I enjoyed this, but I got it from the library, and I'm glad I did. (I was the one who requested that they buy it, actually.)

The good: gorgeous pictures, and a nice overview. Given that the author was trying to cover the entire globe, many sections are treated superficially, but in general it was an enjoyable read.

The bad: The editing was... not great. There were places where pictures were described that weren't the pictures shown, and there were a few places where sentences were cut off. There are also offhand remarks that aren't explained, like I had to look up what a two-thumbed mitten was, and I've been knitting for over twenty years.

The book is definitely written for experienced knitters, which was good for me but bad for anyone who has no idea what the author's talking about. For example, I highly doubt non-knitters, or even new knitters, know what a mitten's thumb gusset is.

Also, some of the pieces presented were designed by modern Americans/Brits/Canadians. Why have a picture of (for example) "traditional" Japanese tabi socks that were designed in the past couple of years by Annie Modesitt, a white woman from Ohio? Don't get me wrong, Modesitt is an excellent designer, but there are good Japanese designers out there, and I imagine there are a number of actual traditional socks hanging around in museums somewhere. A lot of the pieces in this book are from modern creators but are supposedly based on classical designs, and they're presented right next to actual historical pieces. This is supposed to be a history, not a "modern Anglo-Saxon interpretations of history." That bothered me a lot. There are lots of profiles of modern designers from the country of origin, to see how that country's style has changed, but to have random photos of American interpretations seems wrong.

So it's not a bad book, but it could have been better. I'm happy to have read it, as it's inspired me to try some different colorwork techniques, but I'm glad the library bought it instead of me. ( )

Knitting Around the World by Lela Nargi is not a pattern book, nor is it meant as a comprehensive or detailed history of knitting around the world. Instead, it introduces various techniques and patterns from various countries and periods.
It begins with the history of knitting in the Islamic world, proceeds to Western Europe and then on to The British Isles and Ireland, Scandinavia and Iceland, the Baltics, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Australia and New Zealand, the United States and Canada and South and Central America. Unfortunately not all regions receive equal weight or depth; the book would have benefited from a more extensive treatment of South and Central America, Asia, and the Slavic cultures, for example.
Modern recreations and interpretations are also included, all accompanied by gorgeous color photos. Some instructions with patterns are provided for those curious to try themselves. This coffee table book for knitting aficionados will both entertain and inform.
EJ 03/2012