Þóra Greylock

I bought this book at the Knitting and Stitching show in the RDS. Obviously it doesn't have real Viking knits, as they didn't knit, but the patterns seem to based on real archaeological finds. From around the world, not just Northern Europe. Rome, Peru, Ethiopia, and many more.

I've only had a quick flick through it so far, but the author appears to break down interlaced patterns into subpatterns and types, which will probably be useful for looking at interlaced patterns in future. It's so easy just to think "knotwork", and not pay much more attention to it than notice if there's zoomorphic or spiral elements to it.

Knitting-wise, it's primarily about cables, though she does use i-cords to great effect to get out of a tricky corner in one pattern, where cables were converging from four directions. Admittedly, I hadn't studied the photo before reading that the centre used i-cords, but I certainly hadn't noticed the change in technique till then.

I don't know if I'll knit anything in the book. I'm a slow knitter, and haven't attempted jumpers yet. I primarily bought it for the photos and drawings of knotwork finds, and secondarily for the simpler cablework designs.