CogKnition

Book Review: Inspired Cable Knits

July 25th, 2006 | View Comments

Cover of Inspired Cable Knits

Author: Fiona Ellis
Publisher: Potter Craft
Rating: 5 Skeins
Buy Inspired Cable Knits on Amazon.com

When I first got Inspired Cable Knits, I couldn’t stop leafing through it. This book sat on my nightstand for days, and every night before going to bed, I would page through it, stopping to admire the unique cablework and the elegant design in virtually every project in this book.

The only thing that stopped me was that a friend borrowed the book right off the bat so she could knit the yoga mat bag.

The yoga mat bag (p. 80) is a perfect example of the kind of innovative design that’s found in this book. It is knit in a hemp yarn, with four panels of a person doing tree pose, all done with cables.

My other favorite projects from this book include the Gathering Intentions sweater (p. 42), with cables that flow into i-cord that gather and tie at the hip and wrist, the Beachcombing pillow (p. 92) that amazingly captures the look of ripples in the sand, and the Evolving Traditions sweater (p. 114) that effectively combines cables, Fair Isle, and a simple knit-and-purl stitch pattern into a coherent and adorable sweater that I can’t wait to wear.

In addition to being a joy to look at, this book also would be a joy to knit from. There are detailed schematics for every project, and every cable pattern is both charted and written out. The photographs of the projects are many and clear.

There are projects that would be suitable for a beginning cable knitter—the yoga mat bag and the Beachcombing pillow, for starters—as well as projects geared towards those who want more complicated cable patterns, perhaps combined with a little lace.

I love the look of cables and cable knitting, and this book is a fantastic departure from your standard boxy Aran for both women and men.

Buy Inspired Cable Knits on Amazon.com

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CogKnition posted this on July 25th, 2006 @ 11:34am in Book Reviews | Permalink to "Inspired Cable Knits"

2 Comments

  1. becca says:

    I have been looking at that book and the yoga mat bag is the pattern I like the most. I love the tree pose idea.

  2. Charity says:

    That looks like a great book! I was just drooling over it this week at the bookstore, but I’m still a bit afraid of cables.