The knitting world lost Barbara Albright to a brain tumor in July 2006; she never got to see her final book in print. And it is a beautiful book, filled with lovely pictures and Barbara's wonderful research and thoughts on fiber and knitting. She truly does natural fiber justice - from alpaca to yak, as the secondary title says - and any knitter can appreciate her sentiments about natural fiber, whether animal or plant-based, and there is even a chapter on the uses of natural plant dyes. The Natural Knitter is also a pattern book, with contributed patterns designed for the fibers Barbara describes; the patterns range in difficulty from an easy Bodacious Bunny Baby Set to some spectacular intarsia and lace sweaters (including a beautiful lace twinset designed for a quiviut-based yarn). Barbara included profiles of the shops, distributors, farms, and companies of the yarns used in the book, from powerhouses like Classic Elite and Muensch Yarns, to smaller, independent spinners and dyers like Wooly Warren, Botanical Shades, and La Lana Wools. The Natural Knitter is a wonderful addition to any knitter's library, whether a knitter of the experienced variety or one just starting out. This book is an inspiration to me, showing the many possibilities of fibers and patterns I have yet to try - I may try that quiviut sweater next!
