Book Review: More Lovely Knitted Lace

Brooke Nico is skilled at taking simple shapes and reinterpreting them in the framework of lace knitting projects. Her books Lovely Knitted Lace and More Lovely Knitted Lace start with basic geometric shapes, add lace and turn them into shawls, tops, cowls and other garments.

The basic format of both books is much the same, involving four basic shapes converted into 16 projects. Both books use rectangles, squares, triangles and circles as their starting point, but that doesn’t mean the books are repetitive; there’s lots to do within these shapes to make them interesting. (Check out the projects for the original and the new book on Ravelry.)

The books both cover the basic skills you need to know in order to complete the projects, from her favorite cast on (the knit cast on) to how to make yarn overs in different situations, make nupps and short rows and bind off. I’m a little surprised there’s nothing about blocking here; she mentions it but doesn’t explain how to do it.

There are lots of really lovely patterns in here. A few that I would love to knit include the Arbor Triangular Shawl, worked in medium weight yarn with diamond and leaf patterns; the Montauk Sweater, a basic top-down raglan with a bit of lace on the raglan seams, down the sides and at the cuffs and turtleneck; and the Troika Wrap, a wavy lace rectangle that can be worn as a shrug, scarf or cowl.

I’d swear there’s a picture in the introduction of a design that isn’t in the book, but these are pretty patterns using a variety of yarn weights, amounts of lace and shaping techniques. The patterns for the lace are written out and charted, so it’s great for newer lace knitters or others intimidated by charts.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 16 patterns, no skill level given (garments that are sized offer three or six options). Published April 2016 by Lark Books. Suggested retail $19.95.

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

Have you read?