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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful projects from a beautiful yarn, May 7, 2006
Morehouse Merino is a beautiful yarn--soft, thick with that roundish stitch you only get from this fine fibered, tightly crimped soft wool from the Merino sheep. Merinos, developed in Spain, were so valued that it was a capital crime to take a breeding pair out of the country. Someone did, however, and haha, lo and behold, the French developed Rambouillet sheep and the secret was out. Even today, Merino is the king of wools. Soft and light, it makes garments that can be worn, without itching, next to the skin.
Morehouse Farms provides 40 patterns in this book to go with their wool. The patterns are for the most part rather basic. There are pillows, kids' clothes, hats, mittens, vests and sweaters. The photos are large, colorful and very nice to look at.
If you want to find production patterns that would suit your own handspun merino or Morehouse or similar wools, this is a great book. Many of the patterns would make easy to knit but popular items for Christmas gifts, or just household knitting. If you want easy patterns for you family, this book is very good.
If you are looking for style or advanced knitting technique, this is NOT the right book for you. Some people, including myself, were a bit disappointed in the patterns. If you are an advanced knitter or experienced in using the design-it-yourself systems of say, Elizabeth Zimmermann or her daughter Meg Swansen, you will not need this book, unless you collect knitting books with nice photos, which this certainly is.
For basic, useful patterns for socks, vests, and other items, and for those who really love Morehouse yarns and like to look at a pretty picture book, I highly recommend "Morehouse Farms Merino Knits." If you are already somewhat experienced as a knitter, you probably will be somewhat disappointed.
Suitability:
A good gift book for a starting knitter with some yarn to do one of the projects.
Beginners
Moms and Dads who knit for their kids
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Average - I expected more, April 30, 2006
Let me start by saying I feel my standards from knitting books have risen a great deal. No too long ago I might have rated this book higher but after just reading "Mason Dixon Knitting", "Knitting Nature" and "Knitting Rules", I expect more, much more. "Morehouse Farm Merino Knits" just didn't deliver what I was looking for. I expected better designs, better instructions, better antedotes and better pictures. I just expected more bang for my buck and it wasn't delivered.
Not that I didn't find the information about how the farm came to be and the information about the merino sheep interesting but I wanted more. The wool looked so beautiful in one picture, but the sweaters and hats designs were too simple and uninspiring - hardly farm fresh. In fact the designs seemed a little stale, not worthy of the yarn.
The book might be okay for beginners, but I won't recommend it because I believe new knitters need to be inspired to stick with this craft. So this is my final word - if you have a passion for sheep and you want a book with some basic knitting patterns, this is your book. I was looking for a bit more that's all.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You're going to want this one!, May 10, 2006
In the sea of recently published knitting books, Morehouse Farm Merino Knits: more than 40 farm-fresh designs quickly separates itself from the flock with its opening line: "Morehouse Farm began with a voodoo chicken." An opening like that is difficult to live up to but while the patterns that Margrit Lohrer offers are simple, the book itself and its reasons for such simple patterns hold up admirably to that first sentence.
Morehouse Farm is well known for the sumptuous merino yarn they produce. This collection was designed by Lohrer to highlight the inherent beauty of merino yarn by designing to play to its strengths. Merino is one of the oldest breeds of sheep and has the finest wool, due to its tightly crimped and springy nature, making for finer, softer, and itch-free garments. As the author: "None of the patterns are particularly challenging, but all will yield attractive and functional knitted items...The patterns in this book are a starting point. Be creative...Knit what you want, the way you want it to look, feel, and wear."
The patterns are divided into five sections: home, lace, children, accessories and sweaters. While Lohrer does specify which of her yarns to use for each pattern, weight and gauge information is provided so that knitters can substitute other yarn as desired. The patterns, while basic, are great foundation pieces that will provide years of knitting and leave room for individual creativity.
Armchair Interviews says: Lohrer's introduction, scrumptious photos and in-depth details about Morehouse Farm make Morehouse Farm Merino Knits a worthwhile addition to any knitter's library.
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