Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I bought this book because of all the five-star reviews. If I knew before I bought the book that the author had a blog, I would've taken the reviews with a grain of salt and found a way to look at the book in person before buying, because I have seen instances of a blogger requesting her readers to head over to amazon.com to leave a nice review (not saying this author did, but I have seen it before).

Anyway, I love top-down knitting, and I'm always looking for inspiration. The book has a couple of things to really recommend it. One is the section on how to make your own dress form. That was great. And the back of the book where the author explains how to design your own sweaters is almost worth the price of the book.

My main problem with the book was the designs. I don't really have the desire to knit any of them. They look ill-fitting on the models. Now, the author mentions in the beginning of the book that they were knit without knowing what size the models were. I've seen other authors make the same claim. Well, sorry, but that doesn't fly. It's your book, and I know I don't know much about publishing, but the pictures make or break the book. I would hope that authors would be able to have more input. Because knitters have been taught by Maggie Righetti to look suspiciously at pictures in which the model is standing funny, trying to hide parts of the sweater, etc. And a word from the designer saying that the models weren't the size intended for the sweaters doesn't help.

Some of the sweaters looked OK on the models, but just were not my cup of tea. But most of the set-in sleeve sweaters had this weird bulging under the arms. The only ones I couldn't see bulging in were ones where the model was standing weird, holding her arms out or otherwise hiding the underarm area. I've never made set-in sleeves from the top down, yet, but I'm leary of trying the short-row method and inclined to start with the simultaneous method for this reason.

Other people have commented on the models in underpants and bikinis modeling sweaters. Yes, that is a little over-the-top, in my opinion. Third-wave feminism is to blame by making women think, erroneously, that being sexy is empowering.

So, while the book has some good points (the dress form idea, the design-it-yourself directions), it is lacking with regard to the photos, which do not show the sweaters to be well-fitting. If you've already made short-row top-down sleeves and you know they fit well, great. If not, this book does not inspire you to try them.

If your answer is Yes, then this is the book for you. In this book, in addition pictures of the pattern knitted up, there is also a picture of a alteration idea knitted too. In one section, Wendy gives a formula to figure out afterthought sleeves and how much extra yarn to buy.

But even if you have no desire to customize a pattern, don't be frightened off because this book has so many cute patterns with a wide variety of sizes (xs to 3XX), you may have trouble just deciding which to knit first.

And if all this wasn't enough, there is a section on how to make your own dress form and understanding ease.

This is the book I have been searching for, and the first of any genre I feel compelled to review. First, I love the author's classic yet sexy estetic, and preference for top-down constuction. (Please keep your designs coming, Wendy.) This book deserves high ratings alone for being loaded with T/D patterns for queue-jumping pieces. What I am most grateful for, however, is to have a resource that helps me fill in the gaps and questions I had after reading and re-reading Barbara Walker. I am a relatively new knitter and have never realy sewn. Early on in my knitting life I knew I would be limiting myself to seemless sweaters. After a few bad bottom-up experiences, I have recently vowed to focus on top-down patterns. Unfortunely I am also a visual learner and the indispensible "Knitting from the Top Down" still left me with too many questions, particularly on the sleeveless/set-in sleeve/saddle shoulder garments. None of the other T/D books I own (and I think I have most) transcend its patterns or ventures far past the raglan the way Custom Knits does. I finally feel like I have the resources I need to help me visualize the process and master my preferred technique. If this book is lacking at all, I for one couldn't say how.

I spent more time reading this book than I usually do with knitting books - vs. flipping through them. I tend to be a collector of them for the knitting porn factor (if you are a knitter, you know what I mean.) There are several patterns in here I'm eager to start and have already added them to my queue on ravelry.com.

That said, I "ditto" much of what's been posted by other reviewers. I have always been afraid to be a maverick knitter, and Wendy does a great job in showing us how. My favorite part of this book, beyond the lovely photos, witty prose by Wendy Bernard and exciting and fresh designs, is towards the end, in which she shows you how to design, size and develop a pattern for your own sweater. Fabulous!

This is the sweater book I have been searching for. She provides clear, precise and friendly directions. Her explanations make sense. The designs are very appealing. This book has given me the courage to design a cropped, V-neck sweater that will look good on ME, not some model in a magazine. I also appreciate that she has sections that will appeal to the newer knitter, as well as some more complex stuff for those with the experience (or moxie) to go for it. This one has earned a permanent place on my knitting shelf.

The patterns in this book are all top down seamless and ABSOLUTELY YUMMY! I want to make every single one of them. She has a great writing style as well, and comes right out and hits you over the head with the inevitable difficulties involved beyond just making the sweater. It's the first time I've actually sat back and realized that not every sweater I drool over will actually look good on me.
The designing section is a bit more than my skill level but it'll be a huge help down the road. No more ogling over patterns trying to find the right sweater- soon I'll know how to create a fit that works for me!

My only problem with this book are the pictures actually. Why would you go out of your way to show your sweaters on half dressed women? I mean, who wears a sweater with just a bikini bottom? It's a bit ridiculous. She also writes about how pictures are misleading and to judge a sweater by its schematic- and yet does nothing to make her sweater pictures any less misleading. But it's a minor issue.
[...]

I love buying craft books, especially knitting books. Anyone who purchases books from Amazon will eventually receive an email asking them to write a review. In the past, I've only written two reviews. I wanted to warn people about two books I returned the same day I received them in the mail. Well, this is my third book review. Wendy has written a book about sweater design that is interesting to read, not filled with just charts, and speaks to me in a straightforward manner without being condescending. If you want to understand how to create your own top-down sweater designs you should consider buying this book.

From beginning to end, Wendy provides clear explanations on how to measure and knit top down sweaters to fit your form. There are directions on how to make a dress form out of duct tape, a T-shirt, and fiberfill. That would be a fun exercise to do in Knit to Fit class! Wendy's straight forward writing helps you understand the basics of design. Explains how to consider fiber content, weight, and gauge when substituting yarn. Explains how to read a schematic and compare it to the picture. The sweater designs have clean lines and the patterns are a starting point for you to add your own ideas.

Photo Gallery:
http://www.melaniefalickbooks.com/custom-knits-gallery/custom-knits-gallery/

Chapter 1: Understanding Your Style, Size, and Fit So You Can Make Sweaters You Love to Wear

Chapter 2: Top-Down Raglan Sweaters

Chapter 3: Top-Down Set-In Sleeve Sweaters

Chapter 4: Round-Yoke Sweaters

Chapter 5: Designing on the Fly

Chapter 6: Unleash Your Inner Designer: Elements to Alter and Starting from Scratch

Special Techniques section reviews Backward Loop CO, Kitchener Stitch, Intarsia Colorwork Method, Short-Row Shaping, etc.

Provisional Cast-On - Explains when and why to use