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Victorian Lace Today
 
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Victorian Lace Today [Hardcover]

Jane Sowerby (Author), Alexis Xenakis (Photographer)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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If you don't already have this book, I don't know why. Victorian patterns updated for today's knitter with currrent yarns. I think you will find many of the forty patterns to your taste. I know I did. The wonderful thing about knitting lace is that although it is time-consuming, it is cost effective. This is the most beautiful array of shawls, capes and fichus I have seen in one book. The photography is stunning, the pattern styles are varied - this is one knitting book you should possess. Instructions are clear and the information given on the original patterns and the pattern makers is interesting. Very highly recommended.-KarenPlatt.co.uk 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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

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. 
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Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, Jan 8 2008
By 
woolcat (Canada (but grew up in UK)) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Victorian Lace Today (Hardcover)
Even if I never knitted a thing from this book, I would want it just to revel in the beautiful photography. That said, I have knitted one scarf so far, and it came out beautifully. I found the charts and directions easy to follow in themselves, but Ms Sowerby also explains the construction of the shawls and scarves so that I'm inspired to play around with stitches and make my own. I also very much appreciated the historical background.

This is one of my favourite knitting books!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Lace & Tons of Variety, Nov 23 2009
By 
Barbara "Loves to Knit" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Victorian Lace Today (Paperback)
This book is a great purchase. It's chock full of shawls, rectangular square, triangular and even circular. Most of the designs are for rectangular shawls. What makes this book exceptional is the great variety of designs. About 3 are rated as easy and the rest are for either intermediate or expert level knitters. There are several lovely scarf designs, and a fichu which is like a little bit of lace that ties around the neck. Of course there are tons of charts for tracking the stitches. At the back of the book are the usual abbreviations explained and knitting basics such as different cast-ons and offs. The photographs are wonderful, taken showing some Victorian architecture, but the focus is still on the garment, not the location. There are so many designs in this book that you'll have to look at it many times to be able to absorb them all. This book is a great value for your money with the number of patterns offered. Oh, and there are bits of Victorian history sprinkled throughout the book which is an interesting read as well.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is why people knit, Nov 7 2010
By 
Linda Bulger (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Victorian Lace Today (Paperback)
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
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