Lovely Knitted Lace: A Geometric Approach to Gorgeous Wearables Paperback – March 4, 2014

This is an absolutely stunning knitting book. I had the pleasure of meeting the author twice when I visited her store in Kirkwood, Missouri. At the time, she was working on a lace project she had designed. I saw some of her finished projects in her store, The Kirkwood Knittery, and realized that I was in the company of an amazing designer. This book is a compilation of some of her designs.The Introduction discusses the basics of lace knitting including the following: - one doesn't need to use tiny needles to knit lace - lace designs can be knit with any weight yarn - lace should be knit with yarns that can hold a block - gauge is essential when knitting lace - "Lace knitting is extremely flexible and stretchy." - how to work a lace chart - the provisional cast on - the belly button cast on - nupps - short rows - lace bind off - how to fix mistakes in lace knittingThe projects are divided into four types - Triangles, Rectangles, Circles and Squares. Each of these types includes four patterns. I love the Flutter Shawl, a triangle pattern. It is long and narrow, knit side to side. As Ms. Nico states, "It is a great shawl for those smaller skeins of yarn, or for when you aren't sure how much yarn you have! You will simply increase until you have used up half your yarn, and then begin decreasing for the second half of the shawl." The shawl is a a beautiful deep pink with an "ethereal quality". The Japanese Leaf Scarf is a rectangle pattern and is reversible. Knit in a lovely light blue, it has a Japanese leaf motif. There are instructions for knitters who would like to turn this scarf into a stole. The circle and square patterns took my breath away; they are that beautiful. I especially love The Poinsettia Jacket knit in a deep wine red. It is knit with fingering weight yarn. It looks extremely difficult to me but I could look at the picture for hours and dream of being a good enough knitter to make this. The Dahlia Shawl is my other favorite design. It is knit in an alpaca lace weight yarn and is comprised of four triangles. I think it would make a lovely baby blanket as well as a shawl. The Aster Shirt is stunning and is made from two squares that are seamed together. Knit with linen yarn, the shirt is fitted through the torso and looser at the upper body.The book finishes with additional motifs for the knitter to try outThis knitting book contains some of the most beautiful lace patterns I've seen. However, there is a caveat. It is not for a beginning knitter. I think that one would need to be an advanced knitter to attempt these patterns. Perhaps I'm wrong but they appear quite difficult to me. I recommend that every one who loves lace knitting acquire this book. The patterns are beautiful to look at and are an inspiration for any knitter.

LOVELY KNITTED LACE is a collection of pretty designs for knitted lace jackets, sweaters, scarves, stoles, and shawls. As designer Brooke Nico discovered, after knitting "shawl after shawl", there is "a limit to how many shawls one person can own." This book is the result of designer Nico's experimentation with turning basic shapes--triangles, rectangles, circles, and squares--into lovely, wearable, knitted lace garments.Knitters who are interested in designing their own lace garments will find the "design notes" that accompany each pattern to be especially worth reading. For example, the description of the Posies Wrap begins: "This simple wrap is the perfect social knitting project. It's a big rectangle, with armholes created by casting on and then binding off stitches, and its simplicity is the key to its form. The end result is a vest . . . with asymmetrical fronts . . . ." These design notes give real insight into Nico's personal creative process.LOVELY KNITTED LACE isn't a technical reference book, but it does include a lot of solid discussion of lace knitting technique. Adventurous intermediate knitters should be able to knit the designs after reading the included explanations. Most of the patterns have both written out and charted instructions. The patterns call for a variety of yarn weights (light worsted to laceweight) and knitting needle sizes (US 8 to US 2). The more fitted garments have instructions for two or three sizes. The fact that many patterns use US 4 and larger needles makes this book a good choice for new lace knitters--the stitches are easier to track, and the projects don't take forever to finish.My personal favorites are the Camellia Dolman, a large cashmere cape with "feathers" that begin at the neckline and end at the lower hemline (details of hem and front buttonband are well thought out); and the Starry Nights Bolero, a drapey bolero-shaped top that is knitted from luxury yarn and constructed from two rectangles. However, there is not a single design in this collection that I wouldn't be willing to knit and wear!The patterns are:Triangles: Triangle Tulip Shawl; Flutter Shawl; Poppy Shawl; Floral Tunic (pullover sweater)Rectangles: Japanese Leaf Scarf; Cables and Lace Stole; Butterfly Stole; Posies Wrap; Starry Nights Bolero (bolero top)Circles: Angel Shawl; Poinsettia Jacket (long-sleeved sweater with peplum at back); Traveling Vines Cape/Skirt (convertible garment); Orange Crush Beret (hat); Camellia Dolman (button-front cape, shown on book cover)Squares: Dahlia Shawl; Aster Shirt (loose tabard-like pullover); Birch Jacket (long-sleeved shrug); Moondance Shrug (shrug with elbow-length sleeves)

I got this for the pattern on the cover but I fell in love with just about every pattern in the book...I think all but one. Yet, there are features even in that pattern I can use in something else. Nice pictures, written and charted patterns, which is very nice for all of us learning how to read patterns. She has included other useful information, such as...different ways to "graft" and "casting on", along with other tips and references. It is a useful and LOVELY book. Very glad I purchased it. Thank you so much.

There are so many patterns in this beautiful book that it will take some time to get through them all! I'm going to start small, with a lace scarf. Unfortunately for me, it's almost summer here, so it will be some time before I will be able to wear it! Still, with the a/c on, I think I'll manage to get some of the small items finished. Then when winter comes, I'll be a step ahead!! Thank you to the designers, knitters and publisher for this gloriously (soon to be) addictive book.

Another great lace book. And this one is suitable for lace knitting beginners, as the variety of projects and yarn sizes makes some projects very beginner friendly.The book has 16 patterns which might seem like a low number, but the patterns are very nice, and rather original. Mostly, the designer doesn't push the envelope too far in terms of lacework, but the shapes are unusual and interesting. The stitch patterns are mostly simple, where most garments have one or two different lace stitches, and not a whole lot of complicated finishing to do.The result is a bunch of unusual garments with lace, that look original, but are understated enough for untimely elegance. Nico's taste is superb, this book could be opened 10 years from now and the patterns would still look fresh and modern.The book organises its patterns into four main sections, triangles, rectangles, circles and squares. Each section has four patterns, which range from shawls (4), tunic (1), jacket (2), stoles (2), wrap/shrugs (2), dolman (1), beret (1), a scarf (1), a shirt (1) and a cape/skirt 2 in 1.There is an introduction section that has a good discussion on lace related topics like which yarn to choose, how to do gauge math, and how to do some of the less common techniques called for in some of the patterns like nupps and short rows. Finally the author gives 5 stitch patterns to be used in triangular shape construction.It's not the first book on lace, (and neither will it be the last) but it is certainly a good effort and a good enough book to help beginners get started and has patterns that are interesting enough for experienced lace knitters. I think the helpful discussions about shape and shaping will probably help a lot of intermediate and even advanced ones to understand better how to design lace garments.

très beau livre en Anglais uniquement des réalisations qui laisse rêveuse, très bien expliqué photos somptueuses, pas pour débutantes mais avec de l'entrainement on peut toutes y arriver :)

I have enjoyed this book and so far knitted one item from it. It is empowering as it shows you how to develop patterns and ideas in lace, rather than just telling you what to do. Meanwhile the suggested projects are varied, most are small, so that you can get the principles, and pretty well laid out. There are one or two instances where the instructions could be clearer, but a bit of puzzling and experimentation makes their meaning plain.

Ich hab zwar schon diverse Lacebücher, aber dieses gefällt mir besonders. Es ist in sich abgerundet, es gibt gute Erklärungen, hübsche Muster und Grundanleitungen die man beliebig erweitern oder auch einfach so verwenden kann.Die geometrischen Grundformen als Ausgangspunkt für diverse Kleidungsstücke sind zwar nicht unbedingt neu, aber schlüssig organisiert und vielleicht ein Augenöffner. Ganz besonders gut gefällt mir der blaue Blümchenpullover, unbedingt ausprobieren werde ich auch die kästchenartig symmetrischen Schmetterlinge und das typisch japanisch inspirierte Kirschzweigmuster.