Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns: Cashmere*Merino*Silk (Hardcover)

by Linda Morse (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Into the mix of the usual knitting books enters a refreshing new collection, focused on luxury (and, yes, expensive) fibers for needling. At first glance, there are at least two reasons for purchasing this book (other than knitters' lust)--traditional designs with a spin (ever fashioned a mink-trimmed cashmere cape?) and loads of knowledge about the yarns. Although the more than 20 patterns are, for the most part, classically styled, the distinction Morse makes is the background information on cashmere, merino, silk, and blends. Every subject from history and manufacturing to "watch outs" at retail is featured, often with ready-to-drool-on photographs of faraway places in Australia, China, Italy, and Tibet. Morse, a former high-tech executive transformed into the owner of a chichi Manhattan knitting boutique, proffers a third reason to buy: passion for and transfer into a third career. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

The owner of New York City's premier knitting boutique--String--takes knitters on a tour of the world where superior fibers are found and woven into luxury yarns.

The softest cashmeres, sensuous silks, fine merino wools...Knitters are inevitably drawn to the look and feel of gold-standard yarns found in a Gucci sweater or a Zegna suit. Now they're invited on a superbly photographed journey with knitting aficionado and entrepreneur, Linda Morse, to the regions of the world where luxury yarns were born. Meet the shearers and spinners of Ireland, Asia, and Italy. Go back in time to when Spain's king wore Merino underwear in testament to its wonderful feel--and breeding secrets were national treasures. Find out how prized textiles are manufactured, from raw fiber to finished product, and why one fiber is more precious than another. Detailed fabric characteristics and valuable tips on care and handling included.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sixth&Spring Books (October 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931543860
• ISBN-13: 978-1931543866
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #630,449 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Extravagantly disappointing, July 19, 2006

By	Autodidact (San Marino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

There is some info in this book I haven't seen elsewhere about the sources for these luxury fibers, their history and care, etc. This part of the book reads like a travelog, with nice pictures of goats on the steppes and silkworms. The author has strong opinions about what brands of yarn you should buy, and coindentally, they are all sold at her shop.

But people don't buy books like this for the history lesson. They want good patterns. These patterns are a joke. At least, I think they are a joke: with this style of photography, you can see every eyelash on the model, but you can't see more than six inches of the garment. For expensive yarns like this, you want either classic styles that flatter, or interesting knitting, or both. Here you get neither. Garter stitch pillows. Yawn. And do you really want to invest in 23 balls of Italian cashmere yarn to make a plain stockinette stitch poncho accented with MINK???

I like to splurge on luxury yarns from time to time, but I won't be making any of this stuff.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource, November 14, 2005

By	Knits a lot - See all my reviews

The three chapters in this book talk about everything from where the raw fiber comes from and how it's processed to how to knit with it and how to buy the best quality yarns. The pictures in each chapter are incredible, like a National Geographic. And each chapter has patterns for that particular type of fiber, designed with each fibers' characteristics in mind. The cashmere cape with mink trim is stunning, and the baby items are so cute.

This book is more than just a pattern book because of all the information in each chapter. I think it's a must-have for any serious knitter, and a beautiful book to flip through even if you don't knit.

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice book.., February 20, 2009

By	M. Lutsar (Estonia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

..to anyone interested in knitting. I bought it in order to find more information about the fabrics, but the book really is more for those interested in knitting techniques.