The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book by Steven Tatar (with Denise Grollmus)

                                                                   

As any of my regular blog readers know already, I am a self-proclaimed yarn addict! And how. If I'm not working on at least 2-3 knit or crochet projects at any given time, I'm just not happy!

My love of all things yarn-crafting extends to the pleasure of finding a new and unique knit or crochet book. And just recently, I found one that I'm very excited about:

 

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book is a book that came about in a very unusual way. Author Steven Tatar was hunting for scrap metal when he stumbled upon the now shuttered Ohio Knitting Mills. He subsequently bought the company's sweater archive and opened the Ohio Knitting Mills store, in Brooklyn, NY where for two years he sold vintage knits and wrote this book.

The author now sells limited edition sweaters online at: OhioKnittingMills.com.

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book traces the history through four decades of this historic Ohio mill from the 1940-1970. It makes for fascinating reading. Sharing a part of crafting in America through some of the most creative and turbulent times the USA has ever seen. And along the way, the reader is taken back in time to enjoy the styles, trends and fads of each of these decades. Including 26 knitting patterns from the original OKM archive.

What keeps this book fresh, timely and oh so 21st century are the updated versions of the original patterns that are included. Complete with full instructions and graphs where applicable.And wowsa, these are knitting patterns that are definitely worthy of a retro-encore!

                                                

Here are just a few examples of the unique patterns in this book:

Ski Chic Fatale

                              

California Dreaming

                                     

                                                                            

Father Knows Best

                                                                                       

Hippie Stashbag

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book is visually stunning with sepia-toned text pages and full-color photos throughout. The attention to detail and precision work that went into this 158 page book is evident throughout. Another plus: there are patterns for knitters of all skill levels from the beginner to expert, included in this book.

If you love retro-knit fashions this is a book you won't want to miss. Would also make a memorable gift for any yarn/American craft history buff on your gift list too.

This book is a great example of that timeless saying: "everything old IS new again"



You can read more about this unique knitting book and also find ordering options at: Thomas Allen and Son. Priced at: $22.50 CDN and $17.95 US.

 

Credit: "Excerpted from The Ohio Knitting Mills by Steven Tatar with
Denise Grollmus (Artisan Books). Copyright 2010. Photographs by Anna
Wolf

Overall rating for this book: Excellent. 5 out of 5.