I consider this DVD to be something of a "dynamic duo" of practical knitting. Here, in one place, you'll find a really innovative, highly wearable side-to-side jacket pattern and a smooth-sailing blanket that is also self-storing. Not to mention warm and comfy (notice the cat's happy look).

Meg's Round-the-Bend Jacket will go 'round the bend all by itself, never sending you and your knitting there, too. It's is knit with an Aran weight yarn and sized at 44" or 40", depending on gauge. As Meg suggests, should you wish a differet size, use Elizabeth Zimmermann's EPS system to recalculate the pattern. We recommend the following of our yarns:

Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Aran - 4 skeins for jacket as written

Fleece Artist Aran Alpaca - 4 skeins as written

Zitron Cambio - 17 balls as written

The Puzzle-Pillow Blanket is acccomplished with sweet 'n' simple garter stitch and bulky weight yarn. Meg teaches us her "sew" as you go technique using dpns (!). When you're finished, do crawl under for a good nap with sweet knitting dreams! We recommend:

Fleece Artist Big Blue - 2 skeins each color for 24"x36"; 3 skeins each color for 28"x42"; and 4 skeins each color for 36"x54"

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ribwarmer is one of her signature designs - for good reason. It is classic in its looks and delightful in its knitting. What was practically unknown until very recently is that Elizabeth also designed a more "dressy" version, the Butterfly Jacket which was published only one time in a 1956 McCall's Needlework magazine. So that it does not go back into near oblivion, this DVD contains instructions and demonstrations for the classic Ribwarmer, sized for 36" chest (adult) and 24" chest (child) (consider Fleece Artist Aran Alpaca), the Butterfly Jacket in two yarn weights sized for 36" (try Fleece Artist Organic Wool) and 42" (Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Aran) chest, and Meg Swansen's Knee Length Ribwarmer sized for 53" around the hips and 38" around the chest (Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK would be lovely), with instructions for creating a narrower hip measurement if desired. Altogether great fun!

Demonstrated Techniques include:

• Invisble Cast On
• Increasing
• Short Rows
• Garter-stitch Weaving
• After-Thought Pockets
• EZ's Applied I-Cord
• 3-Needle-I-Cord Cast Off
• Reversible Phoney Seams
• Sport-jacket Vent

Meg's Shawl Collared Vest looks great on both men and women, and is lots and lots of fun to knit, too. Full written instructions are included for chest sizes 40", 44" and 48", and Meg's demonstrated techniques make it all come together so very nicely. The Shawl Collared Vest is knitted completely in the round, steeking all the way, and then cut. We suggest our Fleece Artist Big Blue (Bulky Blue Face Leicester Wool) for spectacular results.

Demonstrated techniques include:

• K1b, P1 rib
• Increasing
• Cable with or without a cable-needle
• Kangaroo Pouches
• Steeks
• V-neck Shaping
• Knitting-Back-Backwards
• Machine-Stitched Steeks
• I-Cord Cast Off
• 3-Needle I-Cord Cast Off
• Shawl Collar Shaping
• Reversible Phoney Seams
• I-Cord Tab Buttonholes

Phenomenal! Vickie Square has given us a banquet of garment design, a veritable feast of knitting. Each and every design is based upon traditional Japanese Kimonos from different periods of history - and each and every one of them will make any wearer look beautiful. Really!

She begins with a bit of discussion of what a kimono is -- at its base, it is an over-garment that is constructed from "loom widths"* of cloth. This means that all the pieces are rectangular and standard, which in turn means that this style is perfect for adapting to knit fabric. Vickie gives us all the information we need to create our own kimonos, too -- something that I'm sure many, many of us will be inspired to do.

Then, she presents 18 drop-dead gorgeous designs that will set your heart aflame. In fact, each of them is so captivating that the real problem will be figuring out where to start. With each design, she gives its place in Japanese history, which proves to be a fascinating discourse on how social history affects fashion in oh-so-many ways.

Finally, I want to especially commend her for her very elegant use of stitch patterns to evoke the original fabrics used for each kimono style. I so very much appreciate her sensitivity and good taste in this regard -- not to mention her knowledge of the vast arrary of stitch patterns from which she chose her "just right" palette for these jackets.

Knit Kimono is one of the best knitting fashion books ever published. Don't miss it - it is a must have for any knitter's shelf.

*[Note: for more about "loom widths," see Cut My Cote by Dorothy Burnham of the Textile Department, Royal Ontario Museum. You'll discover that most of the world's best-looking garments have been made using loom-width construction and pre-date the Renaissance-era introduction non-rectangular garment construction. It is a great little book and well worth the effort of tracking it down.]

What a fabulous discovery Meg and Joyce made! They were called upon to review the instructions for kits to replicate Elsa Schiaparelli's fascinating sweater designs, featuring large, full-body patterns. "Intarsia," they said to each other. "Oh, well, I suppose someone has to do it," they privately thought. That is, until they took a close look at the instructions and discovered that there was no Intarsia anywhere in these garments. Instead, a method of trapping is used so that two colors are carried throughout the garment. What's more, the unused color is supposed to pop out a bit behind the foreground color, creating an extremely pleasing "tweedy" look.

The name of this new/old technique is Armenian Knitting, also the title of this wonderful book. It is not known precisely how it arose, but it was used by Armenian women living living in Paris as refuges of the 1915 genocide. They were employed by Elsa Schiaparelli, a cutting edge fashion designer of the 1930s and 1940s who hired them to knit her unique designs using their unique techniques. At the time of printing Armenian Knitting, there are no other known original examples of this style of knitting outside Schiaparelli's work.

I should add how very much I want to be able to share the photos of sweaters, vests and jackets with you -- the designs Meg and Joyce have created are nothing short of stunning. I didn't expect to be as excited about them as I am, that's for sure. In fact, I am beyond excited -- my fingers are fidgeting in impatience, so badly do I want to knit some of them.

Armenian Knitting is a joy - a new classic of a nearly-lost art.

Fair Isle Knitting is my all-time favorite Fair Isle book. Somehow, Sarah Don managed to breathe so much life into her portrait of this tradition that every time I pick up my old, worn copy (more than 20 years old at this point), it sets my heart abeating and my fingers flying to find needles and yarn.

Imagine, then, my delight at learning that this great book -- having languished in the twilight zone of out-of-print books for decades -- was being reprinted. And now it's here, to share with knitters once again.

In it you'll find history, and motifs and the information you need to transform it all into a sweater, vest or scarf or hat. You'll also find an infectious enthusiasm and warmth, something with which Don seems to penetrate each of her words. Her discussion of techniques is thorough, yet concise and inviting; and her garment designs are wonderful -- ranging as they do from classic to bold. Perhaps most importantly, what you'll discover is decades of wonder and enjoyment -- just to read Fair Isle Knitting is to feel uplifted. It is just so very good to see this book back in print!!

And if you use a good quality Shetland (we really do recommend our Elemental Affects Jumper Weight Shetland as being the finest available anywhere), you'll rediscover why this wool and the yarn made from it has been so beloved all these many, many years.

From very simple to absolutely splendiforous, Inger Fredholm's wonderful book presents the world of Swedish and Fair Isle knitting from its most traditional to its most amazing possibilities. In doing so, Fredholm reveals herself to be a designer of remarkable capacity and creativity. Anyone interested in color pattern knitting or traditional design or how traditional design can transform to match or even lead modern tastes and sensibilities will not just want this book, but once possesed, will barely be able to set it down. It is just that exciting and inspiring.

Beginning with a series of "Simple Swedish" sweater, cap and afgan designs, all easy to knit, lovely and practical to wear, she quickly moves into (again, still simple) some innovative textured and lace garments. Once she has your attention, however, she moves quickly into the less simple (think "intermediate"): an elegant lace jacket, a lace jacket & skirt ensemble; and the not-to-be missed "Tango Dress".

And from there she pulls out all the stops with color, from simple two- or three-color patterning to fantastic and phenomenal 16 or 20 or 21 (or whatever - you get the picture) colors. Now, we all know that the use of many colors can either be kaleidoscopic or catastrophic - I can assure you that in Fredholm's case, her results are exquisite and scintillating. They also take Fair Isle knitting into realms few have travelled and are inspiring and exciting.

There's more: She offers instruction on her own method of carrying two colors, serves up a mouthwatering recipe for Swedish Cinnamon Buns, and tucks bits of history and design considerations throughout her book. This is one book that is a treasure, a classic the moment it left the presses. I guarantee you'll love it, too.

Here is a book you can turn to when you crave stunning design and innovative, fresh construction. Whether offering up a scarf or leading the knitter through the intricacies of a cardigan with all circular lines (you'll want to spend time looking at this one, for sure), Helen Hamann breathes vibrant new life into the possibilities of knit garment design. A fascinating aspect of her smashing designs is that the motifs and over all color schemes are as genuinely traditional as her designs and construction techniques are innovative, modern and inspiring.

This is a book to spend time with, dream with and go back to often. There is so much about design, color, what is old and what is new here that your relationship with this book can only flourish over time. Another must-have for the knitting colorist.

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.

Meg pulls out all the stops in this DVD. It wasn't until I watched it that I truly comprehended just how deeply and well Meg Swansen understands the craft of knitting. To say that her knowledge of garment construction (when, where and how to use which construction) and of the myriad techniques of knitting itself is vast is truly an understatement.

You'll discover the hidden mysteries of the Russian Prime color pattern (so named because it employs only the numbers 1, 3 and 5 in it's patterning) which are such that they will open the doors to any and all color patterns that follow. You'll also see how to determine where to stop a pattern for best visual effect, how to incorporated a sizing element in a 60-stitch pattern repeat, and all manner of shaping and finishing tricks. Truly, Meg's guided tour of knitting the Russian Prime sweater is like an initiation into the mysteries of the inner temple of knitting: You'll emerge with a renewed and enlightened understanding of so many things.

Among these mysteries, you'll find:

• Long Tail Casting on
• "Casting-On Casting-Off"
• side panels (and why to love them)
• increasing in pattern
• steeks at armholes & neck
• knitting up in pattern
• I-Cord shoulder
• top of sleeve decreasing (and why you might want to use it)
• corrugated rib
• Applied I-Cord and Joyce Williams' wonderful ways with it

Guernsey or Gansey, no matter what you call it, they are favorite sweaters to make and treasured sweaters to wear and pass along to the next generation. Meg Swansen invites us along on one of her "knitting vacations" along the gloriously beautiful Oregon Coast (near Coos Bay, I believe, judging from the scenery).

In addition to walking us through the basics of Guernsey construction, history and yarn, Meg takes us along many a side road, into realms of little known techniques, some clever, some simply brilliant. The result is a Guernsey to love and inspiration to carry you on to your next dozen!

Some of the things you'll learn are:

• Channel Island cast-on: a variation of long-tail cast-on that results in a charming picot edge along the bottom of the sweater
• Split lower garter stitch welt
• Indian Corn stitch (one of the most difficult to find documented! [though easy to accomplish])
• gussets - and the value of purl stitches
• texture patterns and some of their unique behavior
• garter-stitch weaving
• knitting-up around armholes
• decreasing to cuffs
• EZ's Sewn Cast Off

Filmed on location along the spectacular Oregon coast, Cardigan Details concentrates on knitting a Norwegian style drop-shoulder, scoop neck cardigan in the round. Meg covers every single technique you need, and does so in her usual warm, engaging and ultra-clear way. It's like having an expert knitting buddy helping you along, right in your living room.

The sweater construction is classic for the style: the body is knit in the round from lower edge to shoulder, with a steek up the center front. The sleeves are knit in the round from the cuffs, and a lovely Norwegian color-pattern (from Traditional Scandinavian Knitting!) tops the shoulders. Armholes and center-front are cut open and the sleeves sewn in. All of which ought to give you a good idea of the vast array of techniques Meg covers every so beautifully and completely.

Among the many, many things you can learn or revisit are:

• k1b, p1 ribbing
• increasing - this particular technique was new to me and is the most graceful I've seen
• short rows
• steeks
• color pattern knitting
• machine-stitching for cutting
• cutting
• attaching sleeves
• I-cord cast-off
• 1- and 2-row buttonholes
• finishing the cut edge
• and much, much more

Join Meg for a Southwestern knitting adventure! Inspired by a pottery design typical of the Mimbres region of New Mexico, Meg takes off on a color-pattern knitting expedition that will have you following your pattern from every imaginable direction until you arrive at the end of your travels with an exquisitely designed and finished vest, ready to wear on your next adventure.

This all-over patterned vest is worked on circular needles from the lower edge to wanted length to underarm, where a pair of steeks are established. Continue to the base of the scooped neck, insert another steek, then onward to wanted shoulder height. Shoulders are united and the steeks are machine-stitched and cut. I- Cord borders are knitted directly onto the edges of the armholes and all around the periphery of the vest.

Techniques include:

• Long Tail casting on;
• following the chart (this is more of an adventure than usual, but enormous fun as well);
• trapping the carried color (demonstrated with both a Continental-style two-colors-in-one hand and, later, with one color in each hand);
• kangaroo pouches;
• steeks (you will benefit by first watching the entire DVD - Meg makes a discover midway through that you will almost certianly want to use at the beginning);
• machine stitching and cutting;
• 3-needle I-Cord cast off;
• EZ's Applied I-Cord (a wonderful demonstration of the technique!);
• neatening the cut edges;
• blocking.

Filmed on location in New Mexico and Arizona.

This is a great book. A really great book. And believe me, while it was created for big girls and large women and is filled with beautiful, even stunning things for ladies sizes M or L through 3X to make and wear and love, that is not the only group of knitters who will want this book. There is more outstanding, clear, easy-to-see-how-it-applies-to-you fashion advice, measuring details, shaping strategies than I have ever encountered in one place before. The authors taught me exactly what to look for for my shape (which dances between M on top and L on the bottom) and gave me the confidence and wherewithall to measure and modify shaping where needed. As if that weren't enough, they went on to present examples (by way of their knitting projects) of just what they were talking about which in my case resulted in a newer and deeper understanding of what looks good on different body types and why.

I guess I should mention that the book is also supremely humorous: things like their Three B's (Boobs, Belly and Butt) approach to style are not only really useful, they had me giggling all the way through the book.

This is a book which celebrates big bodies and big hearts. It is generous, kind and funny in all ways. It is a celebration of beauty, an affirmation of living, and serves up amazingly good instruction on how to express your own beauty through clothing. Women of all sizes will love this book!

Fishermen's Sweaters is a delicious journey through the fishing communities of Scotland, England, Ireland, then across the Channel into Norway, the Faroe Isles, the Baltic Sea and back to Breton, France; and then Alice Starmore takes a leap across the Atlantic and creates new "traditional" sweaters for New World fishermen, as well. In each of these sweaters, in her amazing way, she has picked up elements of design that really speak to the places and people she contemplated. Then she transforms them into something very new that carries those traditions into the present, beauty and purpose intact. I just love see the ways Alice Starmore plays with designs, always keeping a wonderful, lively balance between the old and the new.

This collection is so inspiring that not only do I want to knit each and every one of the sweaters, but I am already playing with ways to create new designs, new directions. Fishermen's Sweaters is one of those design books that goes well beyond just offering patterns and directions for lovely sweaters - Starmore's world comes alive in it and you'll find you're able to travel a ways down the road with her, creating as you go.

If cables could talk, what would they say about themselves? And, what questions would you ask them? Where would the conversation go? And where would a cable go if you gave it free reign to express itself, to reveal the heart of its motion?

Inspired Cable Knits is packed with answers to just this sort of questions - in fact, it is the only knitting book in my experience where the word "inspired" within the title is not hyperbole. It's as though Fiona Ellis were a yarn whisperer (you know, like a horse whisperer, only she listens to yarn and knit designs). She has listened closely to all manner of cable designs - sometimes they want to melt into the rich textures of nature, losing some of their even rhythms in favor of a more intriguing, deeper pattern; sometimes, they have their beginnings in prosaic conventions that simply leap into surprising, delicious outcomes; and other times, they move right off the fabric, change their being completely and reveal their purpose as a completely new direction.

I could go on, but I'm sure you already get it - this is a book that illuminates, inspires and delights. To look through it is to find page after page of designs you'll want to knit and love to wear. And in each one a secret is expressed in beauty. This book is a joy.

You can see some of the designs and read a really interesting review of Inspired Cable Knits in The Yarn Harlot's March 24, 2006 entry. Enjoy!

If you are ready for new color pattern designs, some wonderful adaptations, emendations and expansions of traditional sweater construction, and runway quality style, then Knitting out of Africa is the book for you.

I confess that when I first heard of Knitting out of Africa, I was very skeptical -- I really don't like knitting books that artificially graft different cultures' design sensibilities into knitting just so they can be "different." I was afraid that Knitting out of Africa would be one of these.

I was so wrong. Isager's book, as its subtitle declares, is truly inspired. Each and every sweater uses motifs and constructions that reflect a different African culture in ways that bring something really new and wonderful into the world of knitting. The resulting sweaters range from extremely beautiful to breathtaking to stunning - all this while speaking deeply and and warmly of the people who created the original designs that inspired these new/old/wonderful works of art.

Knitting out of Africa is a book to love, to knit from, to be inspired by. I can hardly wait to see, ten years down the road, how its vision will have permeated our knitting culture -- it's that sort of book.

The concept is something that is at once obvious and surprising -- take traditional, well-known sweater design elements, change the cut here, add a new twist there and, voilá, a design that is everything we all want: fresh, modern, classic. This is the stuff you usually find only on high-fashion runways and in very upscale clothing stores: the difference is that you can have the pleasure not only of wearing it, but of making it yourself (and saving a huge amount of money in the process! Imagine: your local yarn shop is now a thrift store. Can it get any better than this?). There are garments for men, women, and children and all of them will look great on just about anyone. Styles range from easy-to-knit pullovers to very challenging Arans. With the intriquing textures, wonderful colors, and delightful details, you'll not only love making them, but you can rest assured that they will stay fashionable enough to wear for years to come.

Actually, the title for this one should have been Arans, Celtics, and Bavarians, because that's what you'll actually find inside the covers. This is really one of the best collections of texture-pattern knitting ever, featuring sweaters and vests that incorporate what must be about every technique every developed to knit amazing textured garments. I was a little disappointed to discover that only a handful of the sweaters are constructed in the round, but it's not rocket science to recreate the instructions for that method if that is what you want (see Knitting Around and Knitting in the Old Way if you'd like some help). And, not everyone feels as I do, for sure - some of my best knitting friends actually prefer working in flat pieces. ;-)

What I know we can all agree upon is that these are exciting, wonderful designs, both traditional and modern -- the kind of design that sets your fingers dancing impatiently as they wait for to start knitting them. Knitter's Magazine was one of my first loves when I started knitting in earnest years ago -- this collection warms my heart and makes me remember why the early days of that publication were times of such excitement. This is one great gathering of designs and designers!

Imagine all the things you really love about traditional Scandinavian knitting - the color, the textures, the style that is at once rugged and beautiful. Now imagine cutting-edge knitting designers taking those same elements and using them in ways that take your breath away, where texture, color and line meet with such energy and in such unexpected ways that you can't take your eyes off the resulting garments because they are so alive with beauty and joy.

This is what you'll find in Norsk Strikkedesign (which, contrary to the impression the title gives, is in English). The garments range from elegant to whimsical, from high-fashion to practical-yet-amazingly-beautiful. I think I learned more about garment design from gazing at the photos in this book than in any other single place. If garment design and the fusion of style elements interests you, this book is a must-read.