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Victorian Lace Today Hardcover – November 1, 2006

by Jane Sowerby (Author), Alexis Xenakis (Photographer)

4.6 260 ratings

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Within this compendium, the very first knitting books have been translated from sketchy, often-inaccurate instructions into richly-colored, exciting patterns for modern-day accessories. This blend of history, mystery, and hands-on technique debunks myths about Victorian life as it inspires beginners and ambitious knitters alike. Included are instructions for Victorian lace as the Victorians never saw it—in glorious detail, up-close and on location in and around Cambridge, England. The lace patterns progress from the first, most basic, edgings to the sophistication of "real" lace. Forty patterns are included—scarves and shawls, capes, and fichus—with comprehensive information on the tools and techniques of lace knitting for beginners and enough challenges to keep experienced or ambitious knitters engaged. Delicate and decorative, historical lace patterns are within the reach of today's knitters in this book of adventurous ideas with a vintage touch.

Print length

192 pages
Language

English
Publisher

XRX Books
Publication date

November 1, 2006
Dimensions

10 x 0.43 x 11 inches
ISBN-10

1933064072
ISBN-13

978-1933064079
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jane Sowerby is a former teacher that has done extensice research on Victorian knitting patterns and has given a series of lectures to guilds about Victorian lace shawls.Alexis Xenakis is the publisher of Knitter's Magazine and XRX Books. His photography is featured in more than 15 books, including all three volumes of The Knitting Experience. He lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ XRX Books; First Edition (November 1, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933064072
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933064079
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.81 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10 x 0.43 x 11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #830,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #146 in Lace & Tatting (Books)
- #1,667 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books)
- #1,940 in Knitting (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 260 ratings

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Jane Sowerby
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4.6 out of 5

260 global ratings

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This is why people knit

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2010

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Most of the knitters I know are drawn to knitting for the creativity of the craft. We could buy sweaters, hats, mittens for our loved ones, toys and blankies and darling baby underthings, often in materials as fine as those we use for our knitting. And we can often buy them for less money than we spend on our lovingly hand-painted yarns of squishy, silky fiber. We knit because we want to knit some love into every stitch; because we can afford to; because we have the skill and creative energy; and we knit because we have the time.

Knitting was a more utilitarian pursuit until the Victorians, who are sometimes said to have invented the leisure class, took it up as a leisurely pastime. This gorgeous book from author Jane Sowerby traces the growth of creative hand knitting of lace from the 1830's to the end of the Victorian era. During these decades the codification of knitted lace designs began to appear in pamphlets and magazines. There was no standardization of directions and abbreviations, so some of these patterns are unknittable today; but they're a treasure trove, and Sowerby has now made them so much more accessible to modern knitters with this book.

Though Victorian Lace Today is much more than a pattern book, it does contain 38 patterns for shawls, scarves and stoles that are taken straight from the pages of The Ladies' Knitting and Netting Book, The Ladies' Assistant, and other publications of the era. Sowerby knitted them up, often in her own homespun yarn, and translated the designs to modern language for the modern knitter. In addition to the patterns (all of which are charted), this volume contains a wealth of general information on shawl construction, and deconstructs the patterns in a way that makes the reader feel it's all do-able. Yarn choices are discussed in a very helpful way.

Beyond the patterns and instructions, however, "Victorian Lace Today" is a big, beautiful book with glorious photography. The shoots were done in the English countryside, along the River Cam, in London and Brighton, and at the wonderful Belton House, where some filming was done for the BBC's "Pride and Prejudice." Photographer Alexis Xenakis captured the detailed shots of the knitted pieces, along with wonderful vistas of lawns, formal gardens, and half-timbered buildings. The photography and the social history would make this book an object of desire, and then there are the knitting patterns too.

I understand that the cautious knitter should look on the publisher's website for errata before picking up yarn and needles for one of these projects. That's a price I'm willing to pay for the pleasure of owning this book and, energized by Jane Sowerby's gift, I look forward to undertaking some of the projects in it. They are a living link to a rich creative history.

Linda Bulger, 2010

3 people found this helpful

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Patricia W. McNamara

I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone interested in lace knitting.

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a gorgeous book with stunning patterns. It exceeded my expectations. Beautiful photos & wonderful history of Victorian lace knitting. The patterns are truly gorgeous from the more traditional to the very unique. I especially love the section that shows you how to take what you've learned & design your own. So many beautiful items to make. Premium Book Co is a 5 star seller. My book arrived quickly & in perfect condition. I will purchase from this seller again.

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Great history lesson

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2007

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This book was not exactly what I was looking for when I purchased it. It has great detail, however - wonderful histories, along with explanations and gorgeous photographs. I would have liked a few non-scarf/shawl/collar patterns. Also, as a newcomer to lace knitting, I was a little overwhelmed, so the patterns seemed to be very similar.

For those who love lace, Victorian things, and the historical side of knitting, this is probably a 5 out of 5. If you are not looking for only scarf, shawl, and collar patterns, another book, such as Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit might be better.

9 people found this helpful

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Bonnie Brody

One of the Most Beautiful Knitting Books I Have

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2009

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Wow! I drool over this book. I love to knit lace and this book has the most beautiful presentation of lace projects that I have ever seen. There are photographs of flower, wood, bridges and natural objects to complement the lace projects. The colors are luscious. If I had enough time in my days, I would knit every project in this book!

The projects are primarily shawls and scarves and vary in degree of difficulty. I think that one should be an intermediate knitter to take on one of these projects. As an experienced knitter told me when I did my first lace project (which I called my 'Chaos blanket'), "Learn to Count". Counting is the key to lace knitting.

I recommend this book for every lace knitter and for anyone who has ever dreamed of knitting lace. This book is inspirational and one that you will look at over and over for its beauty and ideas.

3 people found this helpful

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DJF

Lovely classic lace shawls and garments.

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2022

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I purchased this book because of one pattern -- the lace shawl/ caplet. Reading the book has been captivating and there are many gorgeous lace patterns. This book is much more than I expected. I am super happy to add it to buy collection of lace knitting books.

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is full of 40 beautiful pieces to knit, one more beautiful than the next. When it arrived I was so surprised at just how wonderful this book is. The photographs are stunning, the history is interesting, and the advice as to how to design your own shawls are a great addition too. It is indeed Victorian Lace for Today as even my hip teenage daughter admires the shawls and scarfs wanting some for herself. It will be hard to decide which to do first. I am past being surprised when knitting books have errors in patterns, I assumed this one would also. One reviewer said the book has many errors. I will be sure to look online for corrections before starting any pattern but I do this anyway with every book.

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2007

Verified Purchase

What a fabulou fabulous book. Even if I never make anything from it, it's worth it because it is just SO beautiful. Fabulous coffee table book - except it will encourage your visitors to ask you to knit for them!

Anyway, that said, I see myself making quite a few projects from this book. There are a few projects that are aimed at beginners, but a couple of intermediate designs look good to me too. Lots of really cool designs. Now all I need is time....

It's also worth it as a demystifier of lace knitting. She doesn't take anything for granted, which is great.

Probably one of my best buys for quite a while.

7 people found this helpful

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Elena g.

Calidad del producto

Reviewed in Mexico on March 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

Me encanto este libro, tiene excelentes fotos y cada uno de los dideños es un sueño.
Yo compre este libro por las foto y los paisajes y que da una explicacion de los lugares mostrados
Quede muy satisfecha con la compra

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SofieMZF

Fantastic book with great variety of patterns.

Reviewed in the Netherlands on June 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

There is a great variety of patterns. They are beautiful. The foto's are fantastic.

Christina K.

Wunderschöne Muster und sehr gute Anleitungen

Reviewed in Germany on June 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Ich hatte das Buch gekauft, da ich online viele Bilder der enthaltenen Tücher und Schals gefunden hatte, die mir sehr gefielen.
Und ich muss sagen: Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht.

+ sehr schöne Auswahl der Muster und insgesamt der gezeigten Strickstücke (wahrscheinlich werde ich jedes einzelne davon umsetzen)
+ wunderschön illustriert (Fotos der Tücher und Schals)
+ Einteilung in unterschiedliche Schwierigkeitsgrade von 'leicht' über 'fortgeschritten' bis 'erfahren'
+ leicht verständliche Anleitungen (ich hatte vorher keine Erfahrung mit Lace stricken und konnte problemlos auch die mit 'erfahren' gekennzeichneten Anleitungen umsetzen)
+ schematische Zeichnungen, um z. B. die Strickreihenfolge zu verdeutlichen oder an welcher Stelle des Gesamtstrickstücks man gerade arbeitet
+ sämtliche Abkürzungen sind im hinteren Teil bebildert beschrieben (sowohl für die Maschen wie z. B. SSK, K3tog usw., als auch Varianten für Maschensanschlag und Abketten)
+ Anleitungen, wie die Tücher und Schals nach dem Stricken richtig gespannt werden, um das perfekte Ergebnis zu erhalten
+ Anleitung, um ein eigenes Tuch zu planen und umzusetzen (mit eigenem Muster oder Mustern aus dem Buch, mit/ohne Border usw.)
+ ein wenig historischer Hintergrund zum Stricken in der viktorianischen Zeit

Alles in Allem: ein wunderbares Buch, das ich wirklich sehr empfehlen kann!

3 people found this helpful

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LauraLynn

Beautiful book on lace knitting-

Reviewed in France on December 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

I have bought several books on lace knitting and this one is full of different models to create, mainly shawls and scarves. The book is huge (196 pages), delves a into the history of Victorian lace knitters with modern versions created from models published in the 19th century and making up the bulk of the book. it's also beautifully illustrated. All patterns are chart or grid patterns only. I do not recommend this book for beginner lace knitters but intermediates and advanced lace knitters will find a host of models to choose from, each one more beautiful than the last.

Miriam Sheherazade

Scialli molto semplici e non troppo interessanti

Reviewed in Italy on December 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

Contro:
-I disegni degli scialli sono praticamente tutti come quello di copertina, lo stesso punto ripetuto per tutto lo scialle con un bordo simile.
-I punti impiegati, se siete un po' esperte di maglia, li conoscerete gia'. Potete trovare praticamente tutti quelli impiegati e molti altri in 'A treasury of knitting patterns' (che pero', ha foto in bianco e nero ed e' tipograficamente piu' brutto).
-Non ho trovato un solo scialle che avrei voglia di fare.

Pro:
-molto carina la sezione finale con un tutorial su come applicare i bordi agli scialli.
-bella l'edizione per fare un regalo, grandi foto a colori e elegante formato quadrato
-interessanti le note storiche, se e' una cosa che vi interessa.

Questo libro fa per voi se non avete mai provato il lace knitting e se non sapreste creare il vostro scialle a partire da un punto per il corpo centrale e un punto per il bordo.
Questo libro potrebbe risultare poco utile se siete abbastanza esperte da scegliere un punto che vi piace e trasformarlo in uno scialle, o se vi piace il 'lavoro a maglia artistico' come ad esempio i disegni di Niebling.

Personalmente non lo ricomprerei, anzi sono tentata di rimandarlo indietro.

One person found this helpful

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