oof, sorry i haven’t posted in a few days—david arrived in albany on friday evening and from there the weekend was a bit of a blur, getting everything in order at mom’s house so we could head home with confidence that she’d get by alright on her own.
and we’ve landed here in ohio just fine, but i have a LOT of catching up to do before my rhinebeck trip in ten days. and guess what? you will benefit from me being swamped this week. yes, i have another book review and giveaway to keep you entertained while i catch my breath. i promise i’ll be back on wednesday to announce the winner of the weekend bag giveaway and get you all caught up on our knitting adventures.
but for today . . . we have a new offering from designer carol feller and publisher john wiley & sons, inc.
in contemporary irish knits, carol explores knitting in ireland region by region, showcasing irish mills and wool yarns unique to each area.
these delicious wool products are then featured in the book’s 18 original garments, designed by the author and accompanied by beautiful photos shot by her husband, joseph feller.
carol starts us off by introducing the traditions of irish knitting—the textures and styles unique to the island and how they relate to irish culture.
she then spends a few pages discussing the importance of good fit and how to achieve it.
this is an important section to read as most of the following garments are of heavier weight and texture, therefore requiring a different amount of ease than say, your basic fingering weight cardi.
the garments included are beautifully sculpted with the textures and details you’d expect from a collection of aran knits
but updated and modernized through contemporary color choices, hand-dyed yarn selections, and a plethora of eye-catching details.
the patterns helpfully include both charted and written instructions for the motifs along with clearly-drawn schematic for a generous range of sizes.
garments include sweaters, jackets, and accessories for women, but also for men and children as well
i love this handsome sweater—it has simple lines with a single featured detail, all knit up in that smashing wild salmon colorway. so arresting as shown, but i can also easily imagine it in the gray, brown, or dull green that most men would prefer, without losing any of its handsome good looks.
speaking of handsome, the boy’s sweaters included are just that. rugged, warm, and tough for tumbling around the yard or hiking with scouts, these selections speak of a designer who knows her business. with four boys of her own, carol certainly does know a little something about what they like.
but she’s no slouch in the girls department either—how cute are these little girlie things?
omg i just love this jacket . . . or is it those apple dumpling cheeks i like so much??
as mentioned earlier, the book focuses on several regions of ireland in turn for a closer look at the types of yarns produced by each and designs that suit those yarn types.
donegal, for instance, is famous for its tweed yarns and carol takes us through a bit of the history and process of making them, then treats us to a variety of patterns using the specialty tweed in natural tones as well as updated colors.
likewise for the cushendale yarns, where we get to peek inside the mill for a glimpse of the spinning equipment and afterward, are treated to the lovely results of taking up these yarns upon the needles.
most of these yarns are commercially available to us, though you may need to search a bit to find them. not to worry—the book includes a resource section at the back to lead the way
since color is one of the ways that traditional knits can be updated to reflect contemporary taste, a discussion of hand dyers based in ireland is included as well, with patterns to show of their artistry.
and while i have focused mostly on the book’s sweater options, there are a number of great accessory pieces to knit with the yarns discussed.
ireland can be a damp and chilly place after all, so hats, mitts, shawls, and scarves are needed for every set of pockets, especially when exploring the island’s heavenly outdoors.
and well, with fall coming our way, exploring yarn through small projects can be a productive way to get used to being indoors for the longer evenings ahead.
now i bet you know what’s coming next and if you guessed that it’s another giveaway, you’d be correct! wiley has generously provided a copy of contemporary irish knits to go to one lucky winner.
you know the drill—leave a comment at the end of this post by 9 pm EST on thursday and you’ll be in the running. we’ll announce on friday or saturday morning.
thank you for your patience with my getting behind a bit; i’ll be back in a couple of days, hopefully a little further on top of the pile.
562 thoughts on “back 2 back fun 4 U”
I’m a cable fanatic and a regular reader of your blog. Can’t make it to Rhinebeck this year although I have a new self-designed cabled coat to show off. Hope you will be caught up and rested before then and that you’ll have a great time at Rhinebeck.
Oh I would ADORE having a copy of this! Hope I win. =)
I love the Salmon Colored mens’ sweater pattern, although, so true, many men would not want to wear that color. I am now very curious to know the sweater-fitting tips in this book!
I hope that your mom is doing very well 🙂
401 comments before me notwithstanding–I’d love this book just as much, if not more, for the yarn sections than for the patterns. I love to read about yarn, yarn heritage, yarn construction, yarn, yarn, yarn.
What a lovely book! For the longest time, I thought I didn’t care to knit cables, but recently I’ve revisited the technque and found I love it (almost) as much as lace. I’m in love with that shawl pattern that combines both!
I’ve been following your blog for ages, reading without commenting, drooling over lace patterns that I may even have time to knit now that I’m done with grad school. I always look forward to your new posts, either needle- or garden-focused.
Hoping the leprechauns will smile on this partly Irish gal’s luck in the book drawing!
Wheee! Irish knitting! Count me in!
Irish Knits looks marvelous. Yes, you may send it to me!
this is one of the best pattern books to appear in a long time. Thanks for doing the drawing. I hope all is well with your Mom. Jo
Cables are my favorite things! I just love the look of them – this would be a fabulous book!
It looks like a wonderful book that I could get lost in for days…thanks Anne.
LOVE THE BOOK–PICK ME PLEEEEZ!!
This is a seriously cool book. I love the photos and can see myself wearing a good many of the items. How could a book with a photo of cabled sweater and violin/fiddle go wrong?
Wow! I think that I love every single pattern in that book. The cable on the cover is just stunning!
Gorgeous knits! Love this book.
Love the book! Thanks for your generosity with these back to back giveaways! Safe travels to you and David!
My brother would love the challenge to knit cables. His daughter would look adorable in both of those sweaters. It would make a great Christmas gift for him.
Crossing my fingers!
Love the book–cables are one of my favorites. Would love to have a copy of the book.
Pat Prahl
OH! The cables!! The Tweedy texture! I’d love to win a copy too!
Love aran yarns, love cables, love warm snuggly sweaters and hats. Would love to win this book 🙂
Oh, that hat is cute! And with two boys, I’d love to have some patterns for them!
The book looks wonderful – I would love to win it! Cables are my favorite thing to knit.
I’d love this book – just love cables!
I don’t know if I could pull off a skirt knit in Aran wool, but I’d like to try. Love that cabled pleat.
Good luck with getting organized for Rhinebeck!
What a great book! I love the background on the Irish wool mills; it’s interesting to see what factors went into developing a particular type of yarn.
That looks like an excellent book. I love learning about the history and how/where the yarns are made.
Thanks for the indepth review. It looks like a lovely and informative book.
This book looks absolutely fascinating! Would love to win
Would love to get my hands on a copy of this – so many things I want to knit in it! 🙂
We have this book in our LYS (where I just happen to work). I’ve been eying it to add to my little knitting library. Hope your mom is feeling much better!
Those are some gorgeous garments! I especially love the children’s ones, and the tweedy ones!
I’ve seen this all over the internet and it looks fabulous, hope I’m lucky!
I’ve been scoping this book on Ravelry – it looks beautiful. Thanks for offering it up for (possible) grabs!
I’ve seen this book mentioned here and there – It sure looks like a good one! Thanks for your review – I trust your opinion.
That skirt is so clever!!
I’ve knit two of Carol Feller’s patterns now (Cladaugh socks and Trousseau shawl) and am a very happy knitter for the experiences. This book is on my current want list!
I’ve been drooling over the patterns from this book ever since they showed up on Ravelry! I would loove this book … thanks for the giveaway!!
I have just started reading the book ‘Casting Off’, by Nicole R. Dickson. The story is set in the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland. All I can say is, I’m enjoying the book, and to know there is a book on Irish knitting just makes me want to get it too! Those are some beautiful sweaters, made with beautiful yarn.
What a lovely book from a lovely designer.
Beautiful book! Thank you for the giveaway!
this book looks fantastic! i love the concept and the designs are beautiful!
We are looking at going to Ireland next year. I would love this book to help get ready!
I love the patterns shown in this book. Now, if time was as easy to acquire as the book! thanks for the giveaway – Hester
Ireland is so rich in knitting history. It is nice to see what modern day knitting is like there.
This book looks great! Thanks for the chance to win it.
I do love cables and the section on shaping sounds very interesting.
Thanks for the chance!
Oh my goodness, what an amazing book and a lovely modern twist to cables and traditional designs. I adore this book!
What a lovely book … I woul love a copy.
That book totally belongs on my bookshelf! Except for when its in my knitting bag,of course!
That book looks just wonderful. Love Celtic knits and knitting.
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