Customer Reviews

A History of Hand Knitting

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

 

 

I enjoyed this book but the new edition does not contain the color plates from the first edition. Why? The illustrations are wonderful and add so much to the text. Without them the book's value to a reader is seriously diminished.

Although this book is dated, its republication has been eagerly anticipated. I am sad to report that the new edition does not contain the color plates that appeared in the original. This makes the text at times somewhat difficult to understand.

Informative and interesting. Some early "knitting recipes" are reproduced.
My main complaints:
1) The dust jacket states that colour plates are included, but there are no colour plates in this book. I suspect that the plates were reprinted as black and white photos that are scattered throughout the text.
2) The text was not edited to accomodate the lack of colour plates. An example is when the author refers to "figure 7" for Charles I's light blue shirt. The figure number does not correspond to the image! The image *is* there however, but you have to look it up in the index to find it, and it is reproduced in black and white only.

There have been a number of knitting history books but Bishop Rutt's History of Hand Knitting is perhaps the most readable. This new edition by Interweave Press has a lot to offer anyone interested in textiles and knitting. From nalbinding (a Scandinavian netting technique) to to the flourishing of knitting as a guild in the Middle Ages, and later the development of silk handknit stocking that replaced cloth leggings in Elizabethan times, the history of knitting is a fascinating story of craft combined with economics. This is one of my favorite knitting history books and I am pleased it is back in print.

Not a book to read straight through, for entertainment, A History of Handknitting is a well-researched reference to , well, the history of knitting. Few people know, for example, that the sweater is a very new garment style (only about 100 years old) and was designed for and by people who made a living by fishing. Gloves, on the other hand, are quite old. As a museum educator in the field of textiles, I find this work very valuable.

I've lost count of how many times I've read this wonderful book. Along with Anne McDonald's "A Social History of American Knitting," it occupies a place of honor on my knitting bookshelf. If you are a history nut and a knitting nut, as I am, this is the book for you.

Well written and intelligent, I love having this book in my collection. The chapter on definitons and techniques is really interesting and the author was very thorough... but having said that, those who are unfamiliar with this book should know that it's main focus is on knitting in the British Isles.

Obviously, from this book, the bulk of knitting lore has survived from these areas which is a shame because most knitters are already greatly familiar with these styles. Who amongst the experienced has not knitted a cabled fancy or persisted with a delicate Shetland lace?

Mention is made, for instance, of Scandinavia and a chapter each is included on Eastern Knitting and the Americas but these are hardly extensive and serve as appetizers only. This book will not tell you about the lovely faroese shawls, so in vogue at the moment or Orenburg lace or even Turkish socks. Nor will it offer instruction on how to knit with five needles or with the yarn looped about your neck but it will tell you in which country you can find someone who does!

I am really enjoying using this book to learn about the history of knitting. If you like to know where some of the things you knit were derived, this is the book for you!

It is, alas, the reprinting which means the plates are black and white, not in color. I'll keep my eyes open for the original printing, but don't plan on mortgaging the house to get it. This is the bible for knitting historians. I can see why. He draws no conclusions, but presents an exhaustive review of knitting through the ages. He takes extant pieces, dates and analyzes them, he delves into other people's work and analyzes it, too. I've skimmed it a couple of times, and looked at the pictures several more times. But, like most of us I think, I have never read it cover to cover. Until now. I'm impressed. I'm educated. I'm inspired. Can't really ask for more than that, now can I?

I am about 3/4 of the way through this book, and it has been very interesting. If you're a knitter, you will find all kinds of history on how and where and why knitting started. It goes further back than anyone would imagine.