REVIEW: Sleepy Eyes Knits Wonderlace

Sleepy Eyes Knits: Wonderlace

by Gina House

Hardcover: 80 pages

First Printing, September 2013

Where to Find: Sleepy Eyes Knits

Gina House, aka Sleepy Eyes Knits, is back with another collection of whimsical designs in her second book, Wonderlace.  The long awaited follow up to Dreamscape does not disappoint and will have lace knitters oohing and ahhing for years to come!

"Grab a lovely cup of tea, your most luxurious yarn and your favorite needles... and open this photo album to enter the magical world of lace knitting." ~ Gina House

Featuring 13 fairy tale inspired accessories, Wonderlace is THE book that should be on every lace knitter's wish list this holiday season.  The self-published, hardcover book features over 100 full color photographs which truly bring out the beauty in each and every design.  The instructions are clearly written, and charts are easy to follow.  Each individual pattern even includes it's own chart key, which prevents you from having to flip back and forth through pages while working on a project.  Your focus remains on what you're doing.

The designs not only cover all skill levels, beginner to advanced; but also all weights of yarn, lace to bulky.  That's right, not all lace patterns are written for lace weight yarn and toothpick size needles!  Some of my personal favorites are...

• Taylor Cowl - a versatile, reversible cowl that makes the perfect fall and winter accessory for you neck.  The pattern is written for both a DK and a Bulky weight yarn, giving you several options.

• Beauty Shawl - inspired by Belle's ball gown in "Beauty & The Beast," this shawl is designed to move with you thanks to the increasing fan stitch edging.  As the name suggests, this shawl is a true beauty!

• Poison Apple Beret - if you can't guess, Gina took inspiration from Snow White for this gorgeous head warmer.  Using luxurious silk and mohair, this beret will keep any chic chick stylish and warm all winter long!

 
As with Dreamscape, I really love how Gina's personality shines through in Wonderlace.  I suppose that's a huge benefit to self-publishing your work - controlling every.single.detail. from start to finish - but it's also quite a task to take on.  Gina not only does it all, but she does it all well. Creating beautiful designs, and spreading good cheer and happiness to all seems to be second nature for her. Just look at how I received my review copy of Wonderlace... a perfectly wrapped package, and a lovely handwritten inscription inside. Gina truly is one of a kind... I just haven't figured out where she finds the time to create these amazing patterns.  Maybe she truly is a fairy tale character in disguise?       

If you enjoy lace knitting and love fairy tales, Wonderlace is for you!  Pick up a copy for yourself and grab an extra for a friend.  You can learn more about Gina and Sleepy Eyes Knits here, plus check out Sleepy Eyes Knits on Facebook and Etsy.

 

Disclaimer: Sleepy Eyes Knits sent a complimentary copy of Wonderlace to Lapdog Creations for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own.