Review Of Art Deco Knits By Jemima Bicknell

Image courtesy of The Crowood Press

The 1920s and 30s were a golden age in knitting, with Art Deco's decorative style adding a distinctive look to handmade clothing. Jemina Bicknell's in-depth and informative guide to the period includes essays on fashion history and knitting techniques as well as a range of patterns written for modern knitters.

Bicknell writes that the book "aims to encourage this joy and self-expression in the modern knitter who is drawn to the glitter of the 1920s and the elegance of the 1930s."

A Woolly Yarn received a digital copy for review from The Crowood Press. All opinions are our own.

Bicknell obviously loves and has thoroughly researched her subject. Art Deco Knits has lots of pages interspersed with both photographs of the garments whose patterns you'll find in the book and period illustrations of fashions of the time.

The book is split into three parts. Bicknell explains it well in Art Deco Knits' introduction:

"The first section, 'Style and Materials', introduces the fashionable silhouettes and design details fo the 1920s and 30s, and shows how they were interpreted in the knitting patterns of the period. The second section, 'Techniques', covers everything you need to know to create beautifully patterned and embellished fabrics, and includes a stitch dictionary of Art Deco-inspired stitch patterns. Finally there are nine patterns inspired by various aspects of the period. These patterns are designed as a starting point for your own creativity."

I was particularly interested in the description of fabrics and colours popular in the period and the changing silhouettes that hand knitters aspired to create.

Bicknell gives tips on combining vintage style with modern-day wardrobes, including adjusting styles such as the dropped waist to suit your figure. Embellishments, such as with beads, were a key element of Art Deco style, and the book gives tips and ideas of how to add these into your knitwear, plus the very comprehensive stitch directory shows how lace and cables can also create the signature look.

Patterns

In section three Bicknell gives nine patterns, including garments and accessories, to start your hand knitted Art Deco collection. Here are two to whet your appetite.

The Margaret Cardigan pattern is inspired by the straight intersecting lines of Art Deco architecture. The 4ply wool used is John Arbon's Devonia.

Margaret Cardigan image courtesy of The Crowood Press

The Parelli Shawl can be knitted with or without beads. It's inspired by evening shawls from the 1920s and uses lace weight yarn.

Parelli Shawl image courtesy of The Crowood Press

Art Deco Knits is a very satisfying read with sections to dip in and out of. The recommended retail price is £25 but it can be bought direct from the publisher for £20 plus P&P or £20 for the ebook edition.