“There’s something so richly luminous about Fair Isle knitting. Why does it glow the way it does? Aside from the choice of colors, its radiant effect comes from the qualities of its surface and from the way one color meets another.”

Luminous. Now there’s a word for you.

If only I had children! This book is filled with delightful, fun, playful, whimsical patterns that just about any child would love to have someone knit for them. So. Many. Fun. Things.

If you haven’t donated to Claudia’s annual MS ride, this week is your last chance, don’t let it slip by! Just $10 gives you a chance to win one of many, many fabulous prizes–including some great knitting books! (www.claudiasblog.net)

This book has been sitting next to the computer for days now, waiting for me to review it, and I have no idea what’s been holding me back, because it’s a great book.

I know, it seems like ages since I posted a new review, but don’t despair! It’s not that I’ve given up. No, no. It mostly comes down to the fact that it’s been raining for about three weeks straight and the light has been just impossible for photos. Sigh.

If the point of the book is to talk about all the reasons we gather together to knit, it’s the stories that matter the most. It’s not what’s on the needles that’s important so much as the act of knitting in the first place. Like the author says,
“Welcome to my knitting circle: a collection of writers and designers who have thought deeply about how a community of knitters with a shared passion for yarn and needles can bridge divides, spread goodwill, and strengthen us all.”

All the designs (and they’re mostly all sweaters) are what they claim to be–feminine knits. A little daintier, a little more fitted than some other pattern books. They lean more toward “pretty” than “cool” or “cutting edge,” and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There’s a lot to be said for a lacy jacket you can pair with a flirty skirt on a summer’s day. Or a hoodie that’s got delicate stitch work along the edges to make it special.

I liked this book so much, I immediately bought a copy and made a swatch for one of the sweaters. It’s been a while since a knitting book and I clicked together so very quickly.

Despite the title, this book is (thankfully) NOT about cute little matchy-matchy outfits for moms to wear when they’re out with their daughters. What it IS, is a book written by the brilliant Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy Melville Ledbetter.

Okay … Now, as a usual thing, warm-weather knits aren’t my favorites. I like cuddling into warm, cozy knits on a chilly day, and the last thing I want to do on a hot day is put on a sweater, even the lightest of weights.

But. I have to admit that this book has some really lovely patterns for those folks who need something to occupy their fingers for the summer, or who live in warmer climates year-round.

Really, it’s a great book. I mean, why else would the publishing gods have granted it a new life with a new edition? It’s a classic.

This isn’t one of those history-intensive books on ethnic knits. There is brief discussion on the knitting ethos in each of the three highlighted countries (Lithuania, Iceland, Ireland), but the book really focuses on how to knit a sweater–not about what they were doing with yarn in 1857.

It’s hard, really, to write a review for a book of stitch patterns, even when they’re good. This one, the latest in Interweave Press’s series, covers Colorwork–patterns that use two or more colors to make a design for your knitting.

This is a cute little book filled with cute little purses.

They’re quite nice, really. They have some nice design elements, and look to be well thought out and assembled. But, of course, they’re all made from a single skein of yarn, so they’re not exactly, well, large.