French Girl Knits: Innovative Techniques, Romantic Details, and Feminine Designs [Paperback]

"5 out of 5 stars. I really love the designs in this book. All the designs have great body shaping, many with curve-friendly waist shaping and/or empire style waists." -- "Knitting News"
"A lovely book full of great patterns for women who love romantic knits as well as those who like more of an edge. The book is a great way to learn seamless techniques." -- "About.com Guide to Knitting"
"So captivating, so conducive to wistful longing that my eyes well up at the thought of it...it's a feast even if you never knit a thing from it, so why deny yourself the pleasure?" -- "Twist Collective"
"Oh la la! This singular collection drips with je ne sais quoi, its 18 body-conscious pieces revealing both rustic and dans-les-rues influences of French fashion." -- "Yarn Market News"
"Everything that you'd expect from a knitting book inspired by 'an appreciation of the small, lovely moments in life' that is apparent in the lives of the French. There is beautiful, lush, kni

"French Girl Knits" is the unique vision of designer Kristeen Griffin-Grimes, with sensuously feminine, superbly fitted garments, fashioned in luxurious yarns, using innovative seamless construction methods. Known in the knit and crochet community for her pattern company, French Girl, the author utilizes inventive combinations of texture, color, and stitch patterns coupled with timeless, figure-flattering silhouettes to fashion-enticing projects for knitters of all skill levels and body types."French Girl Knits" centers on four thematic vignettes inspired by French daily life, film, and history that use dramatically different types of yarns, colors, and stitch patterns: Enfant Sauvage (Wild Child), La Boutique Parisienne (A Vintage Dress Shop in Paris), Dans La Rue (Street Wear), and Creatrice (Creative Woman). A Design Workshop features in-depth tutorials that teach Kristeen's seamless construction methods featured in the book, providing valuable technical information for both beginning and seasoned knitter. "French Girl Knits" patterns feature unique construction. The need for sewing seams has been almost completely eliminated by fashioning patterns in one piece from start to finish. Techniques involve constructing the garment in a more organic way either from the top down, from the hem up, from the back out, and picking up and using live stitches when possible.Another key element in French Girl patterns is the silhouette. All of Kristeen's designs are body conscious and figure flattering. Many designs include curve-friendly waist shaping, empire-waist detailing, and stitch details that emphasize the feminine form. Inspired by historical costume, she uses unique detailing such as lacing, openwork, lace edgings, and bell sleeves to further highlight the silhouette. "French Girl Knits" invites the reader to be immersed in a world filled with imagination and creativity, using knitting as a vehicle for self-expression and encouraging experimentation through that medium.

Seattle designer Kristeen Griffin-Grimes launched her French Girl pattern line in early 2005. Her patterns are currently carried in 125 yarn stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and on websites such as Jimmy Beans Wool, The Knitting Garden, and Dream Weaver Yarns. The inspiration for the French Girl label comes from her jazz singer, French Creole mother (the "original French Girl"), her New Orleans childhood, and her ten-year love affair with France. She leads an annual knitting workshop and tour in France each Fall. www.frenchgirlknits.com.