A little while ago I got the chance to meet up with one of my favorite knitwear designers: Romi Hill, who I’ve been admiring ever since I was a total knitting beginner and didn’t even know which way to hold the needles and yarn.
She’s just published her latest book, New Lace Knitting: Designs for Wide Open Spaces, and I want to take a closer look at this today and share it with you.
Writing a book is always a special thing, isn’t it? There are so many different aspects to it, and it’s easy to mess up with any of these and ruin the reading experience. Not to my surprise, Romi has done wonderfully in every way – I’ve enjoyed her book so much!
First of all – the print has a great quality. The paper has just the right thickness to it, and the pages have a great touch to them. (There are surely many who’d say this is not of importance and it’s much more relevant what’s written in the book than how it’s presented. But knitters are people who like things that feel good, and I’m no different from that. I don’t like cheap paper and washy prints – if I spend money for a book, I want to enjoy it on all levels!)
Next up – the designs. I love their timeless and classy elegance and would love to knit most of them for myself. Here’s my favorite from the book, it’s the Williwaw Cardigan.
I love this combination of a classic lace stitch pattern with a very unusual and modern construction of the piece.
All in all, it’s 19 designs in the book – a balanced mix of garments and accessories with a great attention to the small details. You’ll find sweaters, cardigans, shawls and scarves, a hat and even a skirt!
There’s a lovely and very informative introduction in which Romi tells a bit about herself and how she grew into the knitter she is today. There’s endless hints and tips about lace knitting – priceless for beginners but also for those who are experienced already.
Each pattern is laid out in a clear and easy to understand way. There’s schematics for the full range of sizes and it’s like Romi is taking you by the hand to guide you through the entire process – from cast-on to bind-off. And not only this – she describes the thoughts and inspirations behind her designs in a way that turns this book into a bit of a story. You can cast on right away and begin your first project – or sit down on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and just skim through the pages, read a bit here and there and enjoy the beautiful images.
New Lace Knitting is a must have in every lace knitters library. It’s available as a digital book via Interweave and as hardcopy via Interweave and Amazon. The patterns are not available individually, but the whole book is very reasonably priced and you get “a lot of bang for your buck”. If you knit most of the designs, it’s months (if not years) of knitting fun, and definitely worth it.
Happy Knitting! ♥
PS: Oh, here’s what I love most about my own copy – a wonderful reminder of a great day I spent with Romi last fall:
Thank you for that! ♥
Mairlynd 
You are the BEST. Thank you!!!