Customer Reviews

Arans & Celtics: The Best of Knitter's Magazine (Best of Knitter's Magazine series)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The decision for many buyers on whether to buy this lovely trade paperback may well rest on how long you've subscribed to Knitters Magazine and just organized you are. This book is another in their series of "best of" books and it includes over 30 beautiful sweaters. However, they only took patterns out of eight issues (16, 40,44,46,48,51,56,and 60). So, if you've subscribed since the mid-90's (as I have) you probably own most of the patterns already. Still, I plan to keep my copy for the sheer convenience of having so many patterns in one place and the knowledge that all the quirks should be fixed for these often complex patterns.

If redundancy isn't an issue for you, A&C is a very appealing collection of patterns. The format is similiar to the magazine including charts rather than line by line written instructions. There are numerous sidebars with very handy instructions. The look of the sweaters is essentially equally divided between the traditional and modern takes on traditional techniques.

While probably half the sweaters are basically unisex, the breakdown based on the gender of the models is as follows: women - 2 turtlenecks, 8 crew necks, 7 cardigans, 2 vests and 2 looks I can only describe as "other." Men are featured in 3 crewnecks and 3 vests. Children's looks are 3 crewnecks, 1 cardigan and 1 vest.

This isn't a book for beginners. Only 1 pattern is described as "easy+." The vast majority are described as intermediate with 5 advanced/expert sweaters.

21 sweaters call for medium weight (worsted) yarns with 7 light weight yarn sweaters and 6 bulky yarn sweaters. Needle sizes reflect this distribution with all but 4 of the sweaters being knit on needles within the US size 4 to 8 range.

Bottom line: Not a must have book for every knitter, but a worthy addition to your shelf if you like cables and texture knitting

These patterns were so popular that back issues of "Knitters Magazine" were going for quite high sums on Ebay. Now, after a lot of begging on the part of knitters around the world, Knitters Magazine and XRX Press have collected patterns by type from those hot issues and released them in book form. THANK YOU! Now I don't have to sift through back issues or beg copies of friends to find certain patterns I like.

There are a number of children's sweaters in the thickly-knit Aran style that are especially appealing, and many other knits including for MEN, who are sadly neglected in many other publications. If you longed to get your hands on some of the back issues for the Aran style knitting, this is a great resource. Note: Aran knitting is by nature complex though not impossible. This is probably best for middling-experienced knitters who have tried patterns with crossed, cabled and twisted patterns before. But not impossible even for a beginner who is determined. Hint: Swatches of the patterns help, and it helps to visualize the layout of the different stitches from a "top down" viewpoint as well as row-by-row.

I just finished knitting the "Sensational Shirttail" from this book, a v-neck aran cardigan. The design appears complicated and is rated intermediate, but it was truly easy to follow the very clear instructions. Everyone who has seen it loves it and is astonished that I, a novice knitter, actually did it all myself, and in less than three weeks! I am ready to begin others sweaters from this book, just trying to decide what colors and types of yarn to use. Oh, another great thing about this book is that it gives you the yarn weight used in the original pattern and the yardage, as well as the needle sizes, so you can adapt to your choice of fiber. I knitted my sweater in a chunky weight cotton, and I couldn't be happier with it. There are so many other beautiful patterns in this book, I'm sure it will appeal to just about every knitter.

After repeatedly checking this book out from my library I am glad that I bought my own copy! I was hesistant since I've been a Knitter's subscriber since 2000 and do have a few issues from before that from Ebay. But after some research I found that 17 of the 30 patterns I did not have in my magazines, and 12 of the best were from the two oldest magazines (K16 and K40) which form this book compilation.
It is true, you will not find whatever body/armhole shaping that is currently in vogue in these designs. You WILL find cable designs varying in difficulty that are a joy to knit and large charts that pose no eye-strain with easy to understand cable symbols. In addition, for those interested in different construction techniques, there are a couple pullovers knitted in the round (one of which involves steeking), a sideways knit, and a top-down aran with saddle shoulders. There are helpful knitter's tips in the margins (such as grafting a garter stitch underarm seam) when needed. Also some gorgeous close-ups of the cable details! For those who wish to modify the boxy drop shoulder look of some of the sweaters, it looks like it would not be difficult to adjust these designs for a square inset or fitted armhole. All in all, I highly recommend this book if one does not have the original magazines.

This book includes a variety of sweater and vest patterns for men, women and children using different types of yarn. The majority of patterns are for women. The sweaters all include some type of aran/celtic pattern and many have cables. The patterns are suitable for intermediate and advanced knitters. There are colored pictures of each project and detailed charts where necessary. The book includes some knitting "tips" for various project to help the less advanced knitter. There are several sweaters in the book I am considering knitting. I am working on my first project and so far the instructions are easy to follow and seem accurate. I would recommend this book as a good source to someone who is interested in knitting this type of sweater.

I recently bought an armload of the prettiest fuschia pink Debblie Bliss silk aran yarn, and had been waiting by my mailbox with much anticipation for my new aran pattern treasury to arrive to put my sassy pink yarn to good use. Alas, what was advertised and what arrived were two different things: for starters, none of the patterns in this book look the slightest bit "aran."

This book contains a variety of progressive celtic braids and anglo-saxon knaughts, but if this were what I was looking for, I would've purchased "Viking Knits" (yes, this is a real book) instead. Gone were the popcorns, baubles, and cables many of us associate with the aran sweters grandma knitted for us in childhood, or relatives lovingly returned with from holidays in the British Isles.... Instead, these seem to be replaced with intricate sweaters that are intricate-- well, solely for the sake of being intricate. These knits aren't pretty, they're "clunky," and many of them look as if someone simply borrowed a few creations from Cliff Huxtable's wardrobe, dropped them into a vat of bleach, then replaced all the clashing patterns and hideous colors with knitted features and topography to re-create the original cacaphony of creativity.

Many of these items feature "sack" shaping, with ribbed necklines, ribbed hems, and wribbed sleeve openings. Think Mr. Potatohead in a cotton-woolblend with braiding, and you have the standard creation from "Arans & Celtics." Granted, any intermediate knitter can change such minor finishing details, but I'd only be willing to change those touches were the patterns worth knitting in the first place! As it was, I took the book out, flipped thru, & realized that, if I were to knit a single item, the only person I could even consider giving it to with a straight face was my 80-some-odd year old grandmother, and lord knows, she's not going to be into wearing my Debbie Bliss fuschia! I kinda had something for myself in mind with that find, and was looking to do a traditional aran-- with rolled necklice, open sleeves, and an un-clingy hemline-- with a twist of bright color and silk-blend yarn. As it was, there wasn't a single pattern to work something like this from, nor was there a single celtic-work knitting pattern I could borrow and customize.

Needless to say, highly disappointed, esp given the cost. I'm packing it back up and sending it back as soon as I finish this review! I'll be checking out modifying a celtic/ aran I saw in the "Knits for Men" book and seeing what I can't do to make that one workable for a small-ish woman's frame instead!

What I love most about this book is that these are sweaters that are not your typical sweater (personally, I don't think it's worth knitting an average-looking sweater that you can purchase in the store for $20-$30), yet they are not trendy and dated looking by next year, either. Many of the books out there now that I've looked at contain more trendy styles that will be gone soon.

I'm an experienced knitter (15 yrs.) who's fairly new to cables and looking for a challenge. This was it. It is definitely not for the newbie knitter. If you're experience and are looking to make a timeless sweater for yourself or as a gift, this is a great book.

Anyone who likes to knit arans or guernseys will love this book. It is put out by Knitters Magazine Press, the most reputable knitting press out there.

I drooled when I first saw this book and couldn't wait to begin a project. I have made the 'Guernsey Guys' and found the instructions clear and accurate. Though I generally hate to use charts, these were easy to transpose into written directions and I had no problems with my project.

There is something in this book for everyone: male or female, child or adult.

The three questions I ask myself when I purchase a knitting book are:

1) Are there projects in this book I want to make? The answer is a resounding 'Yes'.

2) Are the instructions clear? Yes they are, even though they are charted.

3) Will I use this book as a resource? Yes, I will. Any time I want to knit an Aran or Guernsey I will refer to this book.

I highly recommend this book to any fan of cables, textured knits and Celtic designs. You will not be disappointed.

My mother gave me this book as a gift and at first I thought it was going to be just a nice knitting book to add to my collection. The patterns appeared complicated and I did not really believe they would work out as well as presented in the pictures. However, I have recently completed two patterns from this lovely book and there is no need to adjust any of the instructions. If you follow the patterns as written, the results will be a beautiful sweater that will receive many complements! The results were far better than expected.Arans & Celtics: The Best of Knitter's Magazine (Best of Knitter's Magazine series)

OK, I know that Aran knits are bulky and covered in cables. I also understand that these aren't exactly in style. HOWEVER, I do feel some buyers remorse due to the fact that I couldn't see more photos in this book prior to my purchase. After pouring over it today, I might knit ONE thing out of the book. The styles are dated, not timeless (in my opinion). I do not recommend this book for those people looking to create something close to a classic gansey.