AROUND HOME : Sweaters for Men: 22 Designs From the Scottish Isles by Alice Starmore (Ballantine Books; 1989)

STARMORE GREW UP in Britain’s Outer Hebrides island of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, and her sweaters reflect that wild, beautiful background: rugged yarns and beautifully muted colors inspired by sea and rocks, sand and ships. As Kaffe Fassett did in his “Glorious Knits,” Starmore shows a photograph of the natural-element inspirations for her designs next to the finished sweaters, placing them in a geographical and artistic context. And the sweaters are wonderful: classic Aran patterns, of course, but also striped and textured pullovers, refined vests, sophisticated cardigans, all at home anywhere the temperature sinks below 50 degrees.

Starmore may have limited her designs to masculine sizes, but simple adjustments to the measurements would make these treasures fit a smaller form. (Hard cover $25)