The Rural Voice, 2002-01, Page 36Book Review
Knitting b6ok inspires to create
Reviewed by Christina Kipfer
I am not a fantastic knitter by any
stretch of the imagination. I'm self-
taught and it takes me months and
months to complete a project.
However, I absolutely love knitting
and Fm always dreaming of what
cool sweater I can make next. I'm
addicted to the colours and the
textures and the different styles. I
drive my husband insane since I'm
dreaming of what new sweater to knit
before I've finished the first one. He
thinks I already have too many
sweaters, but in my opinion
that's not possible.
So far I have not gotten around to
tackling the art of using more than
one colour besides the simple stripe.
The patterns look so mind-boggling
and the instructions a little daunting.
I think I'm going to have to
overcome that fear, however, thanks
to this beautiful pattern book. Fair
Isle Sweaters Simplified written by
Ann and Eugene Bourgeois of
Inverhuron, Ontario has persuaded
me to give fair isle knitting a try.
Most people are familiar with fair
isle sweaters with their interesting
designs around the yoke of the
sweater, but these patterns are so
much more bold and attractive than
many patterns I have had the
opportunity to see. The glossy
photographs of the authors and their
friends and family wearing the
sweaters evoke such a cozy, comfort-
able feeling. The colours are so vivid
and in such appealing combinations.
Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified
offers more than the Bourgeois
original sweater patterns. The
beginning of the 128 -page book is
devoted to a biography of the
Bourgeois family and their business,
Philosopher's Wool. Originally from
near Waterloo, Ann and Eugene
bought a farm near Inverhuron
Provincial Park on the shores of Lake
Huron. Eugene had a master's
degree in Pythagorean mystical
philosophy (you have to read about it
to get it) which is where they arrived
at the name for their business.
Eugene eventually found success
in sheep farming while his wife
taught. On a teaching exchange to
the British Isles, Ann picked up the
32 THE RURAL VOICE
craft of knitting.
In an effort to market his farm's
wool to specialty wool stores in the
cities, Eugene eventually enlisted the
help of his wife in creating original
knitting patterns. All the beautifully -
designed sweaters in the book are
knit with the business' own custom
coloured wool. Eugene claims the
process he uses to prepare his wool
leaves it very soft and non -scratchy.
The colours they have developed are
very striking.
I found the story behind
Philosopher's Wool interesting. I'd
never given much thought to
the whole process behind the wool I
buy in the store. Especially
intriguing was the discrepancy in
price that a farmer gets paid for a
pound of wool and what the
consumer ends up paying. I can fully
understand Eugene's desire to cut out
some of the middle men and take
more control over what happened to
his product.
As far as the actual knitting goes,
the instructions still look a little
intimidating to me, but there are great
illustrations which is how I learned to
knit in the first place. There are lots
of tips listed for the reader if
something goes wrong.
Something else different for me
about Ann's method of knitting is the
use of a round knitting needle instead
of the two separate needles to which
I'm accustomed. Ann also has an .
intriguing approach of creating a
cardigan from a pullover by using
scissors to cut straight up the middle
of the sweater. Apparently when she
was taught that method it worried her
at first too.
Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified is a
beautifully illustrated and photo-
graphed book. It offers a lot more to
the knitter than the gorgeous patterns
included. Ann and Eugene Bourgeois
introduce you to their interesting
lives and the world beyond the wool.
I think I will finally make the attempt
at knitting with different colours!0
Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified, by
Ann and Eugene Bourgeois,
published by Martingale and
Company, 128 pages, large format,
$46.99.
News
Robertson, Bowman
acclaimed as Gay
Lea Foods directors
Eldon Bowman of Gorrie and Ray
Robertson of Markdale were
acclaimed as directors when Gay Lea
Foods held its zone annual meetings
at Brussels and Owen Sound.
Bowman was returned for a
second term of three years as was
Robertson, who is currently president
of the board of the co-operative.
Elected delegates were — Zone 1:
Anne Horsley, Shelburne; Joe
Oosterhof, Grand Val:Py; Roy
Westlake, Bolton; Lyle Martin, Ethel;
Barry Ballantyne, Stratford; Doug
Johnston, Listowel; Dirk Willemsen,
Milverton; Dennis Bean, Embro;
Glenn Hodgins, Crediton; Gerry.
Vanden Hengel, Seaforth; Zone 2:
Diane McKee, Kincardine; David
Westlake, Kincardine; Paul Harris,
Ripley; Wayne Whytock, Teeswater;
Mike Gutscher, Mildmay; Steve
Ruetz, Mildmay; Ken Underwood,
Port Elgin; Don Dietrich, Desboro;
Larry Parkin, Owen Sound and
Murray Caswell, Meaford.
Gay Lea Foods turned a profit of
$3.466 million in the last year, down
from $3.662 million in 2000. The
company declared a shareholder
dividend of $884,000 and a patronage
dividend of $500,000. The company
has issued a shareholder dividend
every year since incorporation in
1958.
Membership in the co-operative
reached a new high in 2001 with
4,470 members, up 79 over last year.
Nearly 20 per cent of all Ontario
dairy farmers are members.
Gay Lea Foods increased
production of most of its products in
2001 including butter, cottage cheese
and sour cream. The company now
has the number one selling brand in
all three categories.
Currently it is building the most
modern powdered milk drying plant
in North America or Europe at
Guelph, at a cost of $40 million. The
plant is scheduled for completion in
2003.0