A Gathering of Lace

Rating:
Summary: Can't completely love it, or hate it.
Review: This is a collection of beautiful designs, and it has great color pictures of each shawl. The designs are unique and challenging. Pattern instructions are presented in chart-form only, which makes things exceptionally difficult because many of the charts are flawed. Written instructions would have been an easy way for knitters to double-check confusing instructions. An errata file can be found at www.knittinguniverse.com, but this is the only knitting book I own with errors, so it's disappointing that the errata sheet is necessary. Most of the patterns are for shawls, with a few sweaters, a hat, a pair of gloves, three sock patterns, a couple pillows, a child's pinafore, two purses, and a hat thrown in. Then, for some reason, there are pictures in the back of shawls without patterns provided, which is completely baffling in a pattern book. While I love the designs and the variety of the patterns, the book falls short of expectations. I would not recommend any of the patterns for beginners.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!!!
Review: This is a collection of lots of different knitters shawls, it is NOT all Meg Swansen shawls,so for this reazon is a GREAT book, with beautiful and delicate shawls, worth the price!!

Rating:
Summary: Who ever thought there would be so many kinds of lace?
Review: Yes, it's finally here! And, it is well worth the wait. This is a beautiful and BIG book - coffee table size and 174 pages.

The most astounding thing about this book is the amazing range of projects offered within the theme of lace. Just among the shawls offered there are: 3 triangles, 2 rectangles, 8 circles, 2 faroese and 3 squares. Then there are garments ranging from shrugs and tunics (6) to socks (3) and a christening gown. Then, just for grins, is Debbie New's lace boat (I kid you not!)

As for the skill levels required, there are a few projects for solid beginners. (The actual knitting of lace isn't difficult -- it's the keeping track of where you are in the pattern that is the trick.) Most of the projects are best suited to knitters with some experience with lace.

Beyond the patterns, there's a good techniques section in the introduction. There's also a gallery of lace projects where the designer doesn't have a written pattern available but it has some fun ideas (including the boat). There's also a section with a message from each designer. The book concludes with a section about the making of the book - coordinating 30 designers, photographing garments on several continents (and the photos are stunning). What a project for Meg Swansen to coordinate.

Bottom line -- a gorgeous book of patterns but with enough technique and design that you can use it as a reference too.