Globe Pequot / Stackpole Books
Pages: 224
•
Trim: 9¼ x 10½
978-0-8117-3725-8 • Hardback • October 2019 • $39.95 • (£31.00)
978-0-8117-6687-6 • eBook • October 2019 • $38.99 • (£29.00)
Tom Knisely operates the Red Stone Glen Fiber Arts Center in York Haven, Pennsylvania. He has taught weaving for more than thirty years--everything from beginners' classes to complex multi-harness weaving--and was named Teacher of the Year by Handwoven magazine. He is the author of the popular Weaving Rag Rugs, Handwoven Table Linens, and Handwoven Baby Blankets.
Knisely's encyclopedia of huck lace patterns should be a must-have for loom weavers who want to explore this particular method. In addition to hundreds of patterns, Knisely provides a few basic tips for getting started, and a small array of projects . . . Knisely breaks up the patterns into four main categories: Dark/Light, Monochromatic, Complementary Colors, and Triadic Colors. They're followed by projects: scarfs, towels, rugs, and blankets. Before tackling any of the patterns, Knisely advises weavers to consult the key he provides for reading the weaving drafts (pattern guides). Newbies should be warned that the text is written for experienced weavers, and, without a glossary or any photographs of looms or the weaving process itself, those new to the craft will find themselves a bit at sea. For veteran weavers, however, this well-appointed resource will amply fulfill the goal Knisely states in his introduction―to talk to readers “as old friends sitting down with a cup of tea and catching up on the latest weaving projects.”
— Publishers Weekly, Sept. 16, 2019
The four major sections of the book are based on color properties: light and dark values, complementary, monochromatic, and triadic, with a short introduction of what each of these properties are and how they might affect the look of a finished cloth. Within the four sections are 144 swatches with the drafts shown beside them. This allows you as the reader to see how changes in color order in warp and weft can completely change the look of the cloth. I agreed with Tom that some of the samples are so pretty that you want to warp up your loom for your next project while other samples are only so-so. That is to be expected, and for me added to the value of the study. It also made me question why I like one swatch but not a similar one right below.
To start you on your own journey of discovery, the last section of the book contains five huck-lace with color-and-weave-effect projects including scarves, towels, a baby blanket, and mug rugs. Unlike the swatches, which were woven using only 5/2 cotton, the projects use a variety of types of yarns and include full drafts.
I recommend Huck Lace Weaving Patterns with Color and Weave Effects to weavers who want to expand their understanding of huck lace and color-and-weave, but I feel its value doesn’t stop there. The books shows how experimentation and trial and error are essential to one’s growth as a weaver and that is a lesson we all need to learn.
— Handwoven Magazine, March/April 2020