Customer Reviews

More Maine Sweaters: 30 Original Designs in Wool, Cotton, Silk, and Alpaca

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Great book-with classic designs. Had this pattern book years ago and gave it away!! Bought another just to have on hand--knitting a lot more since retirement!!

I bought this book because I am interested in the use of alpaca fiber/yarn in knitting. Most knitting books mention alpaca yarn only briefly, giving very vague general information. Alpaca fiber is five times warmer than wool, much lighter and as soft as cashmere. Even baby fine alpaca yarn is astoundingly strong, not delicate, as the author of this book says. It has less elasticity than sheep's wool, but has much more luster and much less "prickle". Once you knit with a fine alpaca yarn, you will be enchanted and totally hooked, as I was. Alpaca yarn is available, although rare and somewhat spendy. The demand for alpaca fiber for all types of uses (spinning, weaving, knitting, clothing design) far exceeds the supply, but the northamerican alpaca industry is growing and working hard to make this fabulous fiber more available. If you are looking for helpful information about knitting with alpaca, this book will not fill the bill.

Additionally, the knitting patterns in this book are supposedly classic Maine designs. If that is so, I feel sorry for the inhabitants of Maine. Even granting that the book was published some time ago and the patterns dated, I have rarely seen such incredibly fussy and ugly sweaters. My "favorite" was one with two huge flowers of some type worked over the, um, bosom area. One sweater and one vest pattern are given for knitting with alpaca yarn. In spite of the fussy designs, the beautiful drape and luster of the knitted alpaca shines through. The field is wide open for a knitwear designer to publish information and patterns worthy of this fabulous fiber.