Customer Reviews

Mother-Daughter Knits: 30 Designs to Flatter and Fit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'd heard a good buzz about this book at my LYS, and so was expecting it to be at least above average. However, I'd put it solidly in the "excellent" category. A very wide range of designs, even the ones that are classic have something "new" about them. Much to my surprise, some of my favorites are from the "daughter" side of the design team. (The draped tank and the side-to-side pullover are now in the queue.) The addition of the "fit" guide is a very nice bonus, and expanding it into the designs themselves with a simple line like "adjust to your ideal length here" is nice for those of us who sometimes get carried away in the knitting and forget about the fit checks. (Ahem.) I've been happily poking through my stash, assigning skeins to projects and have plenty to keep me busy, although I think that lovely gray cable cardigan is a special "must have" and will require a trip to the yarn store this fall.

With the proliferation of free knitting patterns and the ability to buy patterns individually on the Web, knitwear designers have to make sure that EVERY pattern in a book is a homerun -- otherwise, knitters will not shell out the $30-plus for the hard copy. And that is where this book falls short. The photographs are lovely, but most of the patterns are not.

While there are a few patterns I'd love to knit, most are just so-so or downright unattractive (the Femme Tie??? Who are they kidding?). It's not worth it for me to pay this much for a book when I'm only going to knit one or two. There are better patterns available online for free, or for $5 each.

I also don't understand why the publisher doesn't supply pictures of the projects for sites like Amazon. I would NEVER buy a knitting book online without being able to see what patterns are included.

Anyway, I still love Sally. I just don't like this book.

First the disclaimer: I think "the Knit Stitch" is probably THE knitting book that everyone must have. Now when I heard about this book I thought, how cute, her daughter knits too. But wow. the text (techniques are excellent as in all Sally's books) but her daughter's pattern wowed me too. ok, gotta go and click buy now.....

Ladies, if you are buying Sally Melville's books just for the patterns you are missing the best parts. I love some of her patterns and others are YUCK!, but the most valuable parts of the books are the hints, tips, and "how to" sections. Sally is a TEACHER! The information in the books will help you move from being a pattern follower to a master knitter. In this book she helps you learn to fit your body and your style by making minor adjustments in the knitting patterns, length, color, yarn, etc.

I would give this book 5 stars, except that I want people to read my comments. Personally, I skip the 5 star ratings and check to see what bothers other people about a book. If their concerns don't bother me, then I buy the book. This book has sooooo much more to offer than patterns I would have purchased it even if I hadn't liked even one of the patterns.

This book has very handy tips in the Knit To Flatter opening chapter, and was a nice read. The idea of a mother and daughter sharing ideas to bring this book together was very engaging, drawing me into their knitting world a bit.

Each pattern begins with the designer's explanation of why she designed it, what she learned, why she selected elements of the design...it really makes me think about how I can modify for myself, redesign a favorite item from my closet.

Each pattern ends with a nice interchange between mother and daughter regarding knitting, inspirational for me. If you are a mother wanting to knit for a younger person...it provides a great perspective!

The photos and layout of the hardcover book are beautiful, a joy to turn the pages.

But THE BEST of this book are the REALLY GREAT patterns! I have knit so far the Classic Shirt in Louet linen, Sophisticated Hoodie in Rowan Calmer, A Gray Cardigan in a rose color Panda Silk, and Mini-Dress in Nashua Cilantro. A few more on my list for future. Each garment turned out stunning AND FLATTERING (as per book title)! Although there were minor errors in instructions, which is really surprising since any editor attempting to knit from the instructions should have spotted them, they were things I figured out and worked around.

Mother-Daughter Knits: 30 Designs to Flatter and Fit by Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy Melville Ledbetter. Mother Daughter Knitting is a book that is not about knitting for mothers and daughters, but written by a mother and a daughter each with a unique perspective. The idea is interesting and seeing a daughter inspired by, but not stifled by her mom is a great way to see knitting through two generations eyes.

I love to knit, but generally knit other peoples patterns, and this book for me is about the creative process. In my knitting guild I love hearing the story that goes with the item, the story about why the knitter chose to make it, what problems they encountered, how they dealt with the problems and what became of it after it was completed. This book, Mother-Daughter Knitting offers all of that information. It is a story of a daughter who learned to knit young, but didn't take to it until she was in mid-twenties and her mother who has knit for 50 plus years and who has been designing for much of that time. The patterns come with a "story" and that story is often why and how the design came about. In addition to the pattern story, there is the story of the designers, this wonderful mother and daughter team.

The intermediate/advanced patterns are written by Melville, and the beginner/intermediate patterns are written by Ledbetter. The patterns are flattering and cover the range of skill sets and styles. The sweaters are generally shaped rather than boxy, and the designs youthful, but not likely to go out of style quickly. I appreciate a book with more classic designs. If you are a person who likes cutting edge designs this book might not appeal to you, but the designs are solid and well written. This book might also appeal to someone who is looking for a gift for a knitter of any skill level.

Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Judging from the previous reviews, this is a book that you will either love or hate. I found the patterns in this book almost universally ugly and terribly unflattering, there would only be one or two that I might consider knitting. A geat disappointment.

I liked this book so much when I had a chance to flip through it that I immediately bought a copy and made a swatch for one of the sweaters. It's been a while since a knitting book and I clicked together so very quickly.

Despite the title, this book is (thankfully) NOT about cute little matchy-matchy outfits for moms to wear when they're out with their daughters. What it IS, is a book written by the brilliant Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy Melville Ledbetter.

Every pattern in this book comes from one of the brains of this mother/daughter team, and while I don't love all of them, there are a lot of them that I do. The knits are all beautifully photographed for this book, and by "beautifully" I mean that they're not only easy on the eyes, but practical representations of the knits being shown. No weird postures or props to distract you. The Table of Contents lists out every pattern, and they are also listed in the Index at the back.

I'll agree that a pattern for a necktie or a headband seems pretty pointless, but there are more than enough beautiful patterns in here to make up for a couple that are unnecessary. None of the patterns are dull. None are unwearably weird. They're creative. They're well thought out. They're stylish. Love.

Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter's MOTHER-DAUGHTER KNITS: 30 DESIGNS TO FLATTER & FIT tells how knitters can tailor unflattering sweaters and tops to different sizes and shapes, showing how to customize knitting patterns to fit a wide variety of body types perfectly. A mother-daughter team share knowledge and show how to both pick the right patterns for a body type and modify a pattern to suit, slim, or highlight. A key acquisition for any needlework library.

This is another terrific book from Sally Melville with the added bonus of her daughter Caddy's designs. The designs are beautiful and wearable. The commentary is interesting. Can't wait to start a project.