Customer Reviews

Men's Knits: 20 New Classics

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

 

 

I think the one-star review is unwarranted. This book of men's patterns is exactly what I've been looking for. My favorite features:

-A photographic table of contents (as opposed to pattern names in text only) gives you at-a-glance knowledge of the patterns; that is, you can simply open the book, and on the first couple pages, you see every pattern inside and its page number. I knew within 30 seconds whether I wanted the book or not, instead of spending 5-10 minutes scrutinizing every page to see if any of the patterns even suited my style.

-Flexible sizing: finally, a men's book of patterns that doesn't START at size 42" chest for every pattern. I'm very thin, and rewriting patterns meant for barrel-chested or stocky men isn't the type of easy knitting experience I'm looking for. This book has many patterns that start at 36", making it more appropriate for thin or thin/athletic body types, or even just for those who like zero or negative ease in their garments. I simply knit a slightly finer guage, and it sizes the garments down to my frail 33" chest.

-Masculine designs and color suggestions! I must say, many "men's" patternbooks are filled with bright colors and shocking color combinations, ultra fancy (and feminine) stitchery, novelty yarns, and many other feminine or even grandma-style designs. These are all great for a variety of projects, but the simple truth is that men want classic, simple, fully-fashioned garments with muted colors, and the photos and models reflect this. If you happen to love brighter colors, then simply use a different color yarn to complete the project, or add some flashy stripes! This is totally logical, and is not a negative aspect of this book, or of any pattern! It's knitter's choice when it comes to these details.

In short, this book has the best designs for men, and although some of them are ultra-simple (a couple of rather identical, very basic cardigans), overall this book represents the best in modern, classic knitting for men. I prefer it to the oddly-sized Rowan patterns, which often feature whacky colorwork or overdesigned elements.

I'm really surprised by the poor review one person gave here. I couldn't disagree more. The designs are exactly what I've been looking for--masculine, chic, up to date. I'm already making the cabled cardigan and look forward to making several other designs for the men in my family. Yes, the yarns specified are expensive, but all you have to do is substitute another yarn that knits to the same gauge--a no-brainer. The only negative is the thinner yarns and needles called for in a few of the designs--I prefer bigger needles and thicker yarn myself.

I have desperately been trying to find good knitting patterns for sweaters for guys in their twenties. This pattern book is a breath of fresh air from the tired or non-existent or ugly patterns I find in the knitting stores I frequent in Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Get ahead of the trend--COOL hand-knit sweaters for guys are stylish. I just wish someone in the knitting store or pattern business in the U.S. understood that. The instructions are straight-forward and clear. The criticism of the person who gave the one-star review is unwarranted in that the author has thoughtfully offered options for her knitters--a boxier (that is, bigger) sweater on a larger needle or a slimmer-fit sweater crafted on a smaller needle. It is the second option that makes this knitting book for men so up-to-date. I am specifically referring to the v-neck cardigan, which I am currently knitting with Rowan Felted Tweed (as opposed to the Bamboo Tape used in the book). For those who prefer quick projects with heavy yarn on large needles, the instructions are there, but also available are the patterns for sweaters to be layered or worn on days of moderate temperature. The latter are knitted on smaller needles, but that fact is critical. This is the second time that I am using the exact same yarn (even the same color) for a sweater for my son. The first time I used size 6 needles: after a year's wear, the sweater has stretched to a size larger than intended. The pattern that calls for size 5 needles in *Men's Knits* makes that important difference in tight, uniform knitting.

This book is wonderful. I have searched for classic men's sweaters and this book by Erika Knight is wonderful. Her designs are classic and the variety from vests to cardigans to pullovers is perfect.

I loved this book. It's not easy to find good, modern patterns for men. I spent hours searching on Ravelry and in the end decided to spend some money and buy a few books.

Of the ones I bought, this is my favorite. The Instructions are easy to read - well-laid out with good typography and clear language.

The patterns are modern, but not trendy - as the title says "new classics" - the designs will look up-to-date for a few years, so if you're tired of the same stripy jumpers and cabled cardigans, but you don't want something that's only "in" for six months, this is a great choice. It's things I would wear myself - in fact now I do.

Good range of sizes, I'm quite small, so having smaller sizes is important to me. Most books assume men start at a 40" (102cm) chest - we don't!

This is a book of really great looking, well thought designs. It's modern, it's current, and I really, really like every design in the book. The one star review isn't, in my opinion, merited at all. The colors are great, the photographs likewise. I want to knit everything in this book. Eventually I will. So, here's my issue. The book offers sizes from small to XXL. The XXL fits a 44 inch chest. REALLY? A 44 inch chest is XXL? Maybe in Japan. Erika Knight totally misses the mark with sizing. I'll be consulting my tattered, battered, and much loved copy of Knitting Without Tears to resize.

Save your money and look for other designers and/or titles for men's knitted wear. This book was a complete disappointment. I'm surprised the author approved the photographs of the items featured in her book and the models wearing them. The materials used for these items are high quality and expensive but the finished products look like they were purchased at a thrift store and poorly fit the models wearing them. The color choice are drab, boring, and unflattering. The cardigan sweater button bands especially look sloppy and are stretched as though the sweater is too small for the model. I'm selling my copy to a local used book dealer.