Product Description

Knitters will delight in these 25 traditional and innovative vest patterns collected from around the world and through the ages. Both functional and decorative, these wonderful projects for men's and women's vests are accompanied by folk stories and regional histories from the country of the design's origin, including Tibet, Scandinavia, Guatemala, Japan, North America, and many others. More than a pattern book, readers will feel connected to the cultures behind the projects as they bring these native crafts to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #380658 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 135 pages

Library Journal
"Knitters will have difficulty deciding which vest to knit first. Warmly recommended for textile collections and public libraries."

Cast On
"[A] collection of patterns that has something to interest any knitter."

Knit ‘N Style
"The versatility of these vests is matched only by the diversity of the patterns that adorn them . . ."

Customer Reviews

Visually appealing, but poor technically
The patterns contained in this book are visually very appealing, but are let down by the lack of care given to their construction.

In the majority of cases, the designer has not bothered to calculate appropriate pattern changes for the different sizes, but has chosen to change the guage (and therefore needle size) instead. This leads to a situation where the drape of the resulting garment can be totally inappropriate, and can lead to the waste of a large amount of work and yarn.

That said, there is a great deal of inspiration ot be had for those knitters who are willing to re-chart the designs given.

If I only had one knitting book, this is it
You know when you buy a book of patterns expecting that if you're lucky, maybe one-third will appeal? This one isn't like that; I want them all. Not only are the designs stunning - some simple, some more demanding; the attention to detail is incredibly clear - probably the best I've seen. I even learned some new techniques, and I thought I knew everything. Even the plain designs - simple waistcoats in stocking stitch or garter stitch - have that extra little something which comes from really good design. Then there are some classic fair isles, a couple of good garments using multi-colour wool for a fair isle effect. The book is American, but yarn weights and other conversion information is given. Really, my only problem is which one to do first.