Latvian Dreams: Knitting from Weaving Charts by Joyce Williams

The first 30-plus pages of the book concern techniques - including a nice write up Joyce's great two needle circular method (no more double pointed needles when knitting socks!!!) This part of the book is worth the price all by itself. The bulk of the book are Joyce's designs for a variety of garments, most of which are knit in the fair isle or stranding tradition. These are gorgeous garments. It's also important to note that Joyce deliberately leaves out needle sizes and yarn amounts for these patterns. Why? Because most of the sizing is accomplished by changing needles and gauge. Her instructions on this are clear but the presentation is likely to be disconcerting for knitters who are used to conventional "blind following" of patterns. The final segment of the book is a terrific collection of charts for stranded or textured knitting. This is where the "Latvian" aspect figures into the art. All of these patterns are based on Latvian weaving patterns. The result is nice group of charts (and resulting knitting) that strongly resembles it's Nordic "cousins" but has its own sort of spice. Bottom-line: An absolute keeper for the technique and charts alone. Not recommended for novices or beginners who are heavily reliant on patterns. A wonderful addition for thinking knitters who miss Elizabeth Zimmermann's works. - Amazon review