I came across Margery Allingham's Mysterious Knits by Kate Davies in one of my knitting magazines. Alongside essays, it contains some lovely knitting patterns which can be bought individually on Ravelry and Ravelry users get a free copy of the ebook when they buy the hardback. Crime fiction fans will recognise some of the contributors.
You can buy the print copy at KDD & Co for £25.
I haven't got a copy yet but this would appear to make a lovely present for a crime fiction reading knitter (like myself)...
Margery Allingham's Mysterious Knits
What happens when you bring literary plot and pattern design together?
Margery Allingham was one of the undoubted queens of British detective fiction’s Golden Age, and this bringing together of novel-inspired handknits with critical, contextual essays offers an in-the-round celebration of her work. Kate Davies’ collection speaks to the detective author’s inventive spirit: a single, unbroken strand of yarn transforms itself into a three-dimensional slipper; hats and pullovers are knitted from side to side, while a triangular shawl up-ends itself to eventually become a cardigan. The techniques are all contemporary, but there’s a nod to classic twentieth-century knitting style as well: narrow garter-stitch stripes meet modern short row shaping, while slipped stitches and Art Deco chevrons are incorporated into light knits that will work in many wardrobes. Alongside this most mysterious collection, literary contributors explore themes that illuminate Margery Allingham’s creative world: from the relationship between patterns and plotting, to the fashion, film and popular culture of the 1930s and 1940s; from the wide ranging role played by knitting and knitters in detective fiction, to the distinctive Essex landscape that inspired Margery Allingham throughout her life. Full of revelations, plot twists, and (of course) the occasional red herring, this highly original exploration of one of detective fiction’s most ingenious authors is sure to surprise and delight.
Contributors: Tom Barr, Caroline Crampton, Kate Davies, Veronica Horwell, Julia Jones, Sarah Mackay, Imogen Robertson.
