Books: Ethnic knitting

As any of you know who read this blog even occasionally, I am a NUT for ethnic knitting! Well, I just got a book from the library which will need to be added to my knitting reference library: Cables, Diamonds, Herringbone: Secrets of Knitting Traditional Fishermen's Sweaters by Sabine Domnick. This is a recently translated from German book where Ms. Domnick has researched the patterns, designs and techniques of the traditional Guernsey (or gansey) and Jersey sweaters from the British Isles.

This book is similar to Gladys Thompson's Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys and Arans: Fishermen's Sweaters from the British Islands or Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys but Domnick's book seems clearer and easier to adapt if you'd like to design your own "traditional" sweaters.

I particularly like (and will quote often) the Celtic blessing Ms. Domnick quotes toward the end of this book:

Blessing for a Handmade Garment

May you wear the garment to shreds!

May you wear the garment to tatters!

May you wear the garment

with food and music in every place.

As I would wish:

with confidence,

with health,

with friends,

with love,

with a grace of the

Threefold Spirit.

(taken from: The Little Book of Celtic Blessings by Caitlin Matthews)