Janine BajusThe Joy of Color: Fair Isle Knitting Your Way

I really admire Janine's work. She's got a fantastic sense of color and she does really innovative shaping using traditional fair isle knitting. I've personally not taken a class from her but have enjoyed listening to her in a video interview and I appreciate very much her writing and enthusiam and the fact that she self-published this book, so kudos to her. Having said all this, I must admit I found the book a bit disappointing. I had hesitated buying it as it's rather expensive, especially since I'm already quite familiar with stranded color-work (my favorite type of knitting), and I already have other classic books on fair isle, and seem to have a good eye for color. But given all the rave reviews and interrest in the book, along with my passion for color, I decided to go ahead. I have no desire for actual knitting patterns as I've always created my own, so I didn't want or expect the book would include those, however I was hoping that she would share more about how she creates some of her unique constructions, such as interesting shaping on what traditionally, in fair isle, tend to usually be more square/boxy garments. I knew the book featured some of her students' projects, and again, I was hoping they would share a bit more about their construction and also show all the colors they used in the final project or even in their sample swatches, if those were shared (I could be wrong on this but sometimes it seemed that it was just a few select ones). I would have rather seen less examples of her students' work but with more details on individual projects. The 'color theory' Janine discusses is much more extensively covered in other books as are various techniques. Also the fact that she emphasizes "fair isle knitting your way" I thought there might be some innovation re: using other yarns, not just always sticking with Shetland yarn, and also more innovation re: working with color in general, though I appreciated her emphasis on finding what inspires you individually (however that's not necessarily unique). All in all, for the money I wish I had bought a different book and/or knitting supplies. I think many people will find it inspiring, and I certainly enjoyed reading through it, so it really depends on what someone is looking for and/or needing. It certainly won't be one of the books I return to again and again, as I do with other fair isle (and various types of stranded colorwork) on my shelf. It would have been great to be able to borrow it from a library to read, but it's not one I feel will be very useful to own, and I do think it's a bit expensive for what it is.

There are so many areas of excellence here--clear instruction on techniques, thought-provoking help on color theory and setting up your own motifs in a sweater, steeking how to's that make perfect sense--that this is one of two essentials for Fair Isle I keep at hand not stuffed into my bulging shelves of knitting books. This and Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs are my go to's when diving into a Fair Isle project. One of my major frustrations with designer FI patterns --Marie Wallin is guilty of this as is Rowan--is the multitude of color symbols crowded together in charts of MC and CCs so that the overall motif is impossible to discern in case you wish to create a different color scheme with your preferences featured. Joy of Color gives you full color, and b&w versions of motifs for DIY simplicity. So many utterly useful tips and directions that I have happily knit designer and my own FI patterns and loved the entire process with happy results I wear. The author has examples w/B&W charts of motifs and 4-5 photos of that motif executed with different MC/CC yarn colors so you see the effects and learn what you like. This is not a pattern book but a deep dive into what makes Fair Isle so beautiful and how to make whatever you want to knit 'your' beautiful.Also the binding is hardy, with sewn sections of pages that allow you to lay it flat instead of cracking a cheap glue binding and having pages come loose. This will last me years (tho' I may get a 2nd copy as back up...)

this is the book to buy. It is very complete and answered a lot of my questions.

This is a very cool and informative book. though I'm experienced instructor and designer with color work, I still got a lot of great information from this book that I can use. It has great explanations, advice, pictures. I would absolutely recommend this book. Good job to the writer and very wise of the publisher to print it! Loving it

Janine has finally put her talent into a book. I've never learned more about color than I did in her classes. And the book takes me beyond the notes I took in class. There is one 1star review listed but with no support. I don't know why a serious color knitter wouldn't love this book.

What an innovative and delightful book, packed with useful information and technical expertise, loaded with full color illustrations and references, presented with clarity and insight. Totally worth every penny and has joined my "best references" library.

Love this book! Wonderful images, good info for a beginner and beyond. Learn to make a speed swatch

This is simply a must-have book for anyone interested in making spectacular Fair Isle projects. Well-written, clear, and very helpful.

If you would like to learn how to create your own designs and patterns for Fair Isle/multiple coloured knitting, this is the book that will do it!! The instructions are simple and easy to follow. Written in a way that is so encouraging. Overall this book is a JOY to read, very inspiring with loads of colourful photos and illustrations. For me this book is a treasure!!