Luxe Knits

Starred review from October 15, 2010
Luxe means different things: a Prada bag, travel on the Orient Express, or dinner at the French Laundry in Northern California. To sweater designer and now two-time author Zukaite (Luxe Knits, 2009), luxe equals knitwear fashioned of extraordinary materials like silk and bamboo, alpaca and leather. With that luxe comes lots of expertise; only a handful of her 28 items to knit are labeled easy or simple to execute. The rest demand skill not only with manipulating small needles and fine yarn, but also with techniques like cables and smocking. Yet its hard to resist the seductiveness of her four collections (thanks to top model photography from Cathrine Westergaard and airy illustrations). Why not start small with a loose linen cowl or motorcycle rib headband, then graduate to a corseted belt and lacy rectangular scarf? Not luxe for less, but luxury with impact.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)