Book Review: New England Knits: Timeless Knitwear with a Modern Twist

By Sandy Amazeen Jun 29, 2010, 18:40 GMT

New England\'s seasons call for plenty of warm knitwear, and New England Knits provides an irresistible collection of beautiful designs.Inspired by autumn and winter in New England (where the savvy knitter is never far from a sweater between September and March), the book is divided into three themes: Walk in the Woods, Around the Town, and Along the coast. Within each section readers will find a variety of flattering, wearable ...more

Inspired by the New England countryside where they reside, designers MacDonald and LaBarre present a new collection of comfortable, contemporary knitwear with a traditional touch. The three themes encompass Around the Town, Fall on the Farm and Along the Coast, each with an assortment of pullovers and cardigans meant to layer as dictated by the changeable weather. Especially nice is the lovely lace patterned Hampton Cardigan with enough substance to be durable yet simple enough for beginners to follow, that is knit in one piece so there is no seaming. The Whale Watch Hat is a cute nod to the growing interest in whale watching along the coast with three rows of little whales set in a wave pattern. Although the Fairfield Sweater is shown in a solid color, the construction just cries out for self-striping yarns to show off the cuff-to-cuff top portion set atop a garter stitch body worked from the bottom up.

The clear, cookbook style instructions are augmented by full color photography, often with close-ups of the detail work and especially nice, are the schematic drawings which allow for easy alterations. The comprehensive glossary located at the back includes a broad collection of basic and not-so-basic techniques along with a list of yarn suppliers. While some of the patterns add unnecessary bulk around the waist, hips or just below the bust, (and what woman doesn’t want that!), the majority are nice, simple garments with just enough interest to engage the knitter and delight the wearer.