I have been knitting off and on since I was a teenager and I have the worst habit of buying big bulky yarns that I love but having no pattern to use them for. This book was the solution to my problems. The patterns in this book are both fun and gorgeous. Most patterns for lace knits that I have found in the past were for yarns with a much smaller weight but this book gives me the opportunity to knit with the yarn I love while using a pattern that I enjoy as well. The instructions seemed clear and the photos were great at showcasing the end products. I will continue to be using this book for many future knitting plans and I recommend this book for the knitters out there who, like me, are looking for beautiful lace knitting projects with "big yarn."

This is a great resource for lovers of thick, chunky yarns! I never imagined how lovely lace is with bulky yarn, but Barbara Benson showcases the varied uses for thick yarn in this book. The photos are lovely and the instructions are very well written.

I love that many of the projects are using basic yarns that can be found in any big box craft store mixed with some more luxurious yarns, but can be easily interchanged. The patterns vary between hats, scarves, wraps, blankets and even a vest. The only thing I wish this book had were beginner-intermediate-advanced suggestions for skill level of the projects.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This pattern book is wonderful! If you love lace but also fast projects, this is for you. I was able to knit a Drunk Spider in just a single night. The patterns are easy to follow, and the book's design is lovely to look at.

These patterns are very easy to follow! The instructions are clear and direct. These patterns are also so beautiful! Can’t wait to try more of them!

I received an ARC from the author, #NetGalley and the publisher. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

When one thinks "lace", one usually thinks fine yarns with openwork that are incredibly difficult to produce. Ms. Benson proves that lace need not be dainty nor difficult to be beautiful and all those big bulky yarns are just as good if not better for lace accessories.
Ms. Zucker brings Ms. Benson's work to life in beautiful photography. A wonderful addition to the knitter's reference library.

5 out of 5 stars.

Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits 20 Shawls, Hats, Ponchos, and More in Bulky Yarn by Barbara Benson
Starts with table of contents and introduction about lace knitting and 'what if' and thus this book was created.
Basic instructions on how to read the charts and the difference between lace knitting and knitted lace. Other detailed instructions include reading a chart,
other important information. What I like is I've done lace knitting using very fine threads with tiny needles and it takes forever and too easy to drop a stitch.
I love that with this bigger larger products the end result will come much faster-true gratification.
I feel even a beginner would have no problem with the patterns in this book.
Love the sections on markers as I've had to use lifelines before. Like explanation about YO's and their purpose in the lace knitting.
Love the section on why the author choose different yarn types: how the author includes both types of yarn selections in a pattern-results will be different, thus the blocking instructions.
Fit, drape, shaping all play into swatching. Swatching using back and forth or in the round-never thought about this before-SO useful.
Brilliant vibrant colorful photos show different angles of the patterns. LOVE that there is a man in a few of them making the item for both sexes.
Pattern start with a title and bit summary of the shapes and what makes the pattern
Finished sizes, yarn, needles, gauge, special stitches which are explained here, and then instructions row by row to start and instructions for charted rows.
What I like also about this book is that it's not only shawls but other coverings: hats and wristers
End has sections on techniques with pictures and diagrams and also a list of abbreviations and how to do them and what they mean in the patterns.
Yarn resources are also noted and acknowledgements. Love visual index showing picture of the item and name and page number for each. What a super collection.
Like patterns on so many and figure they'd also look great in a baby charity afghan.
A KEEPER!
Received this review copy from Rowman & Littlefield via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#BigYarnBeautifulLaceKnits #NetGalley

I love the patterns in this book! Lace is so beautiful to knit and normally so time consuming. So being able to knit it on a much bigger yarn will make the projects so much faster, yet just as beautiful. I can't wait to start one! But need to decide what to cast on for first!

I love this book of beautiful projects! The instructions are easy to follow and I look forward to relaxing and picking up my needles. I really want to knit the Shoot The Moon Shawl.
Many thanks to Roman & Littlefield and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Rowman & Littlefield and Barbara Benson for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

I am basically a self taught knitter. My mom showed my how to hold the needles (incorrectly), the knit and purl stitch and off I went. I knit ferociously and with a passion. My mom didn’t know how to read a pattern, so I just taught myself. I followed instructions, figured out how to read charts, stitches, etc. I didn’t know enough to be afraid of a pattern. There was no such thing as too hard. Multiple colours, difficult shaping, cables, I did it all. I had no understanding of yarn, the different weights, textures, or gauge. Yes, occasionally things didn’t come out the right size, but overall it was a success. What is interesting is the more I learned, the less adventurous I became. Now I tend to shy away from patterns that I would have easily completed before.

All this to say that I used big yarn to knit lace patterns. I never knew that it was “wrong”. So it was funny to read the introduction to this book and find Benson talking about her big “what if” discovery in 2017 for using big yarn for lace patterns. If I had known it was such a discovery, I would have written this book years ago! There is a quick introduction on how to deal with lace patterns. There are some unique aspects that are useful to know before beginning. There are 20 patterns included in this book, but if you are looking for anything other than accessories you aren’t going to find it here. This is a throw, one vest, but no sweaters at all. For me, that is a little disappointing. To be fair, she states in the title that the patterns are shawls, hats and ponchos and more, I was hoping for a little of the more. Regardless, there are some cute patterns. Almost everything is done on circular needles so you should know how to join in the round. This does make for less finishing. Also to note, there a few patterns that don’t include written instructions, charts only. On my kindle version the charts didn’t show. I’m not sure why but I would be wary of that. She does offer some ideas on how to modify the patterns which is nice. For example, how to add a brim to a hat if you like that better. Nothing groundbreaking but a nice touch.

For me, I found this just to be okay. If you are a beginner or are not comfortable with knitting lace, I’m not sure this is the book to show you how. There aren’t any illustrated diagrams to help, however, there are beautiful photos of the finished product. I found the written instructions for the patterns more convoluted than they needed to be and hard to follow. I think it best to have some knitting experience to use this book or you might get frustrated. The selection of patterns are accessories which, for me, isn’t that appealing. My favourite pattern was the signet throw which was outstanding and so beautiful. For those that like accessories and have some knowledge of knitting lace but would like a book to map out the specifics in a pattern, this might be right up your alley.

I really appreciate details like "this pattern uses over 90% of the yarn" to give knitters warning about gauge, but I wish that these patterns had offered alternative yarn choices or simply said "x amount of this weight" needed. Trying to figure out which yarns I might use instead requires figuring out what that yarn is like (searching) and then finding alternatives.

Book has lots of interesting quick lace projects. Since they are knit with thick yarns and large needles, they are very quick to do. I knitted a hat from the book, Rupee Slouch. It was easy and it looks great. The pattern was easy to understand. I used charts for knitting, but they also provided written instructions. They included lace knitting primer in the beginning of the book, and some additional techniques at the end. There is also a photo key to all models int he book so they are easy to see at a glance and find what you want.
Sometimes you just need something really quick, be it a gift, or just a satisfaction of something finished.in between big projects. I would usually say to check out ravelry to see all the projects in the book, but the book is not listed there yet. Hopefully, soon, it is worth it.

I received a digital copy of the book via NetGalley

Beginning knitters looking for skill building patterns would do well enough to pick up a copy of Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits. The explanations of lace knitting and the stitches used to crate the lace effect are introduced in a clear manner and accompanied by pictures that show how the steps are performed.

Filled with 20 patterns covering shawls, scarves, mitts, cowls, hats, ponchos and throws this book is a great addition to your knitting library. Quick to knit beautiful lace projects that will be keepsakes and gifts happily received.

What a nice surprise! When you're looking for a quick knit, bulky yarn is a great choice. Add in lace and you have a beautiful project that knits up in a flash. This collection contains a nice range of projects from scarves and hats to mitts, shawls and more. Photographs are beautiful shot, showing details well. I also appreciated their choice of models - it's great to see more representation.

Thank you to Rowman & Littlefield and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very nice pattern book for the coming cool weather season. The concept of this book is lace knitting with larger sized needles and bulkier weights. The results? Quicker projects with more intricate, showier designs than you normally see with bulky yarns.

I quite like this idea and will definitely give several of these patterns a try. The hat patterns looked especially appealing. There's also mittens, shawls, scarves, and other cool weather projects and garments. I appreciate seeing patterns for use with larger sized needles (these range from about size 10 to size 13 - large but not too large), since a lot of the magazine patterns for lacey knitting are for teeny tiny needles that strain my patience and eyesight.

The introductory material was quite nice as well, explaining the concept of the book and the basics of this type of knitting. Thanks!

Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits
by Barbara Benson

This book is filled with beautiful projects and each is in the family of Lace. 20 projects from hats, scarfs, gloves, shawls and throws using chunky dense yarn, but still have the openness of lacework. You can start off with learning the difference between knitted lace and lace knitting, chart reading and knitting symbols. From there you can then read and understand the instructions for your project. As you progress on your project and find a stitch you’re unsure of, some of the more difficult ones are explained in detail how to complete. Each project includes 1 or more photos and very clear instructions and charts.

If your looking for a new and refreshing knitting experience, then this book is for you!
I choose my first project to be the Shoot the Moon Shawl. Happy Knitting!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley

Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits is a tutorial knit guide for large gauge lace projects with bulky and super bulky yards.

Recently I've been knitting incubator sets for the local preemie intensive care unit at our local hospital. These are tiny knits with 2-3mm needles (US 0-1) and fingering weight yarn. I was -really- looking forward to a quick knit project with big needles and speedy results. This book definitely fit the bill.

Due out 1st July 2019 from Stackpole books, it's 128 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. Author Barbara Benson is known to Ravelry users as vox8 and from her active youtube channel, WatchBarbaraKnit. There are 20 projects included: 12 scarves, shawls, a poncho, and cowls, 4 hats, 2 handwear projects, a vest, and a throw.

The patterns are listed in the table of contents by their designer names, and not by type of project. So"Shoot the Moon" is a shawl, "Asymmetrical Balance" is a unisex scarf, etc. It's not necessarily a detraction, since there is a visual index with page numbers at the end of the book, and also to be fair, no knitter in history has ever bought a knitting book without paging through all the patterns first. I did not check every pattern slavishly, but as far as I can tell, the book's 20 patterns are not available as single downloads on any of the regular sites (Ravelry, Patternfish, Loveknitting, and knitCompanion).

I chose Sparrow Grass Hat (p. 17) as my test knit, since I happened to have a couple skeins of the called for yarn (in acid yellow from my 'what was I drinking?!' impulse yarn shopping days apparently. I literally don't remember buying this yarn). Anyhow, a lot of the details appealed to me. The background is a rib, so there's no cuff to the hat, the stretch is 'baked in'. It's a plain shape and quick to knit (last minute gift right there). PS As the author says the pattern looks like spears of asparagus (it does!), and as we all adore asparagus here at our house, I named the resultant hat my asparagus hat. The project was painless to knit (disclaimer, this is absolutely NOT the designer's fault, but the yarn (Wool of the Andes superwash bulky) was extremely rough and felt like knitting a cactus). It softened up a lot with the wool conditioner when I blocked it... but use caution if you're knitting something that's intended to rub against skin). I know you're not supposed to use conditioner on superwash wool and the knitting police are gonna get me.. but this stuff was SUPER itchy and I didn't want to scare the folks on the bus commute and make them think I had lice instead of a scratchy hat). I found no mistakes in the pattern, and it knitted up very quickly.

I really like that almost all of the lace patterns included the stitch diagrams as well as the written instructions. This is not a how-to-knit book; it presupposes some familiarity with knitting and reading a pattern. None of these patterns are beyond the capabilities of a determined beginner, so long as you have access to some support from your local knitting guru. As an aside, I wholeheartedly recommend group knitting. It's more fun to knit together and you always have access to people who can help you if you find yourself trying to translate a 1930s Hungarian sock pattern without, you know, speaking Hungarian (yep, been there, done that).

All in all, an appealing collection of lace accessories including a fair number of unisex patterns.

Four stars!

Sometimes it can be difficult to make thicker yarns elegant/pretty/delicate, but this book provides great patterns that really covers both bases nicely. Cannot wait to make "Un, Deux, Trois", a beautiful shawl pattern.

I am just beginning to knit in lace. This book is GORGEOUS! I loved the pictures, the descriptions, and how the author came about each pattern.
I felt that the book was a great resource and I loved all of the patterns. I liked that there was a mix of shawls, scarves, hats, gloves, and other.
The colors chosen for the works were great and vibrant.
Overall, a wonderful book about lace knits!

Disclaimer, first, that I have not actually tried to knit any of the patterns in this book. Having said that, though, I have read all the patterns in this book, and found them to be clear and consice, which is important in getting the lace knits lined up.

The book is visually indexed. The patterns run from easy to hard, as most books go. And the selections are, as it says in the title, shawls, hats and scarves. Because you are knitting with fatter yarn, the projects go a lot faster.

And, if you have ever looked at a pattern and though, I like it, but I want to tweak it to be yours this book offers hints on how to do diviations.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-16-at-4.28.57-PM.png" alt="Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5086" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-16-at-4.29.39-PM.png" alt="Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5085" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-16-at-4.30.11-PM.png" alt="Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5084" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-16-at-4.30.55-PM.png" alt="Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5083" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-16-at-4.31.52-PM.png" alt="Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" />

Highly recommended for those who are getting sick of the same old, same old. And there is nothing funner, when you are in a slump, to finish a project more quickly then you thought possile.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.