Close-Knit Family [Hardcover]

Melissa Leapman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Most knitters create garments for someone else, usually a family member. With this beautiful collection of sweaters from knitwear designer Melissa Leapman, knitters will find projects to delight everyone on their gift list. Each chapter has a basic design that has been interpreted into different sweaters for adults and children. Instead of taking one sweater and changing the size, Melissa has created different designs from a similar theme for each family member. By not merely reworking the same sweater in many different sizes, these projects will keep even the most prolific knitter engaged.

The sweaters are grouped in families, so the knitter can knit sweaters for herself, her husband, and her children that are all variations on a theme. The designs are new and different without being too untraditional or high fashion, and they use a wide variety of stitches and techniques that will appeal to whatever the knitter is in the mood for, such as intarsia, slipped stitch patterns, gansey, and cables. There are patterns in this book for knitters of all skill levels and designs for every season and climate; knit in wool, cotton, and blended yarns. Yarn substitution information allows knitters to adapt projects for their needs and budgets.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Leapman, whose knitwear designs are often featured in premier knitting magazines such as Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, and Knitter's, has carefully designed this collection of sweaters for the whole family so that they look good together but are not merely identical copies of the same sweater in different sizes. A unifying technique or theme, such as slip-stitch, argyle motifs, or fair isle or cable patterns, draws the designs together and makes each distinctive and designed to flatter the wearer. Patterns exhibit the attention to detail we have come to expect in a Taunton publication. A good source for the comfortable classic sweater designs many men prefer, this book is generally recommended for public libraries where demand for pattern collections warrants.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561582514
• ISBN-13: 978-1561582518
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,336,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised by how much I liked it, November 22, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Close-Knit Family (Hardcover)

Often a knitting book tries to have something for everybody, but it can be disappointing when you spend $20 to $30 on a book and there might be one thing that you like enough to make. I expected that from this book, perhaps because the last few books of this kind that I purchased weren't as satisfying as expected, and so I was happily surprised. I don't have a family, so the aspects of knitting sweaters for children are lost on me, but it is actually a great idea to have coordinating sweaters that are not identical. This prevents the "clone" look to family dressing. The women's and men's sweaters are varied (some vests, some cardigans or pullovers) and most are very nice and creative. None are too difficult to make. Different types of fibers are represented. The photography is attractive and the instructions laid out clearly. The yarns used are also easy to locate for purchase. A very nice book.

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Knitting Design Primer as well as a Pattern Book, March 11, 2000

By 

A Natural Knitter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Close-Knit Family (Hardcover)

This is a very nice collection of sweaters that are eminently knittable, as well as being wearable by all family members-babies, children, teenagers, and men, as well as women. Melissa Leapman has designed 14 "families" of sweaters, employing just about every knitting fabric style except pictorial Intarsia (unless you count Argyles as intarsia, which I don't, since I LIKE argyles and I HATE Intarsia!)The sweaters are aimed at both the beginning and long-time knitter.

However, it wasn't until I analysed the sweaters GROUP BY GROUP that I discovered the REAL value of this book . Melissa is *very* inventive in taking a single motif or stitch pattern and using it very differently in each of 3 sweaters. She doesn't merely assign different trim, closures and necklines for each sweater. Sometimes a motif might be used as an allover pattern, then,in the next sweater used simply as a horizontal panel. Over and over, Melissa plays with the elements . The book is a nice primer of knitterly "variations on a theme", if you will. I LOVE variations in music, so I was tickled by this as well.

This book has also helped me to think outside my own box. When I get an idea for a sweater (or a cable or something) and I usually neglect to WORK THE IDEA! Then I page through this book again and am inspired by the unlimited POSSIBILITES that knitting design presents. No matter how many sweaters I end up knitting from this book (and there *are* several that I am considering), I figure the book cost me a WHOLE LOT LESS THAN A KNITTING DESIGN WORKSHOP, *and* I ended up with a hard cover, 4 color "hand-out" in the process!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great variety of designs, good for various skill levels, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Close-Knit Family (Hardcover)

I recommend this book. What I liked best was the variety: styles for children, women, and men; fine, medium, and bulky yarns; colorwork and texture; fitted and baggy. Something for everyone! Includes excellent color photographs and charts for the patterns.