Lace Knit Shawls, Sweaters, Socks & Hats: 26 Designs Inspired by Japanese Stitch Patterns

Freyer, a prolific German knitwear designer, turns her attention to lacework in the style of Japanese stitch patterns. With this collection of more than 20 patterns, knitters can closely customize projects to their desired size with her advice for adjusting the number of pattern repeats or increases, rather than just following a given set of directions. Clear, comprehensive instructions for techniques, including those specific to lacework, such as insertion of lifelines and blocking with wires, are accompanied by easy-to-follow drawings and photographs with plenty of contrast. All designs are charted, and suggested yarns are available from Freyer’s website. Unfortunately, the book gives little background about Japanese knitting and tends to treat Japanese culture as window-dressing. Two Japanese characters that appear to translate as “wool” are used to designate pattern difficulty without any explanation of what they mean. Japanese given names are used for the majority of the projects, but all the models appear to be white.