This book is a beautiful and inspiring text for any knitter who wishes to truly understand their craft, specifically the art of creating authentic regional mittens. It is more than a pattern book. It helps the reader to understand a little bit more about various cultures through understanding its mittens. The designs are challenging but the author begins the book with a chapter about the basics of mitten design. As long as the knitter knows some basic knitting techniques, she will be able to learn and grow with this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the tradition of knitting, not simply "whip off a few pairs of mitts."