New Book: Rugged Knits by Andrea Rangel
Make room in your pattern wish list! Hot off the press is Rugged Knits - 24 Practical Projects for Everyday Living by Andrea Rangel, and it’s full of great designs. I recently had the opportunity to meet Andrea, and she was so lovely and nice that I was pulled right in. Not only is she super sweet, but her patterns reflect her friendly, down to earth personality in the best possible way.
Rugged Knits is a collection of patterns that truly hold up to an active lifestyle. In her book, the designer writes about her very active life; living in the Pacific Northwest, she does a lot of outdoor activities and sets out to have her knitwear suit those needs. Rugged Knits is reminiscent of a fashionable outdoor clothing catalog, with thermal base layers for men and women, along with socks, hats, shawl, neck warmers and sweaters that work just as well for the trail as for a fancy night out.
These items aren’t only designed to be durable and versatile. They perfectly reflect the fashion of the region in which they were created- young, colorful, modern garments with just the smallest amount of “crunch”. The cover sweater, called the Hazy Cloud pullover, is described as “the ultimate sweatshirt”, which I find very appropriate. Knit in an alpaca, silk, camel and cashmere blend, it uses lush fibers to create a super comfortable, flattering sweater that you’ll want to put on every day.
I’m also in love with the Woolen Explorer cardigan. It is a wonderfully fresh take on an Icelandic sweater and all I want to do is curl up in it.
Then, there’s the Surging River wrap that’s knit up on size 13 needles, lace edging and all. Can you tell I can’t make up my mind as to what to make first?
Something else I really love about this book is that it gives you the yarn information in a way that makes it very easy to make substitutions. While the yarns used in the book are all easy to find (and they absolutely hold up and are wonderful in their own right!), it’s nice to have lots of options if you want to get creative or you don’t want to knit a luxurious sweatshirt out of a cashmere blend.
I’ll admit, I’m not nearly as active outside as I’d like to be. But looking through the patterns in this book and reading about the designer’s inspiration really makes me want to get out my bike (or hiking boots, skateboard, roller skates, etc.) and knit things to play in. So thank you, Andrea Rangel! And I’m sorry I accosted you like a fan girl in the bathroom at TNNA. Thanks for being cool :)
Related items of interest: • Knitting Books
