Customer Reviews

Inspired to Knit

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

 

 

I was completely blown away by this book. Her designs are a vision of romance and elegance. I want to make almost every single one, a rare occurence as most knitters know. She also gives guidance for designing patterns yourself in a conceptual way but I do not know if I could ever equal her exquisite creations. The yarns are also listed with their cyca weights so substitutions should be much easier. Instantly became one of my favorite books. Classic romance a la Lauren by Ralph Lauren or Laura Ashley. Vintage Beauty!!!! Also, there is a realistic size range. Bust measurements can go from XS to 2X-3x so the patterns should be accessible to more people.

When I first saw the "Lily of the Valley Shrug" I knew I had to have this book and I was not let down. After viewing all her lovely knits, it was hard to decide what to knit first... from the snowdrift cardigan and the winter wonderland coat to the victorian lace blouse and the pieces de resistance "Wedding Ensemble" which deserves a glowing review in itself.

The yarn choices are endless and run the gamut from #10 crochet cotton sleeve trims to super bulky wool! From gorgeous silks to luscious alpacas, cotton blends, yes, she has it all. Some of the designs use two or more different wt yarns in the same design, adding just that extra touch.

Challenging??? Yes, but who doesn't like a little challenge? I am going for it and will enjoy the whole trip and what a trip it is!!!!

I wanted to knit myself a winter coat, but was having trouble finding just the right pattern. One day in my local yarn store I saw this book and flipped through it. When I saw the Winter Wonderland Coat I knew I had found my pattern and it was worth the price of the book just to have it. Once I got the book home I was delighted to discover that in this book I had so much more. All of the patterns are so beautiful and the design ideas are truly inspiring. Before buying this book, I never would have considered designing something of my own, but now I am sure that I will. I am making good progress on my coat and it has been a delight to knit. Sometimes with a larger project boredom sets in and I find a need to work on something different to give myself a break. This coat has so much variety that I never get bored...rather I am always anxious to get back to it. And now I won't mind when the weather turns cooler!

I was looking for a such a book for a long time but than I gave up and the book "found "me by itself, when I did not expected it. I read the reviews of this book and they were not convincing me very much but I saw somewhere the picture of the wonderland long jacket from this book and I decided to buy it just for this project. What a surprise! The book is wonderful, the projects are so nice and exclusive I have marked three of them already to prepare the yarn and begin to knit... I love the design workshop, it is so inspiring and helpful. I can just sit with this book and enjoy every page of it without the knitting part, and it also is a pleasure. Should be in every knitter's library, no doubt.

This is a wonder book for knitters of all levels: thinking about moods you want to create for various seasons and then giving actual patterns that illustrate those moods. First you create a mood board. This is brilliant! For years I have kept notebooks of ideas but those have covers; this is making panels of various colors and shapes and then putting them up on a wall and LIVING with them. Over and over again you look at the board and new ideas emerge.(I do this with quilt design.) Your mind expands and you see new possibilties for the cardigan or the jacket. Orne's ideas are invigorating. Knitting has gone beyond technique to art.

I have lately found myself disappointed with designer knitting books. There just seems to be a single statement in each book, and there hasn't been a real effort to involve the knitter in adding their own style. This book overcomes those concerns, and I find myself building on the design ideas already. Some really wonderful new techniques, like dropping stitches in cabling that are really gutsy (I bet I'll feel as good about doing that the first time I try it, as I did about cutting my first steeks! Yeeks!)
I am not usually a fan of large gauge knitting and especially large gauge color work, but here that opinion has had to be revised. i see it working perfectly in the intarsia jackets, and am eager to get going. There is something in here for everyone, and I like the teaching without lecturing. that is true inspiration, and this book is one of the golden ones on my shelf

I bought the book for one single reason: The beautiful cardigan on the cover. I do not regret my purchase but want to point out that the zipper does not look so good where it meets the collar, almost like an afterthought. Also, the cabled part of the sleeve is sown to the upper sleeve in a way which makes the sleeve sag just a little bit. Neither of these issues is visible on the cover page given how the model poses, but it's obvious from the photographs inside the book.
Ah, well...it should be possible to improve both zipper and sleeve joints with a little bit of thought and effort. I WILL have this cardigan ;-)

I also thought the design workshop was on the thin side (only 8 pages). Other than that, it's a great book. I concur with most of the five star raters on these pages. Some beautiful and unusual designs, clear instructions, nice pictures, nice quality paper, inspiring, and so on. If you like romantic knits, I certainly recommend this book.

If you prefer more subtle, classy knits, I recommend "custom knits" by Wendy Bernard instead. This book also contains more information about the technical aspects of making one's own designs.

This is an excellent book for the advanced or adventurous knitter. The layout is gorgeous and the author gives a good deal of detail about how she reached her decisions about her designs as well as how to knit them. Do yourself a favour and buy this book! Even if there is nothing to your taste (unlikely) it will inspire you to come up with your own stuff.

This is such a wonderful book.
I bought it to knit myself a little sweater to keep me warm in the air conditioning.
This book has several patterns that are beautiful and perfect for just that need!

I bought this based primarily on the multi-starred reviews and now I feel compelled to contribute a dissenting opinion. These styles are, for me, very romantic, traditional, hyperfeminine, a bit countrified, you get the idea. Not bad necessarily, but not for everyone. If you like the edgier, more modern, more urban styles, keep looking.