Customer Reviews

Inspired Cable Knits: 20 Creative Designs for Making Sweaters and Accessories

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While I like many of the sweaters in the book, even as a very experienced knitter I find the instructions problematic. First, I would like to see a picture of the WHOLE SWEATER, front & back. Artsy little pictures of a small section just don't interest me. Secondly, since I frequently substitute yarn, I would like yardage and gauge in stockinette stitch info. I don't want to have to knit 1/2 of a sweater's front or back to find out if my yarn will work. And, even when gauge in stockinette stitch is given for a few of the projects, I would never be able to achieve the designer's gauge. For a dk yarn that would normally knit at 22 stitches to 4 inches, this designer knits 30 stitches to 4 inches. This makes it impossible for me to estimate the correct gauge for any of the sweates and makes the instructions pretty useless. Very frustrating.

Inspired designs, mostly classic with a twist or two (ouch, pun not intended). Beautiful and useful photography. At least two photos of every project. Features both charts AND written instructions for each project (very thoughtful). Author lends her meditative inspirations and suggestions for mindful focus topics while knitting each project. Includes: women's sweaters and tops (9), cardigans (1+ 1 hoodie), men's sweaters (3), child's sweater, baby sweater, a hat and scarf set, wrap, yoga bag, and stunning pillow.

I would be surprised if anyone who likes cables wouldn't find at least several designs that they want to knit NOW. But be warned that most of these designs would not be well-suited to a beginning knitter who was not quite brave.

If not for the extra credit gained by using both charts and written instructions, this fabulous book would be penalized one star due to a glaring omission. The author gives neither the complete information on the yarn used (no yardage), nor a stocking stitch gauge to aid in substituting yarn. I expect this with a yarn-company specific design book, but not in a book using yarns from a variety of sources (even if she does list the contacts for each source). Yarns can be discontinued at any time and an otherwise wonderful book with timeless patterns as these should make it easier to substitute. She does use the new numbered yarn weight system, but that is still too broad to make a solid guess.

I brought this book home because I liked a couple of the things I saw in it. After closer review at home I wanted to knit almost everything in it. Then I read it - cover to cover. This book is beautifully and soothingly written. The photgraphs are lovely. The designs are wonderful. This is definitely a keeper and I hope Ms Ellis will be publishing more books.

Fiona Ellis' debut knitting book Inspired Cable Knits: 20 Creative Designs for Making Sweaters and Accessories is a work of art that is aimed at both novice and experienced knitters. More than just a collection of sweaters, this beautiful book takes the reader through Ellis' creative process, lifting designs and textures found in the natural world and translating them into cable patterns. Inspired Cable Knits features very clear charts, as well as written instructions for those who prefer not to work from stitch charts.

For the uninitiated, cables are the knitting stitches featured on traditional cream-colored Aran, or Irish, sweaters. Highly textured stitches, they are created by moving stitches in front of, or behind each other.

Divided into four sections--change, nature, energy and time--each highlights a different theme incorporated into her designs. The section that called out to me most strongly is the one labeled "inspired by time," which focuses on the value of slowing down. Ellis took elements of the classic garments that are worn over and over and gave them modern twists.

Cable knits are my favorite type of knitting and Fiona Ellis obviously has a feeling for them. She states in her introduction that, "I love their crunchy, nubbly textures." The traveling stitches require close attention as they build a complex, highly textured piece of fabric. Most likely the fascination for me is in the mathematics required to accomplish this type of knitting. These same characteristics make many knitters throw their hands up in terror.

Ellis believes that all knitters will benefit from the journey exploring cable knits and that the focus required leads to a contemplative state of knitting and mindfulness of the entire process and organic nature of knitting. To help knitters toward this goal, she has included a "mindfulness" pointer with each pattern to engage the knitter's mind in the process of creativity.

I know my copy of Inspired Cable Knits won't languish long before I pick up the needles to cast on (begin) a project taken from its pages.

Armchair Interviews says: Inspired Cable Knits is a beautiful book that will provide many hours of pleasurable browsing and dreaming of future projects.

The experienced knitters said it all. It's a very beautiful book, but some of the pieces are kind of abstracted. I used to work in a yarn shop, and had trouble helping people pick substitute yarns, as mentioned. However, I'm probably going to have to make the hoodie in there someday... it's a nice combination of modern, simple design and form-flattering placement of cables. Plus, any publication that inspires knitters to knit cables is a good one, in my estimation, especially through such lovely photography.

As an experienced knitter (35 years+) this book should be just right for me but I was very disappointed. The graphics and print are very hard to read. Schematics are very tiny. I'm not interested in a life philosophy of knitting, but in cables. Yarns are mainly Canadian so lack of more information on yarns needed and gauge is critical and lacking.Gauge is given over the cable pattern instead. If I knit anything here, I would have to redesign each one first. Why knit the scarf in two halves? No explanation given. One sweater uses I-cord at the bottom but no advice on how to knit without those i-cords. Best projects are for little kids. Not recommended. Buy the new Szabo book instead.

If you want aran knitting, buy "Aran Sweater Design" by Janet Szabo, "The Best of Knitter's Aran & Celtics" or"Aran Knitting" by Alice Starmore, those are excellent books, this book lack originality and good information. The 'one star' is for the photographer.

I was deciding whether to purchase this book and was reviewing the patterns--I'd look at the picture and think, how the heck am i supposed to figure out what it will look like from the "artfully" blurred image? or what does the bottom look like? since it is cut off in every image. Then I'd have to look at the sizes to figure out who the pattern was for, they didn't say anything so gauche (and useful) as "child's", or "men's" sweater. But still I kept looking, and discovered the final sin-they list the numeric size of the the yarn used, and the grams of the type of yarn used, but don't bother to add the meters. Granted I can do research online and eventually find our the meters myself, BUT IT WAS IN THEIR HANDS! all they had to do was look at the skein. they will not be getting my money just so I can suffer through a badly conceived book

I bought this book for one pattern I saw with a friend. It is a nice book, the photographs are nice. But the patterns are not really stunning or special and a bit dated.

I love working any type of cables and celtic or aran designs, but LOVE CABLES MOSTLY! The more Intricate the Better! I found these designs to be very easy to follow, especially from the charts, and the Beautiful, Up Close, photos were very helpful for the visualization part. You definetely should have some knitting years behind you, this is not for your average novice knitter(unless you are a very determined one, like I was). I have already made the one shell design, which turned better, than the Photo actually!! I will definetely be making and returning to this book for more beautiful Cable Inspiration and wonderful hours of Knitting Pleasure to come in the months and years ahead! THANK-YOU! FOR SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRATIONAL COLLECTION OF CABLE DESIGNS, I COULDN'T BE MORE PLEASED!!!