Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits, review and giveaway
Knitting doesn’t have a lot of rules. Really it doesn’t. Which is good, as I am not generally inclined to follow arbitrary rules.
It has some pretty solid guidelines. Things like “a gauge swatch will help give you some idea of the characteristics of your finished object” or “your stitches will be smoother and more even if you block your knitting.”
And it has some traditions. And some people get really upset if you play with those traditions. Everyone who has ever sent me a message that starts “I’ve been knitting longer than you’ve been alive,” (never ever the sign of a good email) “and I’ve never seen anything so scandalous in all my years,” (if the most scandalous thing you’ve encountered in your long life is in a knitting pattern, you are either very lucky or have a truly admirable sense of equanimity) “don’t you know it’s impossible to have row 1 be a wrong side row/work a decrease or increase or cable on a wrong side row/knit into a stitch from a previous row?!?” has gotten my spiel on the flexibility and adaptability of knitting, and how you can indeed do all those things if you just take a deep breath and give it a try.
But I actually think some pretty great things happen when you take a good hard look at those traditions and then gleefully abandon whichever ones don’t suit you at the moment. And that’s just what Barbara Benson has done in her newest book, Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits. She takes the idea that lace has to be knit with tiny yarn on tiny needles (which oh by the way means knitting anything bigger than a handkerchief will take ages to finish) and tosses it right out the window.
The result is a collection of lacy accessories (a dozen neck things like shawls, scarves, ponchos or wraps, four hats, two mitts, a blanket and a vest) in big, bold yarns.
Stitches that would be dainty in tiny yarn are graphic in chunkier yarn. The change in scale lets the structure of the stitches and stitch patterns really shine.
And using big yarn makes your knitting ever so much quicker. For example the whole Sparrow Grass Hat (above) clocks in at under 3,000 stitches. That sounds a tiny bit daunting, but for comparison, the last fingering weight hat I knit had 3,000 stitches in just the brim. The last pair of socks I knit had 3,000 stitches in just the leg of one sock. Getting a whole hat in that many stitches that makes for an awfully quick project (something to keep in mind if you’re planning any holiday knitting and starting to feel a teeny tiny bit rushed).
Big stitches can also feel a bit less daunting for newer lace knitters. It’s easier to see what’s happening and understand the logic of the fabric when your stitches aren’t an eighth of an inch wide. The book starts with just enough of a primer (on things like lace, charts, swatching, and blocking your knits) to help lace newbies feel grounded but not overwhelmed. And it follows it up with lots of projects where you can practice on something that feels manageable (like the Asymmetrical Balance scarf above) or just dive in and make something showy (like the Signet throw below).
If you want to take a look for yourself, you can see more details about the projects on ravelry or find the book in your LYS or on amazon (as always, amazon links are affiliate links). Plus I’ve got a copy to send home with someone! Just leave a comment here telling me about the lace project you knit with the biggest yarn. For me I think it’s Anticlastic or Petiole, depending on how strict you’re feeling about how you define lace.
Leave a comment between now and the end of the day on Friday the 25th to be entered to win. You need to be an adult and have a US mailing address I can send the book to. I’ll pick a winner next week and email them for their mailing address (so please use a real email address when you leave a comment, no one but me will see it and I won’t use it for anything other than emailing the winner). I need to hear back from the winner within 72 hours of notifying them or I will pick a different winner.
There are some disclosure-y bits I think I’m supposed to say. Barbara and her publisher sent me a copy of the book to review. The pictures in this post are from the book and were taken by Gale Zucker and are totally hers not mine. Amazon links here (or anywhere else on the sight for that matter) are affiliate links (it helps me pay for the site without putting ads on it), so if you use them amazon sends me a tiny percent of your purchase price. You probably knew all that, but it’s better to say it and be sure!
I haven’t knit lace with bulky yarn, but I would like to try it.
As a fairly new knitter I have never knitted any lace projects for fear of tiny needles. But with the projects in this book, in will be able to try my hand at it.
Wow, these projects are beautiful! Can’t wait to try them out!!
I have a surplus of large yarn, and would love to make it into lace. I’ve tried adapting things, but this would be amazing.
To my shame the “chunkiest” lace project I’ve knitted is on a DK-to-worsted weight and remains unfinished after eight years (I’m admitting this publicly for the first time). It was/is a candle flame shrug from Vogue Knitting. I still mean to finish it but I really want to cast on Benson’s Rasta Cowlette! I love the chunk and airiness.
I love the Signet throw in the last photo. Looks so cozy.
I knit Kurrajong. A lacy sweater made with bulky yarn. I love it.
I made Melanie Berg’s Decemberist shawl in a bulky yarn a couple of years ago. Fastest shawl ever!
This book sounds promising. Thank you for the chance to have a copy.
I don’t know if it counts, but I made a drop stitch infinity shawl with bulky yarn last year. It’s crazy to be dropping stitches _on purpose_! Sent it to my friend in another province who did me favor for paperwork required for my wedding. She loved it.
Not sure if either of these count, as lace or as big yarn, but I think the closest I’ve come is knitting Consilience with Malabrigo Dos Tierras. It knit VERY fast, and the stitch work shows beautifully.
– S
I once knit a lace hat out of Lopi!
Barbara’s designs look amazing! I think it’s time to knit myself a shawl…all of my shawls seem to find homes with family or friends.
🤞🏼🧶🤞🏼
Looks beautiful, very original. I don’t usually use bulky either but would love to make a couple of these.
I’ve only knit one lace scarf with skinny yarn and tiny needles and it took forever. I’d love to try something bulkier and quicker!
This sounds like fun!
I made a button up cowl out of Joelle Hoversons Big Lace scarf as a gift years ago. It was beautiful and a much beloved gift💝 .
I’ve knit a couple of lace scarves with worsted yarn, not bulky, too many years ago to remember just what patterns. It’s very satisfying to see such quick results.
These projects look amazing. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve been really curious about this book, thanks for the review and chance to win it! TBH I don’t think I’ve knit lace with any yarn larger than worsted, but I welcome the opportunity. The Asymmetrical Balance scarf is calling to me!
I knit a shawl with bulky yarn and loved it…Between Oceans by Laura Aylor.
I knit a Lace cardigan on huge needles with bulky heathered dusty aqua yarn from the French Girl Knits book many moons ago. I love bulky lace! 🧶
I’ve only knit a small amount of lace as I’m intimidated about the time commitment required for those lightweight yarns! The lace I have knit with the biggest yarn is for the Old Town sweater by Carol Sunday.
I knit a bulky weight lace scarf with alpaca yarn from a local farm in CT called Six Paca Farm. I look forward to trying each of these new patterns!!
Love quick bulky knits! Barbara is a favorite designer
I love this! Lace knitting has been daunting to me because of general yarn size and number of stitches used. I’m excited to try it with this book!!
I love Barbara’s patterns and have wanted to try these as well!
I’ve only knit lace on tiny needles, but I love the look of lace knit up on big needles.