Beginning her career as a freelance knitter, Melissa Leapman has designed her own collection of wonderful stitch patterns. Yes, there are old favorites here, but the depth of new stitch techniques and ideas of how to work them into patterns has really helped to round out my large, huge, library of stitch encyclopedias. While some lace is covered, it is not a huge book of lace designs. The world has many. They are needed, but I don't make much lace. If you want reverse stockinette, cables, texture and strong fabrication, this is a great book.