Customer Reviews

Aran Knitting

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a beautiful book. It's "COFFEE TABLE" beautiful. The history of Aran knitting, and the photographt are gorgeous.

The sweaters that Alice Starmore designed are wonderful. The mens sweaters are timeless, but the women's sweaters are a bit dated. This could be easily remidied by adjusting the fit of the sweater while using the stitches that are part of the original design.

Alice Starmore has a number of nice stitch patterns in the book that are also listed in numerous other knitting stitch books (The Big Book of Knitting, The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches Vol. 1 and 2, Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting, Charted Knitting Designs by Barbara G. Walker, The Complete Book of Knitting by Barbara Abbey, to name a few). There are a couple of Celtic cable patterns that are more intriguing, but is it worth buying the book for $100+ just to have access to those few stitches?

So, to sum it up. I would definitely give this book 5 stars on overall first impression, even on the sweater patterns and charts, but as far as the stitches within the book - about 4 stars, there are many other books out there with more comprehensive patterns. Buy the book if you want the history, the sweater patterns, but if you're looking for a good book on Aran Knit Stitches, try a stitch encyclopedia book and come up with your own designs.

So far, I've found that I enjoy Starmore's work in general (I also have the Celtic Collection), though I'm only working on my second Starmore project. The pictures are great (of course, the color doesn't match perfectly, but that's to be expected), and the section on basic Aran stiches is wonderful. I'm looking forward to trying to design a sweater myself with some of those stiches, once I feel comfortable enough to buy that much yarn for such an iffy project. *grin* One warning--I've found Starmore's gauging to be a little odd. I think she pulls her yarn just a *little* tighter than most knitters.

I've been knitting since I was 8 years old and I've never seen anything like this. It's almost 3 books in one - an overview of the mythology and reality of Aran knitwear, plus a detailed description of Aran sweaters in the National Museum in Ireland; a gallery of stitch patterns with instructions; and a collection of Starmore's own designs, also with instructions. Her designs are beautiful - her starting point was when she recognized that traditional Aran knits use braids and twists but ancient Celtic art uses continuous lines - so she made up knitting designs using the continuous lines of Celtic knotwork. Her charting method is wonderfully easy to read. I love this and I want to make everything in it.

If you have to get one book on aran knitting this is the one. The first time I picked up this book I felt like a complete idiot for all the times I ever bought a pricey knitting magazine just to get the cool aran pattern inside; this book has them all beat. There are great designs for women, men and children. The instructions are great, the photographs are beautiful. Alice Starmore rules!!

Includes a library of aran cables with instruction on how to make them as well as patterns that take my breath away. I found her instructions easy to follow and the pictures inspirational. A look through it sends me straigt to the yarn store, excited to start one of her masterpieces.

Alice Starmore has completely outdone herself with this book. She takes knitters on an intellectual journey through the origins of Aran knitting, she then takes you step-by-step through the design elements which are used and frees the adventerous to do their own design and she completes the book with stunning patterns suitable for all levels of knitters. The beginning of the book is devoted to making a compelling argument for a cataclysmic knitting event which shaped this style of work. Based on her historical research she argues that Aran knitting was the result of a single, extra- ordinarilly talented, knitter, probably from Scotland or strongly influenced by Scottish knitting. Given the level of communication available at the time, the fact that this unnamed knitter didn't achieve notice outside of her local area is not too surprising. Also, considering the inspiration many of us have felt from Elizabeth Zimmerman and Kaffe Fasset (to name only two), the idea that a single creative person's influence could be so powerful is not surprising. She lacked only today's publishing and technology to become a household name. In the middle section Starmore takes us through a series of lessons on the construction of cables, their variety and myriad possibilities. Experienced and/or adventerous knitters can then embark on a project completely assured of success. Every tool you might need is there in one place. For those who prefer, in the final section of the book, there are a number of simply exquisite complete patterns for items ranging from hats, pullovers (jumpers) for women, men and children, to shawls. The items are photographed extremely well and it is always possible to see a closeup of stitch detail, something that is not always done well with colored knitting. I would advise knitters to run to reserve/buy this book - it's not going to make it to the remainder table and is well worth even the pricy $39.95 retail sticker (of course, Amazon will do somewhat better I'm sure).

Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting provides everything I want in a knitting book and more! Aside from beautiful patterns and clear directions (no worries about finding out that the pattern doesn't make sense half-way through the project), the book is filled with beautiful pictures, shot on location in the Aran Islands, and wonderful stories of the history of Aran knitting. I couldn't put it down! Ms. Starmore's patterns are both challenging and interesting. I am currently knitting the sweater "Irish Moss" (page 122); it is definitely the most fulfilling project I have even undertaken. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone who knows the basics of knitting and is looking for a good challenge.

Alice Starmore is fantastic. No other knitting author has such beatiful styles and complete and concise instructions. As an intermediate knitter I find her instructions to be confidence inspiring. I love Aran styles and have read many books on Aran knitting and find them to be either confusing or incomplete. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn Aran knitting, as once you knit a Starmore sweater, you will develop much more confidence in your knitting abilities.

Alice Starmore is truly the most brilliant knitting designer of the century. I've knitted three patterns from this book and they all came out perfectly, thanks to Alice's attention to detail, clear instructions and flawless sense of proportion. The photographs in the book are gorgeous, but wait until you see the actual knitted garments.

I am not an expert knitter by any stretch of the imagination and I have always been intimidated by the Aran sweater: the cable designs appeared too intricate and beyond my scope.
I flipped through this book while browsing in a bookstore and was immediately drawn in. The author presents her research clearly and convincingly and without condescension. The original designs are classic Starmore: richly detailed and simply presented. Her instructions are precise and the finished products are masterpieces. These designs are NOT for beginners but are quite a challenge for the intermediate knitter. This book is well worth the price.