Interview with Margaret Hubert, book review, and giveaway

Posted by Underground Crafter on June 25, 2011 | Short Link

This must be my lucky week!  Just four days ago, I posted an interview with Ellen Gormley (check it out by July 1 for a chance to enter a giveaway for her new book, Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook).  Today, I’m excited to post an interview with Margaret Hubert.  If you have been crocheting or knitting for any length of time, you have probably come in contact with one of Margaret’s books or patterns.  This post includes my interview with Margaret, a review of one of her recent books, The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting, and another giveaway!  Read along to learn more about Margaret, what I thought of the book, and your chance to win a free copy of The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting.

The Interview

A few years ago, I learned that the New York Public Library allowed card holders to search for and request books from any branch.  These books would be delivered to your local branch for pick up.  I was surprised to find out that the libraries have a pretty good collection of crochet books.  It was about this time that I was first noticing the names of different designers.  I was introduced to Margaret through the “Hooked” crochet series of books that I checked out from the library and had great fun making her bags and hats.

Margaret is also one of the designers featured in Crochet Master Class.  According to her bio in that book, her career has spanned various aspects of the needlecrafts industry, including owning a yarn shop, owning a hand knitting business, teaching needlework, writing crochet and knitting books, and teaching at local, regional, and national crochet and knitting events.  Her blog bio mentions that she has also published cross word puzzles and is a member of a Shakespeare club which is over 110 years old.  You can visit Margaret’s website, blog, or Ravelry designer page for more information.

Margaret Hubert in one of her beautiful free form garments...

...and the Free Form Raspberry Jacket in all its glory!

UC: Who first taught you to knit and crochet?

Margaret: My mother taught me to knit at a very young age.  I do not even remember learning.  According to my Mom, I used to try knitting with 2 pencils, and she decided that she should teach me the proper way.  I learned to crochet when I was 19 from the owner of my local yarn shop. I had knitted a sweater that needed a crochet border.  My Mom said that she couldn’t help me as she wasn’t a very good crocheter, so I asked for help.  Mrs. B. put a crochet hook in my hands, taught me to single crochet, and I haven’t stopped since.

UC: Since you are multi-craftual, what is your favorite “go to” craft these days?
Margaret: I love both knitting and crocheting, which I do constantly. I also do some sewing, quilting, and needlepoint, but do not have a lot of time for much of this any more. My most favorite thing to do, is to combine both knit and crochet in one-of-a kind free form garments. In fact, I do a workshop teaching this method, and it has become my all time most popular class.

Margaret is teaching her Combination Free Form Crochet and Knitting class at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in October.

UC: Where do you generally find your creative inspiration?
Margaret: My garden and the woods surrounding my home have a lot of influence on my creativity. I love flowers and use them a lot in my work. Living in the North East, every season brings its own fabulous array of colors, which are my greatest inspiration. Spring with its pastels and greens in every hue, summer brights, colorful fall leaves in yellows, orange and red, and even winter, all are so beautiful.

This Floral Quilt highlights some of the beautiful flowers Margaret enjoys making.

UC: I recently retaught myself to knit after about 25 years of avoiding it.  I found your Complete Photo Guide to Knitting to be a really helpful resource.  What tips do you have for people returning to knitting or crocheting after a long absence?
Margaret: My tip would be to start with something quite easy, with very little shaping and finishing, perhaps a hat or scarf.  I would use a smooth yarn in a medium weight. Once your brain and fingers begin to remember the motions, then you will be ready to tackle something a little more involved.
UC: What are your favorite crochet and knitting books in your collection (besides yours, of course)?
Margaret: I have seven of the Mon Tricot series of knit and crochet patterns that are so tattered and torn, but I love them and use them a lot. I also love The Batsford Book of Crochet by Ann Stearns, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker, and A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker. There are many more, but these are my favorites.
UC: You’re teaching several crochet classes this summer at ChainLink in Minneapolis and at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in October.  What do you enjoy about teaching?
Margaret: Of all the hats that I wear, I love teaching the best. I love the enthusiasm of the students, I love the look on there faces when they “get it”, I love how  they like to share and send me photos of their finished projects. Whenever I am at a conference several attendees will come up to me wearing one of my designs, they are so proud and it never fails to excite me.  Most of all, I do love sharing my knowledge and doing my bit to keep the needle arts alive.

Margaret is teaching Learning to Master Bavarian Crochet, Finishing Like a Pro (Crochet), and Oops How Can I Fix That? (Crochet) classes at ChainLink in July...

...and Bavarian Crochet, Intermeshing Crochet, Combination Free Form Crochet and Knitting, Free Form Crochet, and Entrelac Crochet at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival.

UC: Do you have any favorite crafting blogs or websites you’d like to share?
Margaret: I don’t have a lot of time to read many blogs, or even write many blog posts myself, but I do like to check out Lion Brand’s, Vashti’s and Crochet with Dee.
UC: (Insert your own question here.)
Margaret: If you were to ask me what I thought the most important thing that I could teach someone was, it would be how to properly check gauge and to instill in them the importance of checking gauge before starting any new project. It is so important that I can not stress it enough. It makes such a difference in the finished garment/item and there would be so much less frustration and disappointment.
I can’t agree with Margaret enough about the gauge.  Most of my students who struggle with patterns have it much easier once they begin to swatch and check their gauge! I know Margaret is a busy woman, between designing, writing, teaching, traveling, and the rest of her life.  Thanks for stopping by Margaret!  And now on to…

The Book Review

After about 25 years away from knitting, in the last year I decided to conquer my fears (of making enormous trapezoids) and start to knit again.  Perhaps my motor skills are better now, or I understand yarn and needlecrafts better, or I’m just more patient, but this time it “stuck.”  An invaluable tool that I picked up along the way was Margaret Hubert’s The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting.  I recommend it to my beginner knitting students and think it is a great resource for your knitting library for several reasons.

The book is organized into three major sections: Knitting Basics, Stitch Patterns, and Specialty Knitting Methods.  As the title suggests, the book is heavy on photographs and light on illustrations.  (Sidenote: I personally find it impossible to learn anything new from an illustration, but can use illustrations as reminders for techniques I’m already familiar with.)  Margaret opens with a brief history of knitting, and then jumps into the Knitting Basics section.  This section includes a review of tools, pattern abbreviations, and provides an explanation of how to read patterns in addition to the abbreviations.  At this point, the book jumps into various techniques for casting on (5 options), forming the knit and purl stitches (2 methods each), and binding off (3 options).  Each technique includes multiple, large photographs which are clearly lit.  Margaret then goes on to display several shaping methods.  This is followed by knitting in the round, again including photographs with double-pointed needles, one circular, and then two circular needles.  As you might guess from the interview, Margaret also emphasizes gauge!  There is also a nice piece on finishing.  This section has many photographs, but the text is rather brief.  If you are a visual learner, this is probably an ideal reference book for you.  If you learn best from reading descriptions of the process, this section is lacking some detail that you might need.  For example, there is no discussion about choosing yarn, or how to hold the needles, or the usual debate between the continental and the English knitting methods.

The next section, Stitch Patterns, is like having a stitch guide embedded in the book.  There are 185 stitch patterns, arranged by type:

  • Basic stitches,
  • Light textures,
  • Medium and heavy textures,
  • Laces,
  • Ribs,
  • Honeycomb and brioche stitches,
  • Eyelets,
  • Ripples and chevrons,
  • Slip stitches,
  • Color combos,
  • Motifs, and
  • Cables.

I love the way the stitch patterns are organized – like most knitters/crocheters, I hate seeing a wonderful stitch and then never being able to find it again.  There is also a difficulty rating for each stitch (using the Craft Yarn Council standard skill levels).  The swatches are beautifully photographed and are quite large, so you can see the detail.  The colors Margaret uses for her yarns are also lovely.  There are several project patterns in this section, generally following the type of stitch that is used in the pattern.  This section is worth the price of admission alone for me, since it is a great stitch guide.  However, if you are looking for stitch symbols, there are very few in this book – most patterns use abbreviations only. (The cable stitches in this section all include symbols though.)

The final section, Specialty Knitting Methods, introduces (or reminds!) the reader to (of) various techniques and includes at least one pattern along with a description of the method.  The methods included are:

  • One-Piece Knitting,
  • Entrelac Knitting,
  • Freeform Knitting (clearly one of Margaret’s favorite techniques!),
  • Crazy Lace Knitting (pattern by Myra Wood),
  • Knitting with Beads (pattern by Judy Pascale),
  • Intarsia Knitting (pattern by Sasha Kagen),
  • Twined Knitting (pattern by Beth Brown-Reinsel), and
  • Ouroborus Kntting (pattern by Debbie New)

The Crazy Lace, Intarsia, and Twined projects include charts in addition to pattern abbreviations.  As with the rest of the book, the projects are beautifully photographed and the colors and layout really bring the projects to life.  In the last section, the photographs are of the projects, not the methods for creating the projects.

Overall, I recommend the Complete Photo Guide to Knitting to a beginner knitter looking for a book to “grow” into an intermediate knitter with.  I also recommend it as a stitch guide – it doesn’t have as many stitches as some guides, but the organization, skill levels, photographs, and yarn colors are superior to most on the market.  There are also projects included so you can try the stitches on something other than swatches if you aren’t at the stage of designing your own creations yet.  The photographs are great for visual learners.  On the other hand, there are few stitch symbols in the book, which didn’t bother me since I prefer pattern abbreviations, but I know that many knitters prefer symbols.  This is really a comprehensive visual reference rather than a thorough written treatise on knitting.  If you are looking for a wordy text, go for the Knitter’s Handbook.  Because of the visual cues, it is also a great book for a more advanced knitter who needs a quick photographic reminder (“Oh, right, that’s how to do the provisional cast on!”) before starting or while working a project.  On my Amazon review, I gave the book 5 stars.

The Giveaway

The grand prize!


By now, you must definitely want to win the Complete Photo Guide to Knitting!  So here is what you can do to enter:

  • Leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 1.  Be sure to include your email address (which won’t be displayed) so I can contact you if you win.  (Please note that my comments are moderated, so if you are a new visitor, it will not appear immediately.)
  • For a second chance to win, like the Underground Crafter Facebook page.  Then you can either post a comment on Facebook or here again so I will give you another entry.  (If you already like my Facebook page, you can still post a comment for another chance to win.)
  • I will add another copy of the book (two prizes) if I get up to 110 fans on Facebook, so please spread the word!
  • I am willing to ship internationally, so please feel free to enter from any location.

Good luck to everyone and thanks again to Margaret for a wonderful interview!

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