Here's an opportunity to take the mystery (and uncertainty) out of the prospect of creating an Aran sweater. Janet Szabo's masterful guidebook covers everything from history to construction options in a way that is so clear, yet so inviting of creativity that there just isn't anyway I can think of that you could go wrong following her sage advice.

After covering the basics of history, fiber, needles, and so forth, Janet moves into the realm of cables and honeycombs, diamonds and ribbing. It is here that she shines enormous light on the how-to's and whyfor's of Aran construction. Her examples are so well-chosen that she really does cover the enormous range of the design possibilities offered by the realm of Aran knitting. Her tips and thoughts about placement of various types of cabling are stellar, and her sample design sketches not only help clarify the design concepts, but also inspire beyond what is shown.

By the time you reach the sections on actually designing full sweaters and vests, you are empowered with a wealth of knowledge. Her design methods are pain-free and wonderful. I was able to sketch out three possible designs in about 10 minutes. Were I to knit them, I would, of course, review and refine a bit, but you get the point: her teaching is so extraordinary that the design phase of your Aran will simply flow out of your mind and onto your paper. Needless to say, once you've mastered Aran design, there is an enormous amount you can apply to all other sweater designs, too.

This is a must-have resource for any knitter who wants to enter the world of sweater design.

I didn't graduate from high school until 1969, so I didn't have the opportunity of being one of Elizabeth's original subscribers. However, in the early 1980's I discovered Elizabeth Zimmermann and the wonderful things she did with knitting -- I was hooked for life. I bought a huge stack of reprinted Newsletters and Spun-Outs (the directions-only Newsletter off-prints), studied them, knit myself and my children all sorts of things based on her instructions, and, well, simply allowed her love of yarn and handcraft to feed my soul. Her best-loved and most oft-knit classic designs are all included in The Opinionated Knitter, along with notes about improvements and "unventions" she added later.

These newsletters are really where our modern Joy of Knitting got its start. Elizabeth's voice became the voice all of us who love creating with wool and needles now share -- the voice of joyful discovery of form, texture, color, design and innovative, straightforward construction. It is hard to imagine how the vibrant knitting community that now exists could have developed had Elizabeth Zimmermann not determined to share her enthusiasm and techniques with all of us. If someone ever builds a Knitter's Hall of Fame, her typewriter should be enshrined at the front door for all to see and honor.

In addition to facsimile reproductions of each and every newsletter sent out from rural Wisconsin during the decade, you'll also find color and black-and-white photos of her garments and her family; wonderful commentary by her daughter, Meg Swansen; and bits and pieces from letters and journals Elizabeth wrote than offer a warm context to her work, her designs and her life.

I have spent several hours basking in the pages of this book and have come nowhere near exhausting my interest or its possibilities. This is a volume we all want on our shelves - though in my case, I keep pulling it off to have just "one more" look. I expect you will, too.

Would you like to knit by watching the fabric on your needles instead of detailed instructions? The way to do that, actually, the many ways to do that are all explained in this wonderful book, back in print, revised and greatly expanded. There is practically nothing about traditional sweater design and technique that is not completely and clearly explained here -- and there are some things that to my knowledge are explained no where else. I have yet to open this book to a random page without learning something new -- and believe me, I've opened it countless times.

Once you start thinking like a traditional knitter, you'll create your own designs, knit sweaters that really fit, and solve any problems you encounter as you go. This is when knitting changes from something to do to become a source of joy and discovery.

Needless to say, I consider Knitting in the Old Way to be an essential knitting book -- one that will guide you for years and set you free.

I consider this to be Elizabeth's Master Class, though it does a great job of covering all the basic techniques a beginner needs to learn, also. This is where I have turned for years when I wanted to figure out how to use an idea I had to create a sweater, jacket, hat, shawl or whatever. I have never opened the pages of this book without finding what I needed -- and since buying it about 20 years ago, I have used it as guidance for more sweaters, caps and jackets than I can remember. This book will set you free with your knitting -- and carry you far down life's knitting roads. It's also delightful reading.

What a feast of a book this one is! There are nine of my favorite Elizabeth Zimmermann designs, clearly explained with copious photos showing every bit of technique and construction you might ever have a question about. Here is Elizabeth's final word -- and most detailed and useful explanation -- on her E.P.S. system of sweater design. And each design has multiple possible variations, as well. Why, there's even a Pablo Neruda poem, "Ode to My Socks" to accompany her Wearable Art Socks!

And then there are the Digressions, where Elizabeth talks about her life in what is to us a very different time and place. How she began in England, born 1910, in a home with maids and nannies; her homeschooling by governesses; her art education in Lausanne and Munich (we discovered that she lived about 2 blocks from where Bob lived when he was working there); her meeting with Arnold, the move to America, children and how her life as a knitter's knitter got its start.

And the photographs, paintings and drawings, taken from the full course of her life! My! It's like a tour of Europe through a time machine -- wonderful stuff!

If you don't already have this one on your shelves, keeping your other Zimmermann books company, you'll want it. A gift to both heart and hands.

Latvian Dreams is a unique book in that it is as much about charting your own course as a knitter as it is about exploring Latvian textile design as a source of magnificent knitted creations. In fact, Joyce Williams book is so densely packed with both sorts of information that it alone could easily supply inspiration and discovery for years of knitting.

As a conservator of traditional heritage (she is not Lativian, but does love these Latvian weaving charts), Joyce Williams as done nothing less than save these charts from extinction. She found them in books published in 1950, during the Soviet occupation of Latvia, and knew immediately that though intended for the loom, they would also make beautiful knitwear. In the process of copying them for her own use, one thing led to another and she found herself knitting and designing for all of us. Thus was this book born.

And, speaking of knitting out of the box, these designs are really something. There are socks with a heel so different that it's copywritten; Joyce discovered the joys of using two circular needles for socks, sleeves and other small diameter things just minutes before Cat Bordhi did; her construction techniques and use of design elements can teach all of us so much.

However, in my estimation, the most valuable thing about Latvian Dreams is that Joyce Williams devotes an enormous amount of her book to discussing how and why she arrived at a technique, design choice, etc. -- with an eye to giving us the information we need to go our own way, in whatever direction we choose. In fact, she is so grateful for the freedom she found through Elizabeth Zimmerman's work that she is determined to carry her knitting readers into those same clear blue skies of personal design -- and then some. For instance, after clearly and completely discussing the hows and whys of determining one's gauge, she then goes on to explain why she never does a gauge swatch anymore, how that change came about, and gives some guidelines as to when it most likely isn't necessary. My kind of woman!