MORE Lovely Knitted Lace by Brooke Nico was the featured topic of today’s Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird. We love hearing what’s new with guests we’ve had on the show before and Brooke is no exception. As a busy mom, yarn shop owner, teacher and designer, getting to spend time with her this way is something we all can appreciate!
Brooke taught herself to knit, using the book Knitting for Dummies, when she realized as a stay-at-home mommy, she needed a hobby. Then at one point, she offered to help run the yarn shop down the street when the owner fell ill and eventually became the owner of Kirkwood Knittery in Missouri. She met Trisha Malcolm, editor of Vogue Knitting, at a Yarn Market News conference (which is a trade show for shop owners) which resulted in Brooke submitting and having a design published in Vogue Knitting.
After that, Brooke contributed designs to other collections, including Carol Sulcoski’s books. We featured Brooke and her earlier book, Lovely Knitted Lace, a couple of years ago and Brooke says she received lots of love from folks for the garments and the lacework. She says the challenge with creating new designs with lace is to ‘make sure the garment design itself doesn’t compete the lace’. Sometimes it’s just fun to see what you can do with a simple shape like a rectangle or basically a scarf! She also says it’s fun for her to play with basic shapes and see what she can make with them.
We admired individual pieces in MORE Lovely Knitted Lace, like the Amaryllis shawl which is entrelac in construction but each square is a lace motif, Wanderlust includes ribbing, lace, and Brooke had in mind a heavier shawl that could be worn in place of a coat, Primrose Brooke says is really scarves assembled together. Marly put Brooke on the spot by asking what she loves or wears the most, and Brooke says she wears Montauk a lot, which is a long-sleeved raglan pullover which uses lace to create it’s lines, and does so beautifully!
What is really unique is that her designs are not confined to lace-weight yarns, in fact there are only three patterns in this book that are designed for those yarns. Brooke says her journey from conception through finished design relies heavily on swatching. Lace can be blocked to the size you need it to be, but certain yarns and stitch patterns don’t 
work together. She says she creates large swatches so that she can really see and discover what the yarn and the lace pattern do together. The other thing that’s really required with lace is blocking because on the needles it’s not very pretty. Brooke says even if you don’t use wire blocking methods, it must be washed and smoothed out flat to acheive anything close to the beauty of a lace pattern. The other thing she relies on for designing is the use of charts. It’s so helpful to her to see where she is in her work and how the lace design itself flows.
You can follow Brooke Nico through her shop’s website: www.kirkwoodknittery.com, she has a designer page in Ravelry. If you’d like to hear Brooke’s earlier visit to Yarn Thing CLICK HERE. This was when she shared Lovely Knitted Lace shown there to the left.
If you missed getting to hear this live, this episode is still available as an archived episode where it aired originally http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing/2016/04/05/more-lovely-knitted-lace-by-brooke-nico or in your favorite podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher Radio.
I have to watch out if I am going to sip, sip, knit or things become three armed pretty quick.
Thanks for another great show.
I recently took a class from Brooke at Stitches West and got to see some of the items shown in her new book. I love a bunch of the patterns so will definitely have to pick up her book.
I like of Brooke’s take on SSK-whether it be sit, sip knit or the traditional version. My favorite part of the podcast was the SSK & k2Tog tips you both shared. I have to listen to that again to really cement the idea in my brain. I bet Brooke has many more tips like that to share.
I loved this interview. Both entertaining and educating. BIG fun for me almost as much funs. SIP, SIP, KNIT….
Sip,Sip Knit and checking out this book sounds like a great idea!
Sip, Sip and Knit is what I would love to do everyday, all day! I really enjoyed this podcast!
If I were to sip sip knit, I’d have some funky lace! LOL! Joking aside, a stellar interview!
I just loved listening to Brooke on this show. I am going to get some hot tea and my knitting and sit down and sip, sip, knit. Hopefully I will get more knitting done and less sipping. Great podcast.
Amazing interview with Brooke. I love the play on the sip sip knit of the name. The new book sounds amazing.
I have learned I can not sip sip knit unless some milos tea but I have also learned I can not ambien and knit…. however I will try anything to get my little paws on this book!
I really enjoyed listening to Brooke. I plan to sip, sip, knit this evening. The book looks like would be a great addition to my knitting library.
Sometimes I’ll grab a hot cup of tea to sip, sip, knit, but the tea usually gets cold as I focus on my knitting! Enjoyed the show and hearing Brooke’s version of SSK! I’ll probably always relate the sip sip now every time I SSK. LOL! Great show!
Sip sip knit… what a lovely and clever name!! I loved listening to your episode even though I’m a crocheter and not a knitter !! My mum loves knitting and she would love this book, if I win that’s who it will go, an early mothers day gift!! Keep up the great work and all the podcasts!
This book looks AMAZING! I look forward to sitting down to sip, sip, knit with it!!
My version of sip, sip, knit is having a cup of tea while knitting. Using fine china while knitting with fine lace yarn is just the best!
I’m going to sip, sip, knit right now with my cup of hot tea!
Sip sip knit…what a lovely thought…so calming!
I have some ginger ale right now, but I need to sip, sip, knit an adult beverage while I fix my sock. My little dog and cat just got tangled in the yarn and ripped it out of my hands, and I lost half my heel stitches.
Loved this episode.
When I get frustrated at work- I know Im in need of a little sip, sip, knit time!
i am taking a lace knitting class at my local LYS. So I just purchased my first set of lace knitting needles and I need this fabulous book! Sit, sip, knit sounds like a plan to me. Or is it sip,sip, knit? In which case there will be wine involved!
I love lace but it is so easy to mess up. It makes me need to sip sip knit with wine=) I love the designs, Brooke is seriously talented =)
The patterns in Brooke’s new book are so beautiful! I usually sip, sip, knit while listening to the podcast.
I’m not sure if we are supposed to sit, sip, knit or sip, sip, knit so I am going to sit, sip, sip, sip, knit. I hope I am chosen so that Marly or Tammy get to read that tongue twister!
My beverage of choice for this interview was tea. I try to knit while listening now that I’m no longer at a paying job outside the home, but Marly and guest are always so great about making housework go quickly that I don’t always get to sip, sip, knit, run to the bathroom. Too much tea. 😉 Keep up the fun and entertaining way for all of us listeners to learn so much, Marly. Love your guests always!
What a great interview with Brooke. I love her advice – especially sip, sip, knit. I look forward to checking out her lace patterns.
Love Lace, loved listening to Brooke, love to sit, sip, knit, or is it sip, sip knit, or just sip,sip, sip.
Beautiful designs, Brook! I am a lace novice, and I think your book will be just the motivation I need to expand my experience. As always, thank you for yet another high quality, entertaining podcast Marly and for the excellent show notes Tammy! The Ohio “Spring” weather has me wanting to sip, sip (with a warm beverage) knit while bundled under a warm blanket!!
I’m a newbie at lace and based on what I heard in the interview, I think this book would be so helpful. I’d just need to relax, grab a glass to sip, and sip, sip, knit!
Hello Everyone!
I have yet to conquer lace knitting. It looks so intimidating. After listening to Brooke and the great tips and advice she gave I feel like can try my hand at it…maybe with the help of the “SIP, SIP,KNIT” technique ;p
Thanks,
Rose
I’ll never look at SSK the same again! Sip, sip, knit is definitely my favorite activity – whether it’s with wine or tea. I love Brooke’s tips and can’t wait to check out this beautiful book!
Here’s to sip, sip, knit. Love hearing about the book, great patterns!
I was fortunate enough to be in the first Sip, Sip Knit yarn club with Carol’s amazing yarn and Brooke’s beautiful patterns. This book looks like one I really need to add to my library.
The word “sip” implies wine – so if I sit sip knit….there may be some unique items created. Great show! The secret to getting kids to not dump towels on the floor – is to limit the number of towels. (Of course then you discover they used up your allotment too)
Hmmmm … if I sip, sip, knit — that would make me left-leaning like the decrease? .. or is that right-leaning?! …sure enjoyed the podcast and look forward to checking out the book