I have to say that if you can have only one lace book, this is the one to get because it really covers everything and presents each and every tidbit beautifully. Sharon Miller must love not only lace knitting, but teaching and writing equally well, for this book is one of the most sterling knitting books to have ever been crafted.

She invites us into the world of Shetland lace through a door that opens at the very beginning, both of the lace itself and the knitting skill one needs to make it. Although the book's nearly 300 pages are peppered with one ravishing photo of heirloom lace after another, they are also liberally graced with clear photos, drawings, charts and explanations of every single thing you need and want to know. She offers one of the clearest and most detailed discussions of Shetland lace history, tracing the techniques and economy along with an overview of pattern origins and the like. From there, we learn the special cast-ons used on the Shetland Isles for this lace and are showered with all manner of tips for techniques and approaches the author has discovered over time.

And then come the patterns: 120 pages of traditional Shetland lace motifs, clearly photographed, charted and explained. Miller even shares which patterns work well for which parts of a garment (e.g., does a pattern decrease in a lovely way for a mitered corner, or is it best left to the center?).

Then follows a 60 page section devoted to design - much to my delight she begins her discourse on charting, laying out, etc. with a discussion of wool and the dear Shetland sheep that produce it. Hand spinners will love her discussion on spinning lace yarn. After these few pages, it's time to get out paper, pencil and ruler and join her in a excursion through lace garment design, including fitted garment (e.g., jacket) design, just in case you thought it would be strictly shawls.

At last, you arrive at her projects: all graded from very beginner to very experienced, and each and everyone beautiful and exciting. There are 8 different projects with complete instructions ranging from layettes to an Unst shawl and Christening gown than are museum quality. Additionally, of course, always remember that as you travelled Heirloom Knitting, you were given all the tools you need to chart your own course and create your own masterpiece. Sharon Miller's life's work will have become your heart's delight.

Sarah Don is one of my all-time knitting heroines, dating from way back in the late 1970s/early 1980s when I discovered her wonderful Fair Isle Knitting (soon to be available again after too long out of print!), a book brimming with lore, how-to's, and some of the most beautiful Fair Isle sweaters I'd ever seen. Fair Isle became a favorite technique, one that I still love today. I owe it all to Sarah Don.

The Art of Shetland Lace came and went during the same time -- and it is every bit as rich and inspiring as her Fair Isle book. It, too, languished out of print for what has seemed like forever, so it is no real surprise that many of us feel like celebrating. It offers a richness of history and technique, replete with black and white photos of museum pieces that showcase an inspiring knitting tradition, one to which we owe some of the world's most beautiful lace heirlooms.

Here, Sarah Don takes us from history to basic design elements, from garment structures through traditional patterns and on to complete shawls, scarves and more that you can make yourself. I find that anywhere I open the book, I am quickly drawn in, captivated, inspired and encouraged to go forward into my own lace projects. The Art of Shetland Lace is just that good - a must have for any lace knitter's bookshelf.

It is hard to believe that a book that boasts just under 50 pages can have so much in it - but it does. If you gather yarn and needles then sit down and open the pages of this petite treasure, you will begin a journey that will take you through all the basics of the Shetland tradition of lace knitting. And then it will take you beyond the basics and into the realms of pure delight and delectible lace.

Here's how Hazel Carter does it, chapter by chapter:

• Introduction and Notes to Beginners (covers charts, symbols, materials, dressing and dressing frame)
• Seven basic patterns
• Diamonds
• Reducing charts
• Interlocking diamonds
• More traditional patterns
• Combination patterns
• Advanced patterns (and she shows you how to use all these patterns to create intricate-looking lace as she goes along)
• Edgings 1-4
• Articles [of clothing] to make (includes more patterns)
• Modern applications and experiments
  

You get the picture - Carter's little book is much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. A classic and a treasure for any lace knitter!

There is so much to love about Meg's Lace DVD, that it strikes me as a bit presumptuous to begin with what I like best, but I'm going to do it nonetheless.

What I like best about Knitting Lace with Meg Swansen is that in her very first project (she knits three with us), she starts right out with a technique that is considered "advanced." She explains it clearly, demonstrates it superbly, and somewhere in there you realize that this "advanced" technique is not all that hard to do. In fact, you reason to yourself, if this is deep water in lace knitting, you've got nothing at all to worry about, as none of it is above the knees.

Which is a wonderful gift, because in that one beginning garment Meg shows all knitters everywhere that while lace knitting differs from sweaters and blankets, it is really within the reach of any knitter.

And so, on she goes, and we go with her. Together with Meg, we knit a beautiful lace stole, a Faroese scarf and finally, on to the piece-de-resistance, Meg's delicious Mañanita. The mañanita is a lace poncho which, while retaining all the elegant grace of any lace shawl, is also fuss-free when it comes to wearing. Just toss it on over your head and, presto!, all dressed up. It is a true gem.

There are many things you'll learn during this lacey journey with Meg, among them:

• Cast-on techniques that work wonders in lace knitting
• How to turn a doily into a stunning shawl
• Faroese shaping (and why we all love it)
• Decreasing and Increasing techniques to keep your lace singing
• A demonstration of the difference between knit lace and knitted lace, and why you should consider which you want
• much more
  

Lace knitters everywhere will want this dvd on their shelves - as a reference it is unbeatable!

Discover one of the finest knitting books ever! It has everything we all love - history, passion, beauty and 40 patterns, each of them as elegant and beautiful as the next. Oh! and it also has a really fine section that teaches you how to design your own lace scarves and shawls!

Jane Sowerby has created a masterful and delectable compilation of shawls inspired by cutting edge Victorian knitters, those amazing women who were among the first to put knitting instructions in print, thus spreading traditional patterns and techniques throughout the globe.

Here you'll find shawls and scarves whose origins (in print) date back to between the 1830s to early 1900s, modernized for modern yarns, styles, tools and techniques. They are simply fabulous creations, any one of which will be worth of heirloom status the instant it leaves your needles.

And, here's a bonus: over at www.naturesongyarn.com we have created kits from a few of the patterns in Victorian Lace Today with some extraordinary Habu yarns. You can save a pleasing amount over the price of the book and yarn separately when you purchase the kits. See our Victorian Tsumugi Scarf Kit as a starter. Then, you'll want to see the Double-Border Scarf and French Trellis Scarf Kits. Sumptuous lace, amazing yarns.

Lace Style is an extraordinary collection of lace design in that the designs are not only beautiful, deliciously varied, but they are also very practical. In other words, these lacy garments range from those items you will use every day, to those you'll wear to work, or only for play, to some that you'll take out only for special occassions when they'll shine like the sun.

I also love it that the collection is so balanced. Traditional lace design and very innovative, cutting edge designs are both at home here, and all are worthy not just of our attention, but also of our needles, yarn and time.

PLUS, and this is a huge plus, the editors have included a "Design Notebook" at the back that really covers all the basics and many not-so-basics of lace knitting (including, how to fix common errors!!).

All in all, Lace Style is a tour-de-joie, sure to make lace knitters everywhere smile and smile as they knit and knit.

Each and every one of Gloria Penning's Lace Treasuries yields up some of the most beautiful lace patterns in the world. While most are presented as small items - doilies, table runners, etc. - there is no reason to knit them that way. Just take a larger needle and the lace yarn of your choice and you'll discover beautiful shawls and stoles instead. Below are some brief descriptions of each booklet's contents, to guide your selection.

Knitted Heirloom Lace II

After the author published "Patterns For the Art of Lace Knitting: The Complete Works of Rachel Schnelling," (below) she was inundated with requests for more lace patterns. She went through the old patterns and has come up with 20 patterns from 9 to 24" in diameter using Knit-Cro Sheen and #2 needles. But why limit yourself to those needles and that thread? Circular shawls and throws are lovely too. Each piece photographed, line by line text.

Knitted Heirloom Lace III

Whether you call them doilies or centerpieces, here are 21 patterns; 8 are perfectly round, the rest have shaped edges, petals, points, or scallops. Most are knitted using fine cotton and all are worked on double pointed needles. Alternate rows end with the number of stitches at the end of the pattern unit. Terms and abbreviations are included for directions in text as well as general instructions which include finishing. All are photographed against a black background beside their directions.

Old World Treasures

We lace knitters hold a unique niche in the world of needlework: too few available patterns and too few publishers of old and new patterns. Ms. Penning has done much to improve our bit of the universe with this new addition to her on-going project. These are exquisite old designs. Large and small, novice to experienced, all will thrill any lace knitter. Patterns are in long hand with a good photo and some basics and abbreviations at the beginning. 21 patterns in all.

Danish Lace Treasures

Again Ms. Penning, our guardian of old knitted lace patterns, brings forth another lace design treasure. This collection will really challenge the lace knitter as these designs are true masterpieces. Perhaps that is why Ms. Penning chose to present the patterns according to the skill level each requires. The designs go from more novice and typical lace sets, including some large centerpieces, on to the most challenging of all, two very intricate ovals. Lace knitters, you will not be disappointed with this folio. 21 patterns.

Patterns for the Art of Lace Knitting
The Complete Works of Rachel Schnelling

The author gives us over 30 of Rachel Schnelling's long out-of-print lace patterns. They're printed from the originals, using symbols and appeal to the intelligence of knitters. There are tablecloths, doilies, squares, a shawl, stole and several scarves, a curtain, several ovals and a lace collar. And why not use the yarns and needles to create afghans, bedcovers, etc. A real bargain in lace patterns, too. 6 leaflets (24 pages total) with a photo of each piece.

Knitted Lace in Miniature

Don't let "miniature" scare you off - you can use any size yarn and any size needles and make your work as large/small as you like. The author calls this her Suncatcher book, a thought that is just lovely. Complete directions are given along with abbreviations, general instructions and materials. Rows end with the number of stitches in a pattern unit or the number of stitches in an entire pattern unit for our convenience. All are worked on d.p. needles, though there is no reason you couldn't use two circular needles at the beginning, then switch to one when your work permits.

Arctic Lace is filled with delicious surprises, not the least of which (for me - you may have already known this, but I didn't) was discovering vibrant communities of knitters who have created a new genre of lace knitting that truly springs from the land and peoples who live and knit in Arctic Alaska. There are new patterns echoing their unique place on our dear planet: North Star; Grass-Basket; Skeleton (from traditional paintings); Fish Trap (that looks quite different from the more European-inspired Fish Trap of Elizabeth Zimmermann) and more and more. There is also a unique cowl/hood called a Nachaq which is as beautiful as it is practical.

But, wait, there's more. You'll also find a superb lace knitting tutorial, complete with a few new ideas about how to get things done and packed with step-by-step photos to show you how to accomplish each technique.

And then there's Druchunas' portrait of the land, its people and those amazing musk oxen who produce qiviut, one of the softest, warmest, most luxurious fibers ever and absolutely native to the area. Not that long ago these beasts were nearly extinct in both Alaska and Canada, but now there are over 150,000 of them. Musk oxen were created to thrive in the cold -- even their herding habits are ideal for surviving bitter temperatures. Part of their secret of survival is their soft, downy undercoat of qiviut which is hand "plucked" by caretakers who develop a very close relationship with these creatures, indeed.

The native peoples were having as hard a time at survival as the musk ox, but now have joined forces with this champion survivor and are begining to thrive themselves. The knitting co-ops spin and knit qiviut into gossamer creations (some of which you can knit from the patterns in this book) that have found a market in places far and wide. Life is returning and the enthusiasm of the knitters for their craft and their communities seems boundless. It is simply a joy to glimpse into their lives and their work.

This winter, treat yourself to the heartwarmth of Arctic Lace -- it offers the kind of warmth that lasts and lasts.

Paging through this magnificent book is like strolling through the world's loveliest gardens. At every turn, in any direction there is something unexpected, something that beckons you to look closer, something that invites you share in its secrets, to make it your own. A feast for the eyes, inspiration for the hands, nourishment for the soul.

Meg Swansen called upon 34 lace knitters to share their favorite projects and many shared more than one. Every style and way of using lace is represented at its zenith, photographed in all its glory, and accompanied by clear, well-illustrated instructions. It's hard to imagine wanting anything more. Beautiful, lavish, useful!

Cheryl Oberle takes us on a textile tour of the globe -- travelling near and far, east, west, north and south. Along the way we are treated to vignettes and storybook tales about life and love from the places she takes us to. At each destination we stop to bask in the glow of a traditional shawl, seeing in its stitches the story it has to tell us. As we let each shawl speak, our fingers learn its rhythms and pathways, and we knit our own story into a shawl that is its sister and our own. This is really a magical book!

You'll find Oberle's introduction and instructions clear and very easy to follow, her sense of heritage warm and deep, and her transformations into knitting of several of the shawls that were traditionally woven rather spectacular. The places you can visit with her are the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Japan, the American Heartland, Iceland, Victorian England, Russia, Scotland, Mexico, South America, Norway, Native America, the Himalayas, & Spain. Quite a feast - enjoy!

I have carried my treasured and worn copy of Issue #9 of Knitter's Magazine around with me for about 20 years now. It is to this issue I often return when I want to be uplifted by the beauty of its shawls and scarves; it is from its pages that I learned the trick of turn a knitted lace doily into a stunning lace shawl; and, after I had set down my knitting needles during several years of raising adolescents, it was to this issue that I returned when I wanted to reclaim my craft.

Issue #9 has been out-of-print, even as a back issue, for many years now. Fortunately, the good folk at XRX Books have put all my favorites from it into Shawls and Scarves, and then added even more to oooh and aaah over, to ponder, to knit.

It is truly a wonderful book - as delicious to look through as it is to work from and be inspired by. Shawls and Scarves begins with an historical perspective, encompasses methods and designs both traditional and new, and ends on a high note with unique and avante-garde pieces. The instructions are clear, illustrated where we'd all want them to be, and will carry anyone who knits through to a finished, gorgeous shawl or scarf.

I learned so much about the relationship of pattern to yarn size to color by working with Lavish Lace. That is the real joy of this book, the way it opens the world of color design and makes it easy and straight forward to select a pattern that shows your handpainted yarn at its best. With so many great handpainted yarns* available today, creating a knitted work of art is within anyone's reach -- especially with the kind of guidance available in Lavish Lace.

*Of course, we believe the very best handpainted yarns are at www.colorsongyarn.com - please feel invited to visit. Your shopping cart will follow you.

What a wonderful book and what wonderful techniques! Myrna Stahman has explored the furthest reaches of those magnificent Faroe shawls and created an approach that yields up beautiful shawls with any size yarn you choose to use. She thoroughly discusses everything you need to know about designing and knitting these shawls, including innovative approaches to construction and even blocking.

And then, there are the seaman's scarves, the only form-fitting scarves I know about. They are so elegant and so inviting of your design creativity. The shawl section is followed by a section devoted exclusively to seamen's scarves -- this is like a luscious dessert after a glorious meal. Myrna even gives information about the Christmas-at-Sea Program of the Seamen's Church Institute, should your knitting enthusiasm leave you with Seamen's Scarves to donate. This is a lace book that you'll not only treasure, but use again and again.

The first shawl I ever knit was a Faroese shawl -- I just loved the graceful shaping and the touches of lace that caught the eye and moved with the drape of the garment. This book is where it all started -- the real item from the Faroe Isles. In it are 19 shawl patterns for every shape, size and purpose -- from grandly long and formal to practical, shorter shawls. Each shawl is illustrated with one or more color photographs in the Faroese original, and the instructions are clearly and warmly translated in the accompanying booklet. You'll also find an article about the History of Faroese Shawls and a good introduction to the craft of creating them. Marilyn van Keppel also provides an additional Preface discussing how the English translation came into being. This is a book for any lace knitter to treasure - a joy to page through and work with.

Timeless and beautiful shawls from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales inspire this volume of stitches and shawl patterns. Shapes include triangles, squares, circles, and half-circles; with openwork, textured stitches, and lace edgings to combine as you choose. Everything you need to know to design and knit your own shawls is provided, with detailed instructions for eight shawls awaiting your needles.

My favorite thing about this book, though, isn't the marvelous patterns. It's that there is an entire section devoted to different ways to wear shawls -- there are more ways to drape and fold shawls than I ever imagined, and now that I know what they are, you can bet I'm going to use them. What a wonderful bonus to a great knitting book!

What a story lies between the covers of Gossamer Webs! Orenburg is a city located in the southern-most part of the Ural Mountains in Russia, just above Kazakhstan. Founded as a military outpost by Czar Peter I in 1735, it's primary purpose for many years was to protect the local population from nomadic cavalry attacks. But, Orenburg also lay along the silk road and main roads north and south -- which had a far longer-lasting impact on its history, and especially its knitting, than Peter I's original intentions.

Both the highest nobility and lowly nomadic shepherds played their part in the origins of these amazing shawls which had their beginning, so legend says at least, as a gift to Catherine the Great, made from the down of a unique breed of goat raised in the Orenburg region. Out of this grew a cottage industry of lace knitters who continue to produce lace shawls which take your breath away just to look at them. Shawls with such delicate patterns and of such fine yarns that a large one could be folded into a pocket, and emerge to keep its wearer warm against the persistent mountain chill. Not that anyone would ever hide such a shawl in their pocket!

Gossamer Webs fully details the techniqes of creating these shawls -- from combing, spinning and plying the down to the lace patterns and construction of the shawls themselves. As no Orenburg yarns are available outside Russia at present, the authors have also provided a resource list of lace yarns which they have used successfully.

If you love lace or knitting history, this is a book not to be missed!

For those knitters who were seduced by "Gossamer Webs, the History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls" but were left wanting instructions for a complete shawl--rejoice! Here are patterns for four Orenburg projects: a small sampler "learning piece" that contains all the construction principles and techniques used in full size shawls, plus a triangular shawl, a rectangular scarf and a medallion square shawl. Also included is a stitch and border dictionary. For the experienced knitter who is comfortable working from charts. All photos of finished pieces and charts are black and white, except the cover and back cover photos.

The Lacy Knitting of Mary Schiffmann presents an abundance of wonderful lace knitting with written and charted pattern formats. However, the heart of the book is the story of the woman who knitted and gathered patterns by recreating old lace she had found. How fortunate we are that the author met and collaborated with Ms. Schiffmann. The charming anecdotes about knitted lace poised as they are among beautiful examples of lace edgings, doilies, and rare lace fabrics are worth the price of admission in and of themselves. The excellent charts and photos are, in my opinion, the icing on the cake of this labor of love.

We all owe Nancie Wiseman a heartfelt "thank you" for taking the knitting notebook of Blance Beau, who lived during the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, and recreating it as this beautiful book of lace edgings and borders, complete with instruction in all needed techniques.

The patterns here are so very beautiful, and their application as edgings to daily items (pillowcases, placemats, table runners, etc.) so charming and graceful, that I think many of us will be inspired to revive at least a bit of Victorian graciousness for our own homes.

Any lace knitter will want a copy of this book -- and I predict that many a shawl and stole will sport one or more of these borders.

Lace knitting isn't the sort of thing most of us pick up to do while participating in meetings or watching the children. However, if you can find a few minutes for yourself, you'll discover a fascinating marvel of a world in the lacey rhythms of opening space, closing it, moving it forward, pulling it back. For me, the patterns in lace never become quite so obvious as they do in color pattern knitting, but that's what I find enticing about it -- each combination of stitches is at once new and very well known. My hands learn the patterns, but disdain leaving my head very far behind.

And, a little bit of lace added to summery sleeveless shells, cozy shawls or even sewn on to dresses and blouses changes a garment that is simply lovely to one that is sumptuously elegant. It's amazing what lace can do!

Barbara Abbey's collection is my favorite lace resource -- she gives us over 100 edgings (enough for my lifetime) and several doilies.

There's a secret about the doilies that I have to share with you: If doilies aren't your thing (they are not mine), just get some lightweight yarn (anything from lace weight to DK), some large needles that please you, and knit the doily pattern. What you'll get is a beautiful shawl! Try it, you'll love it!

It is quite a journey to travel these pages, witnessing the care with which items for the home were made not all that long ago. Here you will find, in beautiful high-contrast black & white photos, elegant doilies, lace curtains, table cloths, arm rests, chair backings, bedspreads and more. More importantly, you will be treated to one of the English-speaking world's best introduction to lace knitting and a collection of lace patterns to treasure, with names like "Celandine," "Rose Leaf," "Coronet," "English Crystal," "Springtime." Just seeing them is like basking in a ray of sunshine.

And, you can make them too -- in fact, I can imagine homes throughout our modern, manufactured world springing to life with curtains and table dressings made by loving knitters. Marianne Kinzel pioneered a straightforward, easy-to-do method of lace knitting using circular needles whenever possible (and this was in 1957!!), sensible cast-ons, and time saving techniques in abundance. This is truly a lace book to love, whether you choose to make the projects inside or to draw upon the wealth of lace patterns for your own designs.

Oh, I should mention that the needle sizes are given in British units - that is to say, when you see size 12 you'll want a size 2 if you are using American sizes. However, if instead of converting, you use an American size 12 and some lace-weight yarn, the doilies and table runners will transform into light and wonderful shawls and stoles!

Marianne Kinzel's Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting continues where her first book left off -- and forges ahead into moe complex lace patterns, larger projects. As with the First Book, instructions are given in both line-by-line form and in easy to read charts. There are over 29 projects and new lace designs -- all created by Kinzel herself! Some of the designs are virtuoso accomplishments which are shown to be adaptable to many different forms and sizes.

Included in the Second Book are altar cloths, dress trimmings, tea cloths, scarves, stoles, dinner cloths and cheval sets -- all wonderful!