Erica Wilson (1928–2011)

I've borrowed this book from a friend and made the kittens in baskets quilt (it's extremely cute, and won a first prize at the fair), and currently have it out from the library with plans to knit the baby sweater with owls in contrasting colour cable. I also have my eye on the crocheted Babar puppets and some of the other knit designs - and the smocking. I can't give the book an extremely high star rating, though, because the many cross stitch patterns are some of the worst-presented that I show more have ever seen. One of them, an extremely complicated and many-hued picture, you're expected to work from a photo that is printed catty-wompus on the page; most of the rest are graphed, but the graph squares are coloured in solid so you're left guessing how many stitches are in a block of solid dark grey on the Chessie kitten. If the book had been printed in 1970 there might be some excuse for this, but by 1991 the cross-stitch fad was at its height and people knew how to produce a cross stitch graph if they wanted to take the trouble. show less

The first half of the book is great for beginners. It will help you choose frames, needles, thread, fabrics, and get you started on selecting a design. It also includes "inspirational" page showing classic uses of crewel work in upholstery, wall hanging, screen panels, and sources of designs. The second half is non-stop stitches, with a few asides into samples of stitches. Nicely written and helpful. A classic.

Though, at this juncture, some of the lines of her garments may seem a bit dated, her instructions for intarsia knitted, and embroidered knitting remain among the best I've seen. Since Intarsia knitting is slowly making a come-back, this book is an excellent reference for those looking to get ahead of the wave.

Lovely ideas for great projects but the directions leave something wanting.