Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks

My long-awaited copy of Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks finally arrived! Working on this book with Lily was such a great experience, and definitely stretched my limits as an illustrator. This book is jamb-packed with over 100 technique illustrations, designed by yours truly!

If you're a Lily fan, this is a must-have book. As Lily remarks:

I envision this book as one of my most popular classes brought to the printed page. Even if you've never taken one of Lily's classes, this book will definitely make you a fan. This book goes beyond what the many standard technique books cover. Lily generously presents the the tricks and tips she's used over the years in her popular classes. Lily further states: I've come up with simple ways to make the annoying parts easier. That's what we all want, isn't it?

Overview:

This tiny, compact book covers a full spectrum of techniques. starting with some basics, and how to prepare before you begin. Lily also includes a very extensive yarn chart, where she describes each fiber, its content and origin. She also provides additional characteristics and comments about each fiber. The book further progresses into what you need to know while you work: how to join new yarn, intarsia color changes, knitting in pictures, stripes...and last but not least- how to finish your work. Lily goes into her tried and true methods of binding off, blocking, seaming, joining as you go, how to set in a drop shoulder, and to top things off a special "Lowdown from Lily."

When I created these illustrations, it was Lily's intention for them to convey the technique clearly and concisely in stylized way. As you will see in this illustration of the Basic Knit Stitch, from the Getting Started chapter, clearly demonstrates this very simple technique.

The Knit Stitch

In the next example, How to Fix a Miscrossed Cable, you can see how to fix a miscrossed cable by dropping down the stitches to be fixed, then by using a crochet hook, you can rework them correctly into place.

The next drawing demonstrates the Basic Mattress Stitch, found in the Finishing chapter. I've drawn this technique in such a way as to "dissect" where the working yarn is inserted to along the selvage edge. In this example, you can see precisely where the needle is inserted along the fabric edge.

Well, that's a little tidbit for you......now you gotta get the book!