Wit Knits – catalogue of knitting evil.
Many modern knitters will be accustomed to the feeling of expectation surrounding the postman’s next visit, hoping that it will bring some yarn, or some other knitterly goodies in the next delivery. Not many people could have experienced a delivery of this magnitude, though:
I parted with actual money for this
Wit Knits, published 1986, is a catalogue of evil. Actually, it was this blog that was the cause and catalyst of me first learning and then spending good money, which could have gone towards some nice jaffa cakes, on this little snapshot of knitwear in the 80s. When writing about the trouble with colour I started considering who, to me, epitomised colourful knitwear – and Gyles Brandreth, English eccentric and television wit, pushed himself to the forefront of my mind. Googling Gyles Brandreth’s jumpers led me to discover that not only was he a patron of paintbox-knitwear, he actually published a collection of ‘lively and original hand-knitting designs’, all of which are modelled by British stars of stage and screen from a time now gone by. I present to you, for your enjoyment, Wit Knits.
The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Hover over main picture to navigate, click ‘i’ for picture information. ‘FS’ will toggle full screen options, and who wouldn’t want to see Christopher Biggins up close?
This is but a smattering of the 37 wonderful designs for you to knit and cherish. Should you wish to see them all, or even knit one for your beloved, Wit Knits is available from Abe Books for not much money.
oh yes i do have a copy this book but ive never knitted anything good for a laugh though our knitting group where in fits over them. SANDCASTLE
Good lord, those are hideous! It’s a slideshow of things you should never do with intarsia.
If intarsia didn’t drive me to tears I might be tempted to make one for the sheer sake of it. I’d then insist on wearing it to accompany my other half EVERYWHERE we went together. Perhaps Christopher Biggins’s panda jumper would be my sweater of choice. It’s the combination of intarsia and fun fur that does it for me.
This book looks like such fun to browse through! I love the red and white pullover on the cover, the one with the black kitty… I would totally make that one for me, lol!
It was absolutely worth the pittance I spent on it just to know I OWN the book. Both myself and my other half keep picking it up to flick through and admire the horrors within. I now have to track down the sequal!
Gyles Brandreth has a lot to answer for!
Brilliant!
I have this book! I remember thinking it was a lot of fun when I spotted it (it was a new book at the time). I was on vacation in London and I remember seeing Gyles Brandreth wearing some of those sweaters on a morning TV show. They always made me smile and I watched every morning to see what he would wear next.
I really like your website, by the way!