Woolly Thoughts Gallery Creations Publications Knitting books Woolly Thoughts Second Thoughts Making Knitwear Fit Creating Knitwear - Designs Design To Fit Toilet Roll Covers Knitting booklets Other booklets Cartoon books No Pattern Knits Picking Up Threads Woolly Thinking CD Afghans for schools Activities and workshops Interactive Local tour Needle gauges Links Order Form What's new? Mental Blocks Dolls and toys Commercial patterns for sale	WOOLLY THOUGHTS How to unlock your creative genius by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer Originally published in September 1994 by Souvenir Press in Britain and Canada ISBN 0-285-63196-9 (pictured left) The original book is now out of print. Published again in July 2007 by Dover Publications as "Woolly Thoughts: Unlock Your Creative Genius with Modular Knitting" ISBN 978-0486460840 (pictured right) The Dover of the book is available from various bookshops, including Amazon. An extract from the book's blurb If you are put off by all the rules that most knitting books impose on you, forget them and try knitting in squares. Step-by-step instructions and drawings show you how to cast on, knit, cast off and sew up. If you have never knitted before you will be able to make yourself a jersey after reading the first section. If you are an experienced knitter, you will find hundreds of ideas for designs, yarns and textures. The possibilities are endless, and the more you explore the more inventive you will become. Extracts from reviews SlipKnot "The revolutionary way to knit that is easy, fun and can't go wrong" - with a claim like that on the front cover, the contents have a lot to live up to. And they do. Designs are based on squares knitted in garter stitch (two rows make a ridge, and an equal number of ridges and stitches make a square - Elizabeth Zimmermann fans already know this!) The knitter is encouraged to experiment with colour and not to worry about tension, an ideal formula to inspire new knitters with enthusiasm and confidence. There is enough "how-to" information to allow progress, and a section called Complications, which includes how to pick up stitches, how to adapt the basic shape, and finishing. The section on calculations includes a guide to sizes, estimating the quantity of yarn needed and the maths involved in the designs. My only quibble is that the book is printed on rather cheap paper, but the reasonable cover price this makes possible should encourage lots of new knitters to break away from the limits of commercial patterns. Machine Knit Today ....although you might skip the hand knit technique sections, the basic principles of knitwear design as presented here by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer, look great fun and have many applications for machine knitters.... ....this is a light-hearted but inspirational book which can be read through or simply dipped in and out of when you want some new ideas.... Modern Knitting ....a highly original approach to knitting.... ....should also be ideal for teaching our younger generation to knit....as they will find the sheep illustrations very appealing. Knitter's Magazine If you are among the many who associate garter stitch with kindergarten knitting, Girl Scout squares, and boring scarves, Woolly Thoughts may help you begin to see it through new eyes; to see the mathematical purity and infinite possibilities of this simple yet versatile stitch. MT (Mathematics Teaching) ..."I can't knit", I said. But I could. Pat's way. The first square I knitted was square, and the second had an interesting stripe across it. ....the title of this book is a clever but rather inapt double entendre. There is nothing in the least woolly about Pat Ashforth's thinking.... Patterns are made up using squares with simple designs such as a diagonal stripe, or divided into two triangles of different colours. These can be explored using tiles like simple tiling generators. Using this type of tile many complicated patterns can be devised. ....other mathematics in the book, much of which is very uncomplicated....more advanced ideas can all be avoided by those who want their maths simple.... I have seen Pat's stunning knitwear ....it is impossible to believe that some of the jumpers are made up of squares until this is proved by close inspection.... ....could be a real inspiration to those who like creating and designing things rather than following instructions.... This book is 176mm * 248mm and has 128 pages.