Victorian Lace Today began as a question - who were the
Victorian knitters? - turned into a quest to locate the very first
knitting books, and ended with this collection of exciting modern
day accessories
Scarves and shawls, capes and fichus - 40 patterns with
comprehensive information on history and technique to guide the
beginner, challenge the experienced, and inspire the ambitious
Jane Sowerby - violist, teacher, spinner, and dyer - began researching Victorian lace knitting over a decade ago. She lives and knits near Cambridge, England.
No. 117, Sept 07 Another large format book that seems to be aimed,
at least in part, at knitters' coffee tables. It might even be
described as a photographer's ego trip, were the photographer not
Alexis Xenakis, the editor of Knitter's magazine and a man with a
lot of experience of illustrating knitting. As an American he seems
simply to be revelling in the UK's architectural heritage whilst on
a trip to illustrate Jane Sowerby's amazing collection of knitted
lace and her research into Victorian lace knitters and designer.
For me though, that is the problem with a book that I shall no
doubt buy, but which I find is set out in a way that I do not
immediately follow. Yes, each pattern has a schematic of the
finished shape, details of the tension, the materials (in generic
yarn type as well as commercial brands) and charted stitch patterns
and the instructions are written out at the start. Despite this
information, there is nothing that shows where each of the charts
appears on the final version. I would have liked something like
'the body of this triangular shawl is worked from the point to the
wide edge and the border is then added to all three sides'. I also
found the habit of putting some quotes from Victorian authors in
quotation marks but others indented and in an italic font (the book
uses a sans serif font so that italic type does not show up very
clearly) irritating. But perhaps the greatest omission in a work
that contains so much research is the lack of an index to anything
but the projects and the photographic locations. There is no
bibliography either. However, as a visual delight, this book is at
least the equal of any other knitting book that I have ever seen
and it stands alone because of the historical research and enormous
collection of beautifully knitted and immaculately presented
knitting. Lesley Fidler
*SlipKnot*
No. 117, Sept 07 Another large format book that seems to be aimed,
at least in part, at knitters' coffee tables. It might even be
described as a photographer's ego trip, were the photographer not
Alexis Xenakis, the editor of Knitter's magazine and a man with a
lot of experience of illustrating knitting. As an American he seems
simply to be revelling in the UK's architectural heritage whilst on
a trip to illustrate Jane Sowerby's amazing collection of knitted
lace and her research into Victorian lace knitters and designer.
For me though, that is the problem with a book that I shall no
doubt buy, but which I find is set out in a way that I do not
immediately follow. Yes, each pattern has a schematic of the
finished shape, details of the tension, the materials (in generic
yarn type as well as commercial brands) and charted stitch patterns
and the instructions are written out at the start. Despite this
information, there is nothing that shows where each of the charts
appears on the final version. I would have liked something like
'the body of this triangular shawl is worked from the point to the
wide edge and the border is then added to all three sides'. I also
found the habit of putting some quotes from Victorian authors in
quotation marks but others indented and in an italic font (the book
uses a sans serif font so that italic type does not show up very
clearly) irritating. But perhaps the greatest omission in a work
that contains so much research is the lack of an index to anything
but the projects and the photographic locations. There is no
bibliography either. However, as a visual delight, this book is at
least the equal of any other knitting book that I have ever seen
and it stands alone because of the historical research and enormous
collection of beautifully knitted and immaculately presented
knitting. Lesley Fidler
*SlipKnot*
Jan 07 A decade in the making, this elegant book harks back to the
1800s, when knitting for pleasure took wing and the first wave of
knitting authors made a name for itself. Those pioneers - Misses
Watts, Hope and Lambert, Mrs Gaugain - are revered and revitalized
by Sowerby, who updates their gorgeous designs, along with those in
the 'Weldon's Practical Knitter' volumes, to work with today's
fibers and sensibilities. Shot on grand location at the English
estate used in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, as well as on the
bridges of Cambridge and at stately museums, the photos byn Alexis
Xenakis do complete justice to the beauty and intricacy of the
lace. If you're a lace knitter, get one copy for the coffee table
and another to dog-ear your way through.
*Yarn Market News*
Jan 07 A decade in the making, this elegant book harks back to the
1800s, when knitting for pleasure took wing and the first wave of
knitting authors made a name for itself. Those pioneers - Misses
Watts, Hope and Lambert, Mrs Gaugain - are revered and revitalized
by Sowerby, who updates their gorgeous designs, along with those in
the 'Weldon's Practical Knitter' volumes, to work with today's
fibers and sensibilities. Shot on grand location at the English
estate used in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, as well as on the
bridges of Cambridge and at stately museums, the photos byn Alexis
Xenakis do complete justice to the beauty and intricacy of the
lace. If you're a lace knitter, get one copy for the coffee table
and another to dog-ear your way through.
*Yarn Market News*
Feb 08 Did you know that Queen Victoria was a keen knitter? Have
you ever wanted to knit a 150-year-old pattern but now known where
to start? This excellent book addresses both questions, tracing the
history of how lace-making evolved from the 1830s to the 1900s and
updating Victorian patterns for the modern knitter. As part of her
research on the subject, author Jane Sowerby has gathered together
many original Victorian patterns, and then given them a clever
modern update by adapting them for today's yarns and colours. The
result is a very successful collection which includes flowing
shawls and delicate scarves as well as some more unusual designs.
It also caters to all skill levels, so even if you're new to lace
you'll find something simple and stunning to start on. This book is
also beautiful to look at and includes many great location shots
taken in and around Cambridge. The gorgeous photos show off Jane's
designs against some wonderful backdrops. The stunning design of
the book itself combined with the wealth of historical details and
the gorgeous patterns makes this an ideal coffee table book for the
keen knitter. It would also make an excellent gift for a special
knitting friend - we're adding to to our wish lists!
*Simply Knitting*
April 08 This wonderful book has now been published in paperback
and if you are a fan of lace knitting and have not yet seen it, it
is a must for your bookshelf. The author has a passion for lace and
the Victorian women who pioneered the first published knitting
patterns. There are 40 patterns in the book for beautiful lace
shawls and scarves that have been inspired or recreated from these
vintage patterns. The book begins with a brief exploration of
Victorian knitting books and chapters based on the patterns several
nineteenth century tomes. The patterns provided are for a variety
of levels from the enthusiastic first-time knitter to the
experienced with simple but effective starter projects to the
mind-bogglingly challenging. There are clear explanation and charts
to accompany each one and there is a full technique library which
covers a variety of cast-ons, stitch manoeuvres and borders. The
entire book is sumptuously photographed with a fascinating chapter
on Jane's researches and production of Victorian Lace Today. If you
have ever been remotely tempted to try lace then this book is an
excellent companion; the author describes herself as a 'normal'
knitter before embarking on her research and with "curiosity and
determination" has created this beautiful collection of lace shawls
you see in the book.
*Knit Today*
Issue 15 This title is a must-have for knitters looking for an
excellent introduction to lace knitting. It features truly
beautiful and detailed photography of 40 lace knitting patterns. A
real inspiration, the designs are revised from original Victorian
patterns – with mistakes corrected! – and seeing the way they are
presented for modern tastes and in today's delicious yarns make us
want to knit them all. Each is well graded by complexity level too
so you can easily gauge your project's involvement. Choose from
scarves, rectangular and triangular shawls, stoles and capes. The
reference section is incredibly useful too. It is a bounty of tips
and tricks, and includes clear illustrative diagrams on working
knitted-on borders, information on how to plan, design and
calculate your own lacework project, how to read charts
successfully and also handy yarn classifications and substitution
ideas. The historic background notes provide a fascinating extra
level of detail, and in addition Jane's revealing final pages guide
us through her Victorian adventure – how she went about discovering
the marvels of Victorian lace knitting and producing this
delightful book.
*The Knitter*
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