Customer Reviews

Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really like this book. It's been on my wish list for a while and I picked it up at a local bookstore this week. While I have yet to knit anything at all from it, I bought it for the stories and for the author's presence and personality that dominate the book.

The author has suffered with lupus and Crohn's disease for 16 years and has spent much of that time observing, journaling and responding in a compassionate and caring way. I believe that these shawls are the results of her kind and caring nature and her attempts to bring love and healing to a world that isn't really a kind or safe place to live. She uses knitting to express her empathy for others and to capture treasured memories. It's a lovely, lovely way to use knitting and the author infuses the text with her love of life and her love of people.

The designs are not necessarily unique or original, as she uses many patterns from Barbara Walker and the construction of a circular or half circle shawl is not new, but the idea of creating the shoulder hugging yoke with a different lace pattern than the body is certainly noteworthy. On the whole, the designs are really pretty, especially when shown off on pleasant looking models and laid out in their full circle form on a neutral background. The directions are accompanied by charts and the whole feel of the book is that of having your own personal knitting instructor sitting beside you. There is a very nice section on shawl construction and the reasons for casting on with a double strand--something I've never done myself. Gorgeous photography tops it all off. I am a little concerned that the binding may give way eventually. We'll see.

The patterns are graded by difficulty and the reader is encouraged--again by a personal story--to begin with the simplest and work up to the more difficult. Each and every pattern, regardless of ability level, will produce a satisfying and beautiful garment, if the author's prototypes are true to form.

I highly recommend this book, not because of the dead accuracy in the directions, and not because of the innovative designs, because I can't speak to those issues yet. I highly recommend this book because it lives up to its title. I felt "wrapped in comfort" by just reading the anecdotes, looking at the lovely shawl designs and by taking a look at the author's own story and face in the back. I highly recommend this book because I felt inspired to knit in order to bring whatever bit of peace and caring I can bring to people living in a hard and cruel world. I highly recommend this book because I want to be associated with people, like the author, who value people, love life, and their knitting reflects that. This book is one of very few that have challenged my reasons for knitting.

Thank you Alison Jeppson Hyde for a lovely contribution to my knitting life. I look forward to knitting your shawls and meeting you in person some day.

The 12 shawls are all done the same way making a lovely well fitting half circle shawl. Also included are 4 lace scarves. Each pattern includes written instructions and helpful charts. Each yarn has its class number but most of them are the thin lace ones. Each shawl is graded by difficulty. The author mentions where the pattern came from (usually Barbara Walker). Photos in color and good print plus binding that seems ok as this is a large paperback. I can't decide which one to make first as they are all very lovely. Highly recommended to all knitters but especially for those doing lace shawls. I wish the author good health so she can continue with another book. Knit on.

FYI, I am a friend of the author, who happens to be the nicest person you will ever meet :-) But, I also happen to really like her first book. She did an extremely good job with the instructions and basic knitting information, as well as giving you information on how to design your own shawl. I am the type of knitter who very very rarely knits from a pattern, hence I don't buy many books, but I wanted to make enough of these shawls that I bought this one. My personal preference is for lace that uses a tighter guage, but she provided enough information that I can adjust her patterns. The shawls are wonderful and the stories are icing on the cake!

There are lots of things to love about this book. One of the important ones, for me, is the clear layout. Every shawl has 4 pages: 1 full-page colour photo of the shawl worn by a model, a 1-page story that explains the inspiration for the shawl, 1 page of clear, written instructions, and 1 page of charts plus a colour photo of the shawl spread out flat, as if blocking.

Every shawl is beautiful, and knit from the neck downward, so that you can simply stop knitting when it's long enough. I especially like the unique shape of the shawls - think of Pacman, i.e. a circle with a slit that goes to the center. This shape makes for a lovely drape, easy wearing as it does not slip off the shoulders, and, unlike circular shawls that need to be folded over for wearing, all of the knitting work shows.

I love this book. Yes, it is all wraps. However, they are all practical. I also have Victorian Lace Today, which is a gorgeous book, and a great coffee table book, but it's not so practical for me.

With this book, the shawls are all made in a semi-circle, so it's very easy to fasten them with a pin, so they are wearable and comfortable. Plus capelets and capes are very much in fashion right now. And the patterns are ALL beautiful and elegant without being so difficult you get frustrated. Plus I think they make wonderful gifts. I will probably make every pattern in the book, a few for myself and the rest for friends.

My only problems - her classification for yarns is a bit squirrelly. I went by the yards/oz. instead of the category she gives. Trust me, you will want to substitute your own yards for many of hers, since some of the ones she shows are no longer available or very expensive.

I am still giving the book 5 stars, which I normally never thought I would do for an all-shawl book. But the patterns are great, and I loved the accompanying stories. This is a keeper.

My only caveat - if you are not sure you would like to make shawls, try to look at the book before you buy. Just to make sure...

A lovely book of patterns for lacy shawls that envelope you. The construction method is interesting and involves a yoke that helps keep your shawl in place. There is something for everyone, from the beginning lace knitter to the experienced knitter who wants a challenge. Most important, the instructions are clear and easy to understand, an important factor in lace knitting regardless of experience level. I've seen a few of the finished shawls in person and they drape wonderfully. The author has included a bit of a personal story as background to each shawl and scarf in the book and these anecdotes are the weakest link in an otherwise excellent book. Some of the stories work very well but more than a few seem like as stretch - one gets the feeling that the author pushed herself to come up with some background tale just for the sake of literary consistancy. She needn't have stretched it - the patterns stand well on their own merit.

As a knitting teacher, I am very pleased with this book. I've liked Alison's designs for awhile, and this book is a wonderful collection. More than that, though, her explanatory section in the front is very well-written, and her patterns are easy to follow. I will definitely use this for the next lace shawl class I teach.

As a fan of the author's website (now a blog)for years, I was thrilled to learn she was writing a book. Alison writes the most beautiful stories, with knitting just as beautiful to accompany it. These shawls are all semi-circular, with patterns which highlight the yarns used. The stories alone are worth the purchase price; the shawls are gorgeous. Many of the patterns are written in two different sizes or lengths, so knitters uneasy with pattern alteration won't have to worry. If you like lace shawls, you need this book!

This book has some of the most BEAUTIFUL shawls. I saw some of the pages over at the knitting site "Knit Picks". That's when I fell in love with it and just had to order it. You won't be sorry.

While the book sounded interesting and has received good reviews elsewhere, I found that the patterns are pretty much the same and on a large person such as myself, would make me look huge. Still, I can glean the patterns for use on other lace shawls so all is not lost.