New Lace Knitting: Designs for Wide Open Spaces Paperback – September 23, 2015

I am actually in the process of culling all of my craft books, so when I pre-ordered Romi's much-anticipated new book, I had very high expectations. I'm not disappointed! In fact, I'm really amazed by how many of the projects I want to jump right in to!I appreciate the originality of the designs, because as we all know, nearly every new design is based on the stitches developed over centuries past. Barbara Walker has gathered most of them, and too many designers merely lift one of these old stitch patterns and throw on a border and call it original. Romi has definitely avoided that trap. There is original thought throughout the book, and new ways of utilizing classic stitch patterns.I personally responded right away to the Talus cardigan, which cleverly morphs a traditional Hap shawl into a lightweight top-down sweater. There is almost a slight peplum feel here, as is also the case with the Bright Moment cardi, cleverly finished with the clean, slightly weighted I-cord edge. The Williwaw Cardigan starts with a sideways lace panel that almost looks cabled, thanks to easy twisted stitches.I like the tips throughout, like using a good sized lace swatch from the shawl and sweater patterns for a small cowl! That's a simple way to make an evening of swatching fun and purposeful. I also love the idea of knitting the same yarn at two different gauges, a smaller one for a hat (Virginia City Cloche) and a looser gauge for a cowl.The sweet, clean sweaters are very tempting as well, especially the cover design, the Manzanita Tee. Details like a picot hem and the smooth T-shirt-like neckband make this an unfussy yet feminine design. I have discovered that the longer I knit, the finer-gauge project I prefer. Fortunately, these designs have come into my life at just the right time.This is not even close to the total number of projects that Romi has crammed into this book. Scarves, tams, shawls, all with a special twist, really makes this lace "new".One caveat: I'm a chart knitter all the way, and while I love everything else about Interweave Press, their charts are small and difficult to use as-is. I end up getting out the graph paper and recopying them larger so I can glance at them. And I really believe that this book is ambitious enough to deserve a hard cover with a spiral binding. Just saying .Still, this one gets five stars from this knitter. I look forward to a happy winter knitting these projects.

I have been knitting Romi's designs for several years and have been anxiously awaiting the release of this book. I pre-ordered in APRIL!! This book is better than I imagined! Beautiful book, very nice size, good pictures and of course, Romi's easy to follow, well explained designs. I can't wait to try one of the sweaters! Her fans know, when in doubt, trust Romi. If you knit, you must have this book!

Very nice book with lovely designs, only drawback for me is that the designs are only charted and I'm more of a "written" knitter. Good opportunity for learning some new techniques.

This book has so many wonderful patterns, I'm not sure which to knit first. I showed it to my knitting group and they had the same reaction. The projects probably are not for beginning knitters but if you want to challenge yourself a little, this would be a book to buy. Very lovely designs for fashionable wear.

I have been a Romi knitter for about 6 years and it's been so exciting watching her designs "mature". She truly outdid herself with this beautiful book. I purchased both the e-book and the paper copy, (and a copy for a friend) I'll use the electronic copy to knit from off of my iPad and the paper copy to admire for years. The designs are classic knitwear that I think will stand the test of time. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this book because I love the pattern on the front. At first I was going to buy just the 1 pattern, but after looking at all the ones included, it ended up being cheaper to buy the book. Romi writes easy to follow patterns.

Deeply admire Ms Hill's vision as a designer, particularly her flair for giving an updated touch to traditional techniques. Each design is a gem; I want to make them all. Her "Romi's Golden Rules" have become watchwords of inspiration for this neophyte knitter to reach for perfectionism... with joy.

Romi Hill's designs in my book are always stunning and her book proves this even more! Well written instructions, gorgeous photos and mouth watering designs make this one a must for a lace knitter's library.