Review: Hunter Hammersen's Fine Things for Plain Occasions
This is a beautiful book.
I want to say that right off the bat--and I don't mean it's a beautiful knitting pattern book. I mean, it's a beautiful book. It's sturdy and well-made, with thick pages and even a ribbon bookmark. The photos are gorgeous, the fonts and illustrations are elegant, and the excerpts from etiquette guides are both fascinating and hilarious.
It's clear that Hunter put a great deal of thought and care into this project, even before you get to the knitting patterns.
Even if you didn't knit, you could keep this on your coffee table for guests to flip through. It's so tempting these days to purchase ebooks, but that is not a mistake you want to make here. This is a book you want in your hands. (And great news--if you purchase a paper copy directly from Hunter over at Pantsville Press, she'll give you the ebook for free! Best of both worlds.)
Singularly Disenchanting
Now, on to the meat of this book: the patterns. There are 15 of them: 8 socks/slippers, 3 scarves/shawls, 2 fingerless mitts and 2 hats. In keeping with the elegant air of the book, they're all delicate and refined pieces knit in luxurious yarns. I think there's something here for everyone.
Since the book takes its inspiration from etiquette guides, you might guess correctly that most of the pieces are rather feminine, but there are several pair of socks that could easily work for men or women. I'm already planning a pair of General Country Sports socks for my husband--they're even done in sport weight ! (If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've sworn off fingering weight socks for my husband and his giant feet.)
General Country Sports
It's hard to pick a favorite for myself, but I think I have to say the By Naughty Design socks, with traveling leaves. I've been doing a lot of plain vanilla socks recently, but when the desire and energy for a more complicated sock project hits, I'll be casting these on (even though they're cuff down!).
By Naughty Design
I also have my eye on the Faultlessly Neat slippers, which are a popular pattern from the book. Knit in sport weight, they'll be a bit thicker and warmer than socks, perfect for wearing around the house.
Faultlessly Neat
Something I found interesting in this book is that, when providing gauge, Hunter doesn't indicate the needle size. She does include a range of possible needle sizes in the notes for each pattern, but it's up to you to find the right one. So, if you usually just grab the needle size specified in the pattern and hope for the best, you're going to have a tough time here! I think this is great. Gauge really is so essential for a properly fitting garment, you don't want to wing it. While designers can't force you to swatch, this approach will require a knitter to put a bit more thought into needle size selection, which is a definite plus in my book.
Distinct Moral Support
One final note: If you are chart averse, this book is probably not for you. All the patterns include charts. I personally love charts, and the ones in this book are clear and easy to follow, but I know some knitters are horrified by them.
If you enjoy knitting socks and light accessories, this book will be right at home on your knitting bookshelf. Or, as previously discussed, your coffee table for general perusing.
Just Which is in Vogue
