Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques [Hardcover]

Wendy Bernard (Author), Kimball Hall (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Along with being pleasurable and satisfying, knitting can sometimes be frustrating: the turtleneck that looked so fabulous on the model is too bulky for your body, or the cardigan you spent countless hours on just doesn’t fit right. Herein lies the beauty of Custom Knits, which teaches knitters how to use improvisational techniques to achieve spectacular results—and to unleash their inner designers.

 

Wendy Bernard, creator of the popular blog Knit and Tonic, provides 25 original designs for sweaters of nearly every type, plus variations, most knitted in one piece starting at the top, a method that allows you to try on as you go, alter as desired, and essentially design on the fly. “Make It Your Own” prompts in each pattern suggest easy alterations to suit your style and body type. And an in-depth reference section teaches how to alter key sweater elements, for example, change a crewneck to a V-neck, add sleeves to a vest, and much more. For the truly adventurous, the book concludes with guidelines for knitting sweaters with no pattern at all.

 

Bernard’s friendly writing style and photographer Kimball Hall’s lively images create an inviting book of beautiful designs and key techniques that a knitter can use to customize nearly every garment she knits from now on.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wendy Bernard’s work has been featured in the online pages of Knitty and Stitch Diva Studios, in the book No Sheep for You, and in Interweave Knits and Knitscene magazines. She lives in Thousand Oaks, California.

 

Kimball Hall is a Los Angeles–based photographer with 25 years of editorial and advertising experience. Among his clients are Four Seasons Hotel, American Express, and Bank of America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584797134
• ISBN-13: 978-1584797135
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Arts & Photography > Fashion

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

150 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice, Classy Designs, August 22, 2008

By 

D. Boyken "Knitting Scholar .com" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques (Hardcover)

Most of the book is women's sweater patterns. All of them are knit in one piece, most of them from the top down, which is by far one of my favorite methods-it makes it so much easier to try on for size, not to mention not needing seaming later.

One of my favorite things is that each design comes with suggestions for things you can do to personalize it, and, the designs themselves? I think they're lovely. In fact, there's not a single one that I did NOT like, even if I'm not itching to pick up my needles and knit every single one of them.

The final chapter is one of my favorites. It's titled "Unleash Your Inner Designer" and then breaks down the structure of the different top-down designs ... what you need to do a raglan for top down, what you do to do a set-in sleeve from top down-all the math and the schematics necessary. Not to mention a very nice section of instructions on what to do to change a neckline, or the depth of an armhole, to make a design more personal.

This, I think, is my favorite part of this book-that it not only has nice designs, but that the author thoughtfully spells out what you need to do to make the sweaters more "you." She gives you good designs, and then gives you the tools you need to take them to another level-tacit permission to PLAY, instead of trying to make sure you never vary from the designs she gave you.

Really, about the only thing I DIDN'T like was that there was no index or listing of patterns, making it tricky to find a specific one later on.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic new book, August 24, 2008

By 

Brandy Fortune (Altanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques (Hardcover)

I have read Wendy's blog for years now and I had great expectations for this book. I was not let down. I adore this book. It is full of loads of patterns any women or young adult would want to knit. The best part is how each pattern has a "make it your own" section explaining how to modify the neck line, sleeve length or length. The book is separated into sections so you have several raglan top down sweaters, a few yoke, set-in sleeve and even a saddle neck sweater. The very back of the book explains how to modify and design your very own knits using existing patterns or just designing on the fly using your inspiration and creativity. This book would very easily pass as a "knitting designer" primer. I adore it, it's going to sit right next to all my favorite knitting books by Elizabeth Zimmerman and Nancy Bush. Oh and I nearly forgot to mention the wonderful section on how to create your own duct tape mannequin for your bust. I had first seen this on the craftster.org a while ago and other various website, and it's wonderful to see a very nice tutorial that I can keep in my book collection and not have to worry about a link disappearing.

Great job Wendy!! I can't wait for more.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Already one of my favorite knitting books of all time!, September 2, 2008

By 

anon-new-yorker (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques (Hardcover)

I am absolutely IN LOVE with this book and have ordered yarn for a bunch of projects. It is the most stylish seamless knitting book I have ever seen. I hate to sew in sleeves, and this book uses all the classic Elizabeth Zimmerman techniques (raglan, etc.) to make the most beautiful, luxurious women's sweaters. My favorite patterns are the classic tank, the lacy beach coverup, the lion's neck cardigan, the retro pullover and the cute little ruffled short-sleeved top. I'M IN LOVE, I tell you.

Also, as some other readers have written, there's a wonderful section at the end of the book for creating your own projects to your specifications. Maybe I will be brave and set my own sleeves in the round into some of those Interweave Knits patterns.