Booklist Review

*Starred Review* There's nothing quite so daunting for knitters as tackling a traditional English-Scottish cabled-patterned sweater from scratch for the first time. Fortunately, Brown-Reinsel has thoroughly updated her ultimate knitter's guide to ganseys (distinguished from Aran sweaters because of their Irish heritage and early-twentieth century roots, among other elements), first published 25 years ago. Several of the nine patterns are new, as is the plethora of color photographs that accompany each pattern as well as the stitches, techniques, and swatches that require visual explanation. Brown-Reinsel's fans won't be surprised by her exquisite attention to detail. Each chapter lays out the construction and fashioning of one sweater section: the lower body, pattern motifs, the underarm gusset, the upper body and neckline, shoulder straps and joins, the sleeves, finishing the neckline. She highly advocates starting with a sample doll-size sweater and includes instructions for doing so along with the full-size directions. In between are sidebars, from practical how-tos and trouble-shooting advice to notes on the fishing industry and fisher girls. If none of Brown-Reinsel's designs appeal (though the gansey dress, in particular, is hard to resist), complete instructions for individualized gansey-making are showcased. This knitter's old (and new) best friend includes lists of sources and supplies, abbreviations, and metric conversions.--Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2018 Booklist