Book review- The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook

This week I am going with a book review. I am a HUGE fan of crafty books, so have plenty of material for these.

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I mentioned The Twisted Sister's Sock Workbook by Lynne Vogel in my handpainting post last week. I bought it for info about dyeing and spinning mainly, with the bonus of some sock patterns thrown in.

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The section on dyeing has been excellent, it is where I have got most of my handpainting knowledge from. There's a decent amount about different colours and mixing as well as techniques for hot and cold pour dyeing. The methods deal with fibre, but work just as well for yarn. It is an American book, but the dyes can either be substituted for other brands of acid dyes (or in fact any dye) or the ones used in the book can be ordered online.

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The section on spinning is good, although not what I was hoping for. Details about organising fibre to get the best from the colours are given but no actual details on how to spin.

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The final section deals with knitting socks in a brilliant way. A simple sock pattern is given, then followed up with ways each section (cast on, bind off, ribbing, heel, toes) can be done differently to enable you to get socks exactly how you want them to be. Instructions for knitting socks flat are also given.

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This is a book that has already had quite a lot of use, and is one that I go back to. It would be a good choice for someone wanting to have a go at dyeing or wanting to start making socks without following a specific pattern, maybe as a basis for designing socks. Definately worth the money.

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I wanted to post a photo of the book, but I was not sure about the issues with taking a picture as it is coprighted material. A quick google suggested it would be ok, but in the interest of not getting in trouble I thought I would stick with an Amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twisted-Sisters-Sock-Workbook-Designing/dp/1931499160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276585546&sr=8-1

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To brighten up the post, a picture of some hand dyed, hand spun, hand knit socks which owe a lot to the book:

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