Knit Wear Love (review and giveaway)
More TNNA goodies to share, this time it’s the delightful Knit Wear Love: Foolproof Instructions for Knitting your Best-Fitting Sweaters Ever in the Styles you Love to Wear from Amy Herzog.
You know how I always say I’ll never knit a sweater? Now part of that is because of my whole short attention span / that’s an awful lot of fabric issue. But part of it is also because I’ve been scared I’d make one and not love it when it was done. I’m absolutely a product knitter. If I’m knitting something, it’s because I want the finished piece. Can you imagine the heartbreak of making a whole sweater and not absolutely adoring it at the end? It would be too much to bear. But Amy’s bound and determined to keep that from happening. And I’m pretty sure, if you follow her advice, you’re going to be safe from sweater heartbreak!
She starts by helping you figure out which style you’re in the mood for (vintage, sporty, casual, bohemian, modern, romantic, classic, or advant-garde) and talking about the fibers, fabrics, and colors work well with each style. This intro totally sets the tone for the rest of the book, conveying Amy’s absolute confidence that you can do this, you’re in charge of your knitting, and you’re the expert on what you like.
Once you’re excited to begin, she makes sure you’re ready to work by laying out the technical info you need to make a sweater really fit. That includes understanding your measurements, understanding the sweater’s measurements, and knowing where and how to tweak the sweater (on the off chance that your bust, waist, and hip measurements aren’t all exactly the same as the pattern says). If the first section gave you inspiration, this section will give you confidence.
The main section of the book is the patterns. Amy’s taken eight silhouettes (pullover, cardigan, vest, cowlneck, tunic, wrap, tank, and bolero) and offered three adorable variations of each.
And if that’s not enough, each of those 24 patterns is written for three weights of yarn (sport, worsted, and aran) and twelve sizes (to fit a bust of 30-54 inches in two inch increments). It’s all beautifully laid out so your numbers are easy to find. But just to make it even easier, there are also worksheets for each style where you can fill in just your own numbers for exactly the size you’re making. You can either photocopy them from the book or download them from the website (you can see lovely pictures of each of the sweaters there as well). It’s the perfect touch to make the book amazingly easy to use.
If I ever do make the leap and start a sweater, you can bet I’ll have this book (and very likely Amy’s previous book, Knit to Flatter) clutched firmly in hand to make sure all that hard work pays off!
I’ve got a copy of the book to inspire one of you on your own sweater knitting path. Just leave a comment telling me how you feel about knitting sweaters. Is it all you knit? Are you starting your first? Still working up the nerve?
Comments left between now and the end of the day Monday, August 3 will be entered to win a copy of the book. I’ll pick a winner, contact them to get their addresses, and arrange to send yarn their way. Be sure to use a real email address so I can contact you if you’ve won (I won’t do anything with those email addresses besides notify the winner). If I do email you, I need to hear back from you within 72 hours or I will pick a new winner and contact them. Sorry, but I can only ship physical prizes to US addresses.
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