Folk Vests

This book is a design library and Folk Vests are frequently seen being proudly worn at the big knitting shows. The wide variety of stitch and construction techniques makes Folk Vests a great learning guide for the newer knitter, and experienced knitters will find designs that showcase their skills. The photos of the vests give good stitch detail. All the patterns give clear instruction and finished measurements. Minor errata have been corrected in the new printings and are also available from the publisher on the web. Highly recommended for avid knitters and students of knitting alike.

Cheryl Oberle returns with another book in her series of internationally flavored knitting patterns. This book is all about vests. 25 separate patterns for less than a dollar a pattern - a great value. I've had the pleasure of learning vest construction from Cheryl and know that these patterns contain the little details that will make the vests work - i.e. armholes that don't gap and such.For those of you thinking of buying the book sight unseen here are some details that might be helpful:---three traditional fair isle designs (2 pullovers and one button front)---eight single color designs - bavarian twists, the many buttoned vest (cute!); irish with the vertical x's and o's; a celtic lattice pullover; a tunic length 'bookworm' button-front; a mandarin collared texured button front; a traditional v-neck men's pullover with four columns of cables; a casual, all garter vest with a shawl collar; and a fine yarn, v-neck button front.---three vests with wide vertical bands and a single button - done in African, Peruvian and Korean colorwork patterns.---one vest with vertical stripes designed for the Nepalese recycled silk yarn.---three vests knit fair isle style but with bold varigated yarns on a black background.---two Japanese inspired panel designs.---two traditional Scandanavian looks - a pullover and a button-front.---a side to side vest with Navajo patterning (but easy to adapt to other looks).---a traditional vest with a big lace collar.Even as a person who rarely wears vests, I enjoy having this book on my shelf. The photography is crisp and the the text is clear. If you like to wear vests, that this book would be a treasure trove of projects.

I loved Oberle's "Folk Shawls" and I was even more impressed with "Folk Vests." Her first volume "Folk Shawls" had patterns for traditional shawls and stoles based on ethnic designs from around the world. In "Folk Vests" not only are the vest shapes re-created, but the textiles of the various lands are cleverly worked out.In particular, the Japanese vests look like Ikat dyed handloomed cotton, both a single direction dyed ikat and a double-dyed check pattern (Kasuri) in the traditional indigo color. The random striped vest versions could also be knit in handpainted wool--a nice use for this popular technique of dyeing.The shape of many of the vests uses the same construction as would be used with woven cloth. Some of the vests have a long version, which is a good thing because most of the vests are short. This is a problem if you are short-waisted or thick on top, as short vests are not as flattering a shape.There are other wonderful patterns that take a twist on the traditional. The Tyrolean twisted stitch vest is similar to those knit garments found in the Alpine regions of Austria and Germany but Oberle incorporates a stocking "clock" pattern on the vest back that makes an interesting "v"--not just a replica of Tyrolean style knitting but a clever play. There are several fairisle vests that are of interest to handspinners. One is done in sheep's colors (cream, gray, brown and black) and could be knit of handspun undyed colored wool. Another recalls the use of lichen dye from parmellia which gives golden tones. While the vest pattern is knit from commercially available Shetland yarn, you could, as a spinner and dyer, make your own genuine lichen dye or onion skin dyed yarn to knit this vest. The Prince of Wales' famous fairisle is also here, with a note that the colors of the vest in the portrait of the Prince were probably not those on the actual vest. My favorites, however, are an African vest in a mudcloth-like black and white pattern, and a Peruvian llama vest with a gorgeous patterned band on a rich brown plain knit vest.As in "Folk Shawls" there is a also a plain black model and notes on how to modify the various models. And husband Gary Oberle contributes his attractive linocuts to ornament each chapter. A lovely book. Highly recommended.

This is a unique gem of a book among the current glut of new knitting books. It is lovely to look at (wouldn't be out of place as a coffee table book for non-knitter perusal) as well as tempting one to pick up those knitting needles. Yarn weight used for the projects varies from sport to chunky, so whether you like skinny needles or thick ones there is something for you here.

....... and incredible design enlightenment!I love vests. They are so versatile. And this book has 25. I plan to knit every one! With every vest the knitter has the opportunity to not only do color-knitting or work beautiful textures, but also learn about the area the vest is from, the history, the culture and it's folklore. It's a knitting world tour. I have always been a fan of Cheryl's work. And especially I love all the different styles featured in this book. Designs span everything from Aran to Fair Isle to garter-stitch. The patterns enable the newer knitter to learn and grow as they grow using the different techniques. Most of the patterns are shown in 3 basic sizes, but can be adjusted up or down as needed easily. The only thing about the book that I would add to my wish list, is for the yarn *sizes* to be mentioned in addition to the recommended yarns. Unless you are familiar with the yarn recommended, you might not be able to easily substitute from your stash or use handspun. The charts are easy to read and all the diagrams are clear and easy to follow.And I have to mention the block prints throughout the book. They are beautiful! They really add ambiance that makes this book unique and special.