Arne & Carlos' Field Guide to Knitted Birds - by Carlos Zachrison & Arne Nerjordet (Paperback)

About the Book

This book is witty, funny, and amusing. The humor doesn't stop with the fun title and cover. It's subtly incorporated throughout the book's pages. I think you will find it appealing even if you aren't a knitter.

Book Synopsis

The adorable avian knitting collection from Arne & Carlos--now in paperback!

Birds of a feather ... knit together! With their trademark style, clarity, and humor, let Arne & Carlos guides you on a journey into a delightfully vivid knitted bird kingdom. Inspired by nature at home and abroad, as well as far-off fantastical places, this is the ideal guide for knitted bird lovers, whether creating with decorative purpose or just for fun.

Inside, you'll find:

- Characters from Arne & Carlos's home garden in Norway, including the characteristic bullfinch, chickadee, wagtail, and more

- Charming cold-weather birds worked with traditional Norwegian sweater motifs--keep them warm with bird-sized wool hats and scarves

- Brilliant birds-of-paradise, brought alive with embroidery, sequins, and feathers

- Birds featuring vintage Mexican embroidery designs, flower patterns, and so much more

Clear instructions, helpful diagrams, and full-color photographs make it easy for every knitter's imagination to take flight.

Review Quotes

"Bird-watchers and knitters alike will be charmed with the latest offering from Arne & Carlos. All you need to knit these tiny, whimsical birds are small amounts of DK-weight yarn, double-pointed needles, some stuffing, and a couple of beads for eyes ... You'll be well on your way to knitting an entire flock!"--Creative Knitting

"From the guys who brought us 55 Christmas Balls to Knit comes this Audubon reader filled with facsimiles of our feathered friends. The field guide doesn't limit itself to real birds, but rather stresses flights of fancy: birds decorated in folk sweater patterns, wearing hats and sitting atop tea cozies ... Dig out your odd balls and embroidery floss and spread your wings. As Arne and Carlos themselves say, 'The sky's the limit.'"--Vogue Knitting

"Nerjordet and Zachrison, also known as Arne & Carlos, are Scandinavian knitters acclaimed for their clever, contemporary interpretations of stranded colorwork. Here they bring their trademark style to a flock of knitted and embellished birds. A simple start featuring a solid-colored bird wearing a festive scarf and hat is followed by a series of fanciful birds embroidered using duplicate stitch; realistic birds combining colorwork and duplicate stitch; birds in traditional Scandinavian-style sweaters; and rare birds of paradise embellished with beads, sequins, and feathers. ... -VERDICT These delightful knitted creations will appeal to bird lovers and fans of stranded colorwork, as well as knitters who enjoy amigurumi-style projects."--Library Journal

"Rara avises fly around the roost of Arne & Carlos, a clothing design company founded by Nerjordet and Zachrison (Easter Knits). Their knitted birds are the whimsical designs of two creative people, who write as one about "designer birds" birdies that began as Christmas decorations, knitted in one color, as well as ones patterned after real birds, the kind that fly about the men's Norse home. This brightly colored book introduces the flock's expansion into winter and spring birds, green birds embroidered with sequins and contrasting flow, and birds of paradise. The authors figure their readers already know how to knit and have most of the trappings, including bits of yarn left over from bigger projects. The first chapter, which includes the basic pattern (repeated for easy reference on the back overlays), explains the materials and gauges needed for knitting, filling, and decorating as well for the wire stands that keep the wagtail, turdus, and titmouse from flopping over. The cutest avians wear Norwegian sweaters or Peruvian hats with pom-poms."--Publisher's Weekly

About the Author

Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison launched their Arne & Carlos knitwear line in 2007, gaining notice with their witty reworkings of classic Scandinavian motifs--for example, intricately patterned sweaters festooned with space invaders rather than reindeer. Their brand hit big when Rei Kawakubo of cult fashion house Commes des Garçon commissioned a mini collection in 2008, followed by a line of garments for US-based Urban Outfitters in 2009, as well as Dale of Norway. Arne & Carlos were motivated to empower others to recreate their fabulous designs, so they have backburnered their ready-to-wear lines and instead travel internationally, teaching knitting classes and promoting their five books, which show knitting-lovers how to recreate Arne & Carlos' unique knitwear patterns with step-by-step instructions.

Their books are now published in fourteen languages and have sold almost half-a-million copies worldwide. Arne & Carlos have starred in features in numerous online and print publications, as well as appeared on television morning and talk shows in Scandinavia and Europe. They are charming, personable, quirky, and sophisticated--superb conversationalists and the utmost professionals.

They are the authors of the international best-selling books 55 Christmas Balls to Knit; Easter Knits; Knitted Dolls; Knit-and-Crochet Garden, Norwegian Knits with a Twist, 30 Slippers to Knit and Felt, Make Your Own Ideabook with Arne & Carlos, Field Guide to Knitted Birds, and Arne & Carlos' Favorite Designs also available from Trafalgar Square Books. Their creative base is in the Valdres region of Norway, north of Oslo.