Love the look of lace but fear casting it on? Allis's 20 designs for shawls, tops, mitts and scarves may be just the antidote, as she starts at the very beginning--by defining lace as a simple series of increases and corresponding decreases. A stitch glossary of the various increase and decrease techniques is illustrated with photos so knitters can clearly see how each type contributes to the look of finished lace. Another novice-friendly feature of this book recognizes that knitters have different ways of understanding stitch patterns, and so Allis provides both written and charted versions for the lace stitches used. And because even experienced lace knitters can find it challenging to detect where their stitch count has gone awry, you'll find tips for ways to read your knitting and get your stitches back on track.