Customer Reviews

A Knitter's Template: Easy Steps to Great-Fitting Garments

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The description of this book sounded good---six different body templates with three different armhole setting and gauges ranging from 2 to 6 stitches/inch in half stitch increments; I thought it would be something like Ann Budd's eminently user-friendly book "The Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns" except offering other sweater style options than that book did (i.e., straight up and down sweater with set-in sleeves). I didn't know how the authors would do it since sweater side shaping is dependent on row gauge and the wearer's proportions which are highly individualistic, but I was hoping for something better than what was presented, especially since the price level of this book is high compared to other knitting books. Here is what you get:

. A body schematic chart to record your relevant body measurments (shoulder width, chest, waist, hips, back length, armhole depth, etc.)

. A table with sizes by chest measurement showing their standardized body measurements on which their instruction tables are based.

. A blank pattern sheet for you to copy and then fill in with the appropriate data.

. Instruction tables (one table per stitch gauge) showing relevant numbers to fill in at specific points in your blank pattern sheet. Examples: how many stitches to bind off at the start of your armhole and decrease rate up to shoulder; inc/dec rate if your style has side-shaping. Warning--the tables are set up only to vary by stitch gauge, the row gauge is fixed, so you may have to change their increase/decrease numbers if your row gauge doesn't match. For example, the table for 5 stitches/inch has an assumed row gauge of 7 1/2 rows/inch. Also, if your length proportions vary from their standardardized proportions, you have to make adjustments.

The above portion of the book, along with some general guidelines on how to implement occupy only about half of the book, the rest are actual designs the authors have done with novelty yarns using the template idea. The designs didn't appeal to my taste and didn't look especially well-fitting on the models.

My advice is unless you really like the sample designs, your time and money would be better spent with a calculator, a piece of paper, pencil, measuring tape, your swatch, and perhaps a favorite sweater or a piece of readywear as your template.

We have a knitting store in manhattan. we are extremely selective about the books we carry. everyone who works in the store owns a copy and we suggest it to all of our customers. this book is invaluable as it allows you to adjust and create patterns. the format carefully takes you through the entire process from selecting yarns, to determining gauge, to creating a pattern. in particular, it gives you great confidence and supports the use of a wide range of yarns, from the traditional to the novelty. this book also encourages holding many yarns together for a truly unique garment.we suggest this book for all levels of experience.

I loved this book. I think the authors out did themselves. I am a knitter that tends to buy & hoard yarn and figure out what to do with it later; or see a pattern and wait to find a yarn. This often leads to the problem of mismatched gauges and needle sizes. I'm short with a broad back and so I generally fit in between pattern sizes. I apparently knit looser than most because I rarely use the suggested needle size for a garment.

I am working on my second garment using this book and found the preconstruction work quick and painless. I had already gotten my measurements for the first garment and could just move on. The yardage chart is very helpful and not in every book.

The photos are beautiful-especially of the yarns themselves. I find this very inspiring. I love to use novelty yarns but sometimes only as an accent or to blend. The authors seem to understand this.

I think I am a pretty clever knitter but the authors have ideas and suggestions I am not sure I would have come up with on my own; like the "stripe sequence" in the Arroyo Avenue sweater as well as several in the Changing the Tone chapter.

I don't think I will ever have to worry about finding the right pattern again! I will make my own with complete confidence that the end product will fit perfect and look the way I want it to.

The title of this book is modestly deceiving; there are not only templates for garments, there are examples to use eyelash and fur yarn. Some of the patterns are "fur" jackets, long coats, jackets with cuffs and more. If you like to do stylish knitting, and you like to shop for yarn, not entirely sure what to do with it, this book is excellent. With the templates in hand, you can create a unique garment. Particularly recommended for people who love novelty yarns.

I rate this book right up there with The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. One of the best tools yet! Kudos to Barry Klein, Laura Bryant and all the other contributors to this wonderful book. It is nice to see books that more advanced AND beginners can use equally.

There are gauge and measurement charts for a variety of yarns and pattern styles and garment sizes, pluse some basic well written patterns that allow for lots of embellishments and customization by the knitter.

Buy it and enjoy it! You won't be sorry.

One of the major problems faced by knitters is getting their garments to fit properly. Patterns in books and magazine can be beautiful, garments made by following prefab instructions don't always fit the real life bodies for which they're intended. Many knitters eventually come to the realization that if they want something that really looks good, they're going to have to design it themselves. But designing a sweater can be an intimidating thing if you've never done it before. How much ease do you need? How do you shape the armholes and the neckline? The fact that there's MATH involved only makes it worse. That's where this book comes in.

"A Knitter's Template" makes the process much easier. Although there are some patterns included, they're not the reason to buy the book. The real meat lies in the introductory sections that deal with the nuts and bolts of design, fit, and pattern writing. The authors provide a basic set of instructions for knitting a garment with a few different style options and blank spaces where you plug in the stitch numbers and measurements that fit your gauge and size. They follow this with lots of charts that give you the numbers you need.

By and large, this is a great book. My first garment, a shell made with a ribbon yarn, turned out well enough that I'm now working on my second project, another shell with a few design differences. The reason that I gave these book 4 stars instead of 5 is that the book seemed a little disorganized and I sometimes found it difficult to find the specific information I needed. Also the charts are a little rigid in that the sizes are based on even numbers of inches. That can be a problem if you're an odd number size, or, for that matter, if your gauge runs, for example, 3.75 stitches per inch instead of 3.5 or 4, which is what the charts are set up for. Do you use the chart with the smaller gauge or the higher gauge? Which size do you use? There's a fudge factor here that can't really be eliminated, but I wish the authors had provided more information (and handholding) on how to deal with this. As for row gauge, if you're row gauge isn't the same as that given on the charts for your stitch gauge; you'll need to use the chart that does fit your row gauge. It can be confusing, but the authors do warn you about that.

"A Knitter's Template" is a very useful resource for designing your own garments, It's not the be-all and end-all of books on knitwear design, but it is a good place to start.

I love this approach! Good for basic techniques and allows you to explore differen ways of using stiches and gauge to accomplish what seems to be far more complicated garments. Shows you how to use different options in one pattern to create different looks. The charts make it easy to figure out how to plan your chosen garment. Good reference book for all levels of knitters.

This is a wonderful book for the advanced knitter. You can make about every sweater with any yarn you can dream of. The only down side is you have to be good at going back and forth between pages to fill out the pattern sheets. But if you have the patience, the results can be amazing.

Great book, very informative and will be used for a long time

It so great full of ideas, easy to start on to create your own stylish, it is a must to buy this book if you like extraordinary clothes