Customer Reviews

Sarah Dallas Knitting

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

 

 

I'm torn on how to rate this book. The patterns given are designer in quality, but uninspiring in form. There are several blanket and pillow patterns, all of which are stripes or color blocks (even relatively new knitters could design these themselves with a little creativity). The blanket sweater on the front is the most innovative design in the book. Plain gloves, cabled socks, very basic child's cardigan, cable afghan, lace shawl, man's tweed turtleneck sweater. The patterns, the use of color, everything is so uninspiring for knitting. In spite of this I could definitely see myself buying some of the items in it from preppy household stores like Pottery Barn. The finished projects do a great job of avoiding that homemade look and they have an uptown urban classiness that I like. But I just cannot see myself devoting much time to knitting patterns that I am not inspired by.

I decided to keep the book because I might try the women's cardigan in it. But I'm sure that I would not have bought it if I'd known I'd only be interested in actually making 1 pattern out of 34. Also, I do want to mention that this may not be a very good book for beginning knitters in spite of its simple patterns because the instructions are strictly shorthand. Since many new knitting books have gone to a more conversational method of instruction this might throw some people.

I echo J Tomich practically all the way. I regret buying this book, it's just too much hassle to return it from Europe. I expected much more from SD. The only pattern that is interesting is the camisole, which is like something out of Vintage Knits. I can imagine this book being published under the name Simple Knits, but if Erika Knight had done it it would have been quirkier.

Oh - and what's with the grouping of patterns under colour stories? Hello, book editors - knitters don't want to have to leaf thru a whole book to find a pattern! Whatever happened to contents pages?

I almost pre-ordered this book because I'd liked stuff Sarah Dallas has designed for Rowan. I'm glad I didn't buy it. This is not a knitting book I'll be adding to my (extensive) collection. The chapters are organized around color themes, which I think is ridiculous -- I want a knitting pattern to be about the shaping of the garment itself, because that's what I'll be doing. Thaks, Sarah, but I can pick my own yarn colors. None of the designs are interesting or original from a design standpoint, from what I saw. They're all fine, but they're pretty generic. If you already own a lot of books and knitting mags, you've probably got a few dozen patterns like these already. If you want a book that's well written, gorgeous and actually innovative, (and a more interesting buy for intermediate and advanced knitters) I'd recommend "Loop-d-loop" by Teva Durham.

I bought this book without really taking the time to investigate the patterns because I was blown away by the beautiful photography. I regret the purchase because now that I've taken the time to go through the book (many times) there isn't much here that is original or inspiring to me. I've make the child's jacket from this book, but it isn't a pattern that is so unusual or unique that you couldn't find the pattern anywhere else- it is merely a cardigan. And like another reviewer pointed out, it is organized by colors, which is very silly (and I ended up choosing different colors for the jacket I made). I still love the photos, but I would recommend looking at the patterns and really deciding if it is something you want to knit (or if you just think it is a nice picture) before buying the book.

The projects in this book are so simple almost any knitter can make them, yet they just scream 'quality!' This book is a visual feast that demonstrates how beautiful yarns can be used to create treasured garments, accessories, and homewares. There are cardigans and sweaters for adults and children, socks, scarves, pillows, afghans - even a cabled hot water bottle cover and a gorgeous, delicate, Victorian-inspired laundry bag. The beautiful photography and design of the book echoes the concepts behind the projects themselves - simplicity, comfort, fabulous rich color, and rejuvenation. Experienced knitters may not find these patterns very challenging, but these items are so lovely and appealing that I think there must be something for everyone in this book.

oh first glance, nothing much. but after you look at it awhile, you see how simplicity sometimes is great. I hate doing back and forth stockinette as much as the next knitter, but I have to do some of these clothes. especially good is the jacket on the cover. looks good on body types from large woman to skinny teen. try taking a second look at the patterns.

I also have mixed feelings about this book. I bought it as the result of seeing some items from it knitted up on a blog I regularly read. I like the patterns in it but many are things I will never knit. (I am not a knitted furnishings type person :) )
The use of colours for pattern classification is not particularly successful especially as there is no index.
But the individual pieces are beautifully crafted and I will be knitting pieces from it.

I found the patterns to be lacking orginality and honestly there was nothing that I would make for anyone. It also seemed to me that the patterns all looked the same with just different colors. Don't waste your money on this one.

Hint: most of the plain stockinette items in this book were knit on a standard-gauge machine, or maybe a mid-gauge. I'm knitting the cover Blanket Cardigan on my bulky machine and it's coming out great...and a lot faster than those miles of stockinette stitch would.

Oh, no! Not the "M" word. For those Luddites out there who prefer to think that the hundreds of knitted items which appear in books and magazines each season were tenderly knit by hand by their designer, well, that would be just about impossible, or would result in there being maybe one sweater pattern published per year. The word "machine" really upsets some people, even the designers who use them and just don't say so in their books--and once you know what to look for, you will become keenly aware that we are talking about a whole lot of designers here. If pressed, some craftspeople at shows will call their sweaters "hand-loomed" or call the machine a "frame"--sounds less mechanized--but really, a knitting machine is quite harmless, and a powerful ally in the war against UFO's. Simple, straightforward sweaters like the one on the cover of this book can be knit in a couple of hours. Of course, it takes awhile to stitch up the pieces, but even a lot of that work can be done on the -- er, frame.

Imagine the ennui of handknitting those blankets and pillows. Please. Machine knitting is a whole different level of skills, all fascinating and relatively easy to acquire. Europeans have blessedly remained somewhat more free of prejudice against them, but you don't see books coming out that scream "knitting machine patterns" on the cover because the problem is, there aren't anymore knitting machines--at the moment. The old ones are so good they never wear out, so sales were dropping and Brother discontinued making them. (The plastic wonder Silver Reed LK-150 is alive and well, and the best holiday gift you could ever ask for!) If you want a metal bed machine--and if you ever saw a bulky in action, producing work which looks exactly handknit, at hundreds of stitches per minute, you are going to want one-- you have to find it on eBay. The thrill of the hunt is very nearly as thrilling as making that Blanket Cardigan tonight and wearing it to work tomorrow. Which is exactly what I am going to do. This is a really great book if you can imagine visualizing a whole new way of knitting.

I loved this book when it first came out 5 or so years ago. I think because of the beautiful photography, so recently I got it used as I am in my knitting frenzy. Couldn't wait to get it. Boy, what a disappointment, great on pictures short on interesting patterns. Alright already with the blankets! Anyone can put a few blocks together! Love the mittens but they are repeated in "Vintage" a book I really like. As mentioned above not very inspiring and not a lot of patterns everything kind of looked the same blankets and jackets. Vintage is a much better book.