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Title: Arctic Lace Author: Donna Druchunas Publisher: Nomad Press ISBN: 978-0-9668289-7-9 $26.95 U.S. $33.95 Canada 180 Pages

Part storybook, part travelogue, part history lesson and part knitting book, Arctic Lace has it all. Donna Druchunas followed her curiosity about qiviut, the down fiber of the muskox, to Alaska. Along the way of her travels in Alaska, she was introduced to the Oomingmak Cooperative of native Alaskan producers of Qiviut products. This book is full of their stories, Donna's travel adventures and beautiful knitted items.

The first section of the book is narrative about the musk oxen, the fiber, and the production of the qiviut fiber. It is accompanied by copious black and white photographs showing these remarkable animals and the Alaskan people working with their fiber. There are travel tips, purchasing tips and little vignette stories within the story. The next section is a tutorial on lace knitting which begins with the basics of buying lace yarn and progresses through needles, reading charts and a pictorial demonstration of basic lace stitches. This section is quite thorough, even including a section on fixing mistakes in lace knitting, and will assist those who have never knit lace before in trying out the patterns in the next section. Even experienced lace knitters will find useful tips here. The third section of the book is a set of lace patterns ideally suited to using a luxury fiber like qiviut, however they would be equally beautiful in cashmere, merino or any next-to-skin soft fiber. Each lace pattern is inspired by some aspect of Native Alaskan culture, and Donna thoughtfully includes pictures of the inspirations. Patterns are for scarves, headbands, shawls vests, gloves and more. The final section of the book is an extremely useful chapter on designing your own lace projects. This section includes edgings and motifs to incorporate into your lace pattern, as well as instructions on charting your own motifs and garment construction.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for those interested in the muskox fiber, the Alaskan culture, knitting lace or any combination of the above. This book is suited to both the beginner and experienced knitter.