Sweaters Books

These are gorgeous patterns in lovely colorways. The directions are very clear and there are generous charts. Harrisville yarns are very reasonably priced, available in cones, and have a huge range of colors, and so this is a good source for sweaters that won't use the baby's milk money. Probably not for the beginner, but not daunting for anyone with some experience. Some textured work, but most of the sweaters are delightful fair isles. I wish there were more photos and that all of the sweaters were modeled. Sometimes the sweaters are shown from just one view (say, the back) and I am itching to see the other side, but this is carping. Very highly recommended.

Candace Eisner Strick engagingly explains the history of the town of Harrisville, New Hampshire,and its mills. She uses Harrisville yarns in beautiful, complexly designed, colorful sweaters, and supplies clear directions for making them. The Fair Isle Scroll sweater is especially lovely.

I've been knitting for about ten years and thought I had already seen all of the best books of traditional knitting patterns, and was delighted to discover this one several months ago. I don't know how this one escaped my notice for so long, but seeing that no one else has reviewed it here, I'm wondering if it is because this book never gained popularity amongst knitters. If so, that is a shame, because this book is loaded with stunningly beautiful traditional sweater patterns, some of the best I have seen.

Edited by Debbie Bliss, this is a collection of work by designers such as Lesley Stanfield, Pat Quiroga, Sheila Hollingsworth, T. M. Adie and Sons, Jaimieson Knitwear, Freya Hunter, Fiona McTague, Gladys Amedro, Janet Mcleod, Ina Irvine, Laura Williamson, and Kate Upcraft.

The outstanding photography (this book is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book) is done by Sandra Lousada. The actual setting does appear to be the Scottish and Irish Isles. The pictures all have a naturalistic or old fashioned kind of look---the settings are the shore, rocky cliffs, gardens, and indoor settings such as a furniture maker's workshop. Some of the models are the usual tall and slender picture-perfect people, but some of the adult sweaters are actually modelled by old people. For example, an elderly man with his donkey models an aran fishing shirt. An older woman knitting a fair isle on her porch models the lace and cable cardigan. To my eye, this adds greatly to the visual appeal of the book.

Every garment in this book is a classic which will transcend the test of time. Some are easier than others, but most are for the intermediate or advanced knitter. Many of them feature stitch patterns that are fairly complex (at least by contemporary standards) and are knitted at a fine gauge of 6-8 stitiches per inch. But because they are classics, they will still be in style next year and in many years to come. These are heirloom quality sweaters that can be passed down from one generation to the next. Virtually all of them feature traditional stitich patterns, but these are sometimes used in new ways.

There are 14 fair isle projects and most or all of them use standard jumper weight yarn.. For adults, there are two cardigans, three sweaters (long sleeved pullovers), three slipovers (sleeveless vests), one waistcoat (sleeveless cardigan), and one beret (matches one of the cardigans). For kids, there is one cardigan, one slipover, one sweater, and one beret (matches the cardigan). Many of these projects feature traditional natural tones, but there are some bright colors as well.

My favorite patterns in this book are the ganseys, of which there are six. One is knit with DK yarn at a gauge of about 5 and a half stitches per inch, but the others are all knit at a finer gauge of at least 6 and a half stitches per inch. Gansey yarn is used for four of them, and could be used for a fifth. These are absolutely gorgeous garments. One features the beautiful tree of life pattern. Several others are based on the famous Hebridean ganseys of Eriskay, with vertical panels of knit-purl textural patterns on the body, motifs of texture and openwork and the occasional cable in the yoke, and a horizontal band of contrasting texture separating yoke and body.

The seven aran projects are also very nice. They are knit with aran weight yarn and so are probably the quickest to knit of the projects in this book. The Family Aran (sized for the family) is a fairly standard aran cardigan, but some of the other designs are more original, such as the Aran Jacket With Lace Panels and the Aran Jacket With Blackberry Stitch (also features interesting openwork panels). The Twisted Rib Aran Sweater is one of the most beautiful aran designs I have seen. It's as nice or nicer than many of Alice Starmore's arans.

There are four lace projects---a Shetland Shoulder Shawl, Chevron Lace Sweater, Shetland Lace Sweater with Cables, and (my favorite) a Lace and Cable Cardigan.

Did anything about this book disappoint me? Well, yes, I have to admit. While the designers have embraced tradtional style and stitch pattern, they tend to avoid tradtional knittting techniques. No steeks are used in the fairl isle patterns. All of the fair isle cardigans are knit back and forth in one piece to the arm holes. Some of the other fair isle pieces are knit in the round to the arm holes and then front and back yokes are knit separately back and forth. Some are actually knit entirely back and forth in separate pieces. Because I find stranded knitting to go much faster in the round, I would have preferred steeked arm holes for sweaters and cardigans and steeked front openings for cardigans. Four of the six ganseys are knit back and forth in pieces. Of the two ganseys that are knit in the round, only one uses underarm gussets. I would love to have seen more traditional gansey techniques.

I think that the designers may have avoided tradtional techniques in order to make the patterns seem less intimidating to the average contemporary knitter, but it seems to me that if you have the patience and skill for these kinds of projects, you are the type who will want to use the traditonal techniques.

Despite the avoidance of traditonal techniques, I gave this book five stars because rarely have I seen so many beautiful and timeless sweater patterns in one book. I would enjoy making (though I'd modify the patterns and incorporate traditional techniques) and wearing almost all of these designs. That's more than I can say for almost any other book in my large knitting library.

Alice Starmore is not the only designer who can write inspired traditional patterns from the British Isles. And note that this book is not hundreds of dollars!

This book makes me want to experiment and create. The best thing that a book can do.

American Portraits isn't for every knitter. But for those who love colorwork and cables it's a rare gem. There are only eight patterns here which Alice Starmore says are " based on eight ... images which have come into my mind following the Fall '93 Knitting Across America tour."

For example the "Columbia" pullover design has an all-over pattern of trees inspired by a stop in Canyonville, Oregon which left a "memory of textured tree bark in dense forest." The "Lancaster" was inspired by an Amish quilt in Lancaster County, Penn.and is a beautiful colorwork cardigan in six softly heathered colors.

The eight photographs look as if they are from someone's old-fashioned photo album except they are all in color. The model is a young Jade Starmore, several years before she began her apprenticeship with her mother and became a well-known designer in her own right.

The designs reflect the fashionalbe fit at the time (1994) and are large fitting and boxy. A sweater to fit a 34-36 inch bust has a finished measurement of 43 inches. Finding the yarns specified in the patterns will be a challenge but finding substitutes in the specified guages will take some care and swatching and knitting experience.

The patterns are not for beginners but then Alice Starmore designs rarely are. However, the book is inspirational and worth it for the photos of Jade and for some beautiful "vintage" Starmore designs.

Eight color photographs, 24 black & white pages, fully charted in readable size. Starmore fans will love this little book.

This is a cute little book, with plenty of information on the history of Aran sweaters for its size. An easy read, with colored lithographic-type illustrations showing how famailiar objects of landscape, work and daily life were interpreted into the Aran stitches. There is even a unisex sweater pattern.

My granddaughter (15 mo.) LOVES this book. She wants me to read it over and over. The pictures have a texture and she runs her little fingers over it each time! Great book - Great illustrations - Fun to read!

I've been a yarn-owner for over 4 years now. I call myself a yarn owner and not a knitter because after 4 years I have all of 2 scarves, a few in-progress projects and WHOLE LOTTA yarn.


But I must say that I have some of the most beautiful yarn around. I found most of it at Knitport, the most stylish knit shop I have ever been to, which is located in Thousand Oaks , California .


When I found out that they had published a book, Chic Knits: Stylish Designs from Knitport, I just had to buy it. As always, it lived up to my expectations and then some. The designs are runway-ready and the patterns and instructions are explained so well that even I can follow along.


Maybe one of the best compliments came from my fiancé who, upon seeing me flip through the book stopped me and said "WOW, you should knit that top in red!" I've never seen a man more excited about a knitted item before.


Basically, I expect that this book will be the thing that helps me graduate from the status of yarn-owner to a true knitter.

This book helped me to create cool and fun patterns on my sweaters. I have been knitting since I was nine. This book shows you how to create any kind of pattern you can think up. It shows you how to do different kinds of patterns while you are using different colors. See I have her first book and it was great and worth the cost. So was this book. I love the way you don't have to sew the peices together. Whoever likes to try new things with knitting than you have got to try this book!

One of the better books to learn stitches other that just knit and purl to construct the sweater you want, not just the sweater most books want you to knit.

You can learn how to measure and knit, or knit from their pattern. Great on increases, decreases and the more elaborate stitches.

Yes, it is a bit older, but the newer books just show flashy pictures and forget about the details to learn great sweater knitting.

I've had this book for a few years now. It has many classic aran knitting designs that can be updated quickly and easily. It's a nice addition to your knitting library if you enjoy knitting cables. A good supplement to any of Barbara G. Walkers Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Included are the following chapters:

Forward 6
Introduction 9
1. About the Aran Islands 10
2. Development of Aran Knitting 13
3. Equipment and working methods 18
4. Designing an Aran sweater 26
5. Aran pattern stitch samples 32
6. The knitting patterns 64
1 Traditional fishing shirt 64
2 Traditional fishing shirt 70
3 Traditional fishing shirt 77
4 Family sweater, Round neck 83
5 Family sweater, V-neck 88
6 Family sweater, Polo neck 89
7 V-neck, raglan-shaped cardigans 90
8 Cable-patterned waistcoats 95
9 Easy knit jackets 101
1o Man's zip-fronted jacket 104
11,12,13 Child's Aran patterned coat, hat & mitts set 108
14 Child's sweater with crossover shawl collar 115
15 Lady's full length Aran patterned coat 119
16 Lady's evening waistcoat 123
17 Lady's tabard 128
18,19,20 Lady's hat, mitts and scarf set 131
21 Square cushion cover 136
22 Oblong cushion cover 138
23 Bolster-shaped cushion cover 140

Conversion chart for knitting needles and crochet hooks 142
Suppliers 143
Index 144