cases, the structure of the natural phenomenon dictated the structure of the garment (the garments made from hexagonal and pentagonal pieces, for instance). In others, the pattern from nature become a surface decoration imposed on the grid of knitting...". "In all cases, working within the framework of six categories of patterns found in nature freed my mind to look at things differently and allowed me to rethink the structure of garment-making."Many of the patterns are eye-catching and lovely. In Hexagons, the Asymmetrical Cardigan in a lovely light blue hue is definitely a pattern I want to try. It is knit in cashmere . The stitch in this cardigan is modeled after the woven pattern of caned chair seats. The Hex Afghan is stunning. Knit in a rich brownish-red, half alpaca and half wool, it contains rows of elongated hexagons.The Swirled Pentagon Pullover is luscious. Knit in an angora and wool blend, it is an almost turquoise colorway. The top of the pullover has swirled pentagons and the bottom of the sweater is knit in a classic stockinette stitch. The Bubble Pullover is knit in a lovely violet color out of baby alpaca. It has large pentagons as its motif.The Spiral Scarf is very 'now'. Its contemporary feel is obvious to the knitter. It is knit with Mongolian Cashmere in a golden and blue hue and is comprised of spirals attached together. The Cabled Spiral Pullover is knit in a light blue colorway from extra fine merino DK. There is a spiral motif on the top and the bottom two thirds of the sweater is knit in stockinette stitch.The Roundabout Leaf Tank is knit in an ivory hue with silk yarn. "The seater is made out of a spiraling strip, in the same way that leaves grow on a stem." The Phyllotaxis Scarf is perfect for a man or woman. Knit in a brown colorway with a wool, mohair and silk combination yarn, it is reversible. The scarf is knit in a tube to make its reversibility possible. "There are five spirals slanting to the right and eight spirals slanting to the left so the pair from the Fibonacci sequence is 5-8." I love the Sunflower Tam. There are two examples in the photograph. One is green and the other yellow. They are knit with Icelandic wool. "For this tam, I wanted to make a disk with two opposing spirals, like the phyllotaxis of a sunflower, daisy, or coneflower."The Fractal section has several nice patterns. I really like the Branching Aran Guernsey knit with wool. "I purposefully incorporated some traditional elements of the British guernsey into this design - the drop-shoulder shaping and the simple ladder pattern between the columns of the cables - and like the way they play against the naturalistic, very modern, branching cables." The Serpentin Coat, knit in browns and blues with merino wool, is perfect for an autumn day. "The sinuous motif used on the yoke of this coat is a Dragon Curve, another mathematical fractal." The Triangle Scarf is in a dark beige and knit with a combination of nylon and rayon yarn. It features triangles based on a mathematical fractal called the Serpinski Triangle.The Wave section of the book has several lovely patterns. I really like the Vortex Street Pullover in a green/brown blend knit with cotton. "A phenomenon of fluid dynamics, a vortex street is an organized pattern of spirals formed in the wake of fluid flowing past a solid object." The center of this pullover has a wave section with stockinette surrounding it. The Reflection Aran Pullover is knit in a deep wine color out of wool. "Inspired by the rule of wave reflection, the cables in this pullover 'reflect' off of the edges of the center panel." The Droplet Hat is another Aran pattern knit in a green colorway with wool yarn. "This design is based upon a photo showing a droplet of water speeding downward propelled by gravity, spewing off little droplets as well as a narrow trail of water. My interpretation is rendered in bobbles and embossed leaves."Overall, this book is a real winner with clear photographs of the projects and easy-to-read pattern instructions. Some of the photos are a bit sexist for my taste but I can overlook that. They just seem silly. The book itself is a very welcome addition to my knitting library.

I have been a fan of Norah Gaughan for some time and have ofter marveled at her patterns in the various knitting magazines. So when I saw she had written a book, I did something I rarely do. I ordered it sight unseen, hoping it would be interesting and I might be inspired to try something new. Well I wasn't just inspired to knit but to actually go out, look around and marvel at nature.When I opened it for the first time, the book literally took my breath away. The designs are stunning and each design is so beautiful photographed, I kept paging through it again and again. "Knitting Nature" delivers page after page of beautiful designs that will make your fingers tingle to cast on. The look and feel of the book is first rate. Turns out Norah, in addition to being a talented knitter, is a math wiz and in "Knitting Nature" she takes you through her design journey using shapes and theories taken from Nature. The commentary of her design process is fancinating to read. I can't wait for the book tour because I would love to learn more about her approach to design.The test of any knitting book is the quality of the instructions. The designs in "Knitting Nature" seemed a little daunting at first but as I read through the pattern instructions, I began to feel a little more confident because the instruction are clear, concise and easy to read. I can't wait to try my first project. I should mention that some of the recommended yarns are on the pricey side. For those of you who are looking for more than just another simple pattern book - who want to be inspired; this is the book to buy.

What an amazing book. I didn't pre-order this as I do most of my knitting books, to be honest, her designs never get stickied when they feature in my favourite knitting mags. I have admired their technicalities in the past, but usually found them a little shapeless or un-cool. But after seeing a photo of the funnel sleeved sweater, I had to have this book. I was a little put off by all the errata comments, but prepared to risk it and wing it. Anyway, I am pleasantly surprised. Not only is it the usually beautifully photographed book - fab settings, beautiful models, lovely styling - what one expects from this publisher, basically - but their are a number of items I want to make now.I removed a star because of the yarns. No number rating or even a hint of whether a yarn is bulky, worsted, whatever.... in this day and age. Come on. This is pure laziness and thoughtlessness. Furthermore, I don't expect to see a brand new book using Polar - this was discontinued years ago. Last but not least, many US books now contain m etric measurements - why not here ? (But this is the least important and I wouldn't have removed a star for it). I would probably remove another star for the errors but can't reveiew wshat I haven't yet experienced.

This was a gift for my sister. Amazon took care of all the hard stuff, packing & shipping. All I had to do was click and poof, it was on its way to her.Lots of unique and creative designs we have come to love from Norah G. No boring knitting when you choose one of her great patterns.

Norah Gaughan approaches the design brief for this book in an interesting way. A scientist by profession, Gaughan explores the principles of Mathematics in nature, and lets that outlook be her guide in constructing the patterns.The beauty is in the detailing: the outline of the kotch formation on the bottom of the skirt, the curve of a ram's horn making a shawl collar for a jacket, a skirt made from the hexagonal shape on a tortoise shell and a leaf motif snaking around the body of a blouse.Gaughan's musings are no less interesting as she writes about what inspires her, and shares the basic premise behind the subjects that attracts her.The measurements are good, starting from a 34" bust (and even then it's on the bigger side) and runs up to about a 52". The garments more skim the body than cling to it, so if you were say, a 36" bust, you could sneak into the 34" measurement at times.In terms of the yarn used, I'm pleasantly surprised to see the variety of the yarns. Not all of them are American, some can be gotten on this side of the pond as well.A good book, one to have on the shelf - patterns that are stylish, but not trendy.Brilliant.

This was a present for my mum - an avid and experienced knitter. We both love the patterns in it, but on choosing the first one to be made we discovered the recommended wool was no longer available (it was American, which wasn't helping, but the actual brand has been discontinued). As had the substitute we found online! We had to go and get advice in a wool shop (a rare thing), and are now using a different kind of wool which we hope will be ok.The book does have some really beautiful and unique designs, but be prepared to do some substituting - this is not for beginners.

great book, wonderful designs, the only thing that annoys me is that the designer has used specific yarns and there is no indication to the weight the yarn used which is really annoying when the yarns are no longer available and I have to investigate for alternatives.

The designs are gorgeous, some are a little odd but I love this book and am so glad I picked it up as a resource!

Provides a number of original stitch possibilities based upon a botanical theme, with a range of explicit garments to knit, Probably most suitable for an intermediate knitter - someone with some experience of stitch variations.