No sheep for you - a quick review

Got this book from Amazon the other day - it's cheaper than getting it from Waterstones, and the yarn stores I know don't really sell anything beyond the basic pattern books (eg. Rowan, Filati, Rebecca, etc.). I wanted this book because I'm trying to distance myself from wool - not because I'm a vegan per se (erm... I'm not), but because I'm allergic to certain yarns with wool in them (eg - Rowan Felted Tweed), and also, I like the fact that other yarns may have a smaller environmental footprint. So with this in mind, I thought that I'd get the book. Overall, it's a decent read in terms of different yarns and their properties. I thought the book could have delved a bit deeper into various yarns and their shortcomings. It's a small gripe, but one neverthelesss. Like, if you wanted to say make this mosaic jumper (pictured below) in cotton instead of its orginal silk yarn, what are the factors that I should take into consideration? Or if I wanted to make Tomato Soup (below) in 100 silk instead of that particular Blue Sky Alpaca's cotton, what should I know?

There are three to four decent patterns in this book - this gorgeous mosaic jumper with lace sleeves is made from silk, and if I had the money, I'd splurge just to make this jumper. It is fab.


This jumper is by Wendy Bernard from Knit and Tonic. It definately has her sort of style. I know the model wearing it in the picture looks sort of hefty, but it's a flattering jumper nevertheless.

Alot of the patterns in the book are rather boring to knit, and sort of uninspired. I would have been happier if the book had more info on the properties of various yarns, and the substitution table could have been a bit more detailed. The book will stay in the library - for now. I might off load it soonish.