Customer Reviews

Knit Couture: 20 Hand-Knit Designs from Runway to Reality

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

 

 

The first half of the book reads like an essay on the history of knitwear, and of those designers that the authors feel have contributed the most to the current popularity of knitting. While interesting in parts, I do feel that it is fairly biased and pontificating upon their own importance.

The designs themselves are fairly repetitive; there is a camisole done in cotton, then again in Lurex, and finally also in Lurex, with a skirt attached to make a dress. The skirt itself can also be found as a separate pattern. The skirt is knit in a lace pattern (there are no charts), but you can't see the lace in much detail, as with most patterns in the book, since the photographs are all done in moody lighting with the models is contorted into unnatural poses. If you flip to the back of the book you'll find the garments photographed on a dummy, which is a nice idea, but the photographs are too small to see much detail.

I haven't started knitting any of the patterns yet, but have already found a few mistakes; for example, one pattern uses Rowan Cotton Glace and the gauge given in stockinette stitch is impossibly tight (needles are only given in US sizes throughout the book), so either the yarn is wrong or the gauge is wrong.

I do like that the patterns are mostly in finer gauge yarns, and the couple that I would like to knit appear to use a different construction technique to any I've seen before. There is also a photograph of a rather lovely lace tunic for which there isn't pattern given but, armed with a stitch dictionary, doesn't look too difficult to copy.

If you don't like knitting with finer yarns, don't buy this book; you've probably already got patterns very similar to the couple that do use a heavier weight yarn, and you can get a better, unbiased history of knitwear elsewhere.

I was really excited at the thought of a Weardowney book, but was quite let down by the reality. Half the book is a history of knitting.... hello? I expected lots of prose in KnitKnit, but not in this! (And KnitKnit does have lots of prose, but also has lots of projects...). And the patterns - well, boring, repetitive, and a bit 80s. Also - incredibly fine guage, which is fine if you like it. The photography is so stylised you can't make out much either. This is a pity, and unneccesary - Twinkle proved you can combine fashion photography with clarity of detail..... So this is going to be another dust collector. Oh well.

I liked the patterns in this book. They were stylish with some in fine yarns (4 ply or fingering) and a few in thicker yarns (10 ply, aran or worsted). There are boleros, vintage inspired cardigans, skirts, dresses and camisoles in fine yarns and a few chunkier jumpers (sweaters). A few of the patterns are for small sizes but a lot go up to quite large sizing eg 124 cm bust. Overall very fashionable but they might not suit everyone.This is a British book so the knitting history does mainly cover British and European knitwear, especially haute couture not everyday wear.

I purchased this book, not because I have any ability to knit, but for my love of Weardowney. It first came to my attention on the company's website, and it was purchased for the coffee table, more than knitting knowledge enhancement.

However, I was surprised at how much this book engrossed me. It begins with an introduction to hand knitting followed by a look into the House of Weardowney, which in itself is intriguing. The first chapter `The Birth and Evolution of Knitting' is written in the style of essays on the Renaissance, complete with its art historical references and literary links, and is an excellent grounding to the rest of the book. After our background knowledge is in place, the second chapter looks into knitwear's move from practicality to high fashion. Coco Chanel, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood all get a mention as `Knit Couture' sweeps the geographical and historical development of this `medium', and then discusses `Knit Today'. The writing is juxtaposed with luscious pictures of beautiful Weardowney creations, as well as high fashion examples from Kenzo, Jean Paul Gaultier and the like.

`Knit Couture' then focuses on Classic and Diffussion designs, some sparkley, some comfy, all of which are truly stunning! I am told by friends who can knit that the designs are easy to follow, and if it is too much for novices, there is a very helpful section at the back entitled `Starting Knitting' which goes through `Casting on', `Knit stitch' etc.

I could not recommend this book more to amateurs or experts. It is an enjoyable, insightful read and a visual feast into a side of fashion which is relatively unexplored. I found it a truly fantastic in its deviations. I may as an amateur attempt my own creations, or perhaps just leave the wondrous weavery to the experts!

I hesitated to buy this book for a long time because of some of the negative reviews on this site. However, after reading the reviews that some of the more stylish knitters had on the Ravelry website, I decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did! I love the clean, couture lines of these elegant knits and find them to be quite beautiful and wearable! True, they are not for everybody. But if you love very high-fashion, 5th Avenue type knits, then you will be happy with this book.
Definitely not styles that you can duplicate at Walmart (no offense to Walmart)

As a graphic designer I was floored by the fantastic design of this book which included great color photographs, diagrams and instructions. My fav element was the inclusion of a few Vellum Overlay Pages directly above the color photographs that showcases the knitted garments patterns and sketch lines of the garment in the design phase. An inspiration to me to design my own knitwear! I absolutely love this book! I am a novice knitter, so I am glad to have found such good instruction to begin my knitting journey!