Marianne Isager finds inspiration for her knitting designs from cultures all over the world, and in her book Inca Knits: Designs Inspired by South American Traditions she takes on the design sensibilities of the weavers and craftspeople of Peru.
There are designs inspired by pottery, weaving, knits and more, and projects for men, women and kids to knit and enjoy.
The Patterns
Inca Knits includes 25 patterns for sweaters and jackets, with the occasional hat knit to match a project. They include all the motifs you might think of when you think about Peruvian knitting, including llamas, cats, "Greek" scrolls, colorful children and bold stripes.
There are also patterns you might not have thought of, such as the classic star that's also commonly seen in Norwegian knitting, which just goes to show that good ideas are universal.
There are projects here for men, women and children, and many of the patterns are roomy so that they could be knit for men even though they're modeled by women in the book. Most of the patterns have four sizes, though some have more and some fewer.
The patterns are not rated by skill level but I'd say, given all the colorwork and other techniques used, that they're good for intermediate knitters and above, or for adventurous newer knitters.
All of the patterns use Isager's line of yarn, but enough information is given about the yarns that a different yarn could pretty easily be substituted (yarn amounts are given in weight in the general pattern information, but the section that describes the actual yarn used in the project gives the yardage, which is more helpful).
Where patterns use more advanced techniques such as short rows, intarsia and double knitting, explanations of the techniques are given as well as a description of how to practice before using that skill on a project.
Some of my favorite patterns in the book include Circles, which is pictured on the cover and is a super-warm, double knit jacket inspired by pottery; the colorful kids' Labyrinth pullover, covered with stripes and scroll patterns (it has a matching hat, too); Llama, a classic looking sweater covered with animal motifs sized for kids through adults; and Sucre, a women's cardigan worked with colorful zigzag stripes inspired by the textiles seen in ponchos worn by people living on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
The story of the book is further embellished with sidebars about the people of Peru and pictures of garments, textiles and other inspirations that can be seen in the projects.
Bottom Line
If you're a fan of ethnic, folk knitting and the colors and designs of South America, this book is a must-have. These projects are sure to inspire, stretch your knitting skills (and your imagination) and keep you warm.
The book is sure to provide readers a deeper insight into where knitting designers get their inspiration and how that translates into finished garments; a good lesson for designers and knitters who would rather follow a pattern alike.
Publication date: September 2009
