Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living: Quick-Knit Projects from Beautiful, Chunky Yarns [Paperback]

Barbara Albright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

From Hollywood's trendiest starlets to the legions of pariticipants in  knitting classes and knitting groups around the country, people of all ages and lifestyles are taking up their needles and learning to knit. And once they learn the basics of the craft, beginners are eager to tackle projects they can create on their own.

Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living offers more than 44 simple yet beautiful projects created specifically with the beginning knittter in mind. Featuring gorgeous, chunky yarns and simple designs with a clean, natural appeal, projects use U.S. size 8 (5mm) needles and above—so the work is as fast as it is enjoyable. These appealing yarns were carefully selected to do some of the work for the knitter—and they guarantee spectacular results.

Author Barbara Albright, an expert who works with many of the top designers in the county, also provides helpful tips on choosing yarns, working with large needles, and mastering various finishing techniques. Whether you're looking to accentuate a home with throws, pillows, or seat cusions or to create lovely handmade gifts such as totes, backpacks, sweaters, scarves, and hats, this handsome book will inspire novice knitters to turn a sometime hobby into a lifelong passion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A knitter since she was in first grade, Barbara Albright is a seasoned writer and a knitting and craft designer with experience as a television spokesperson. Barbara recently completed writing and editing Knitter's Stash: Favorite Patterns From America's Yarn Shops (Interweave Press, October 2001). She is a contributing editor to Interweave Knits and has written about knitting for the Associated Press, Knitter's, and Family Circle Easy Knitting. She contributed a winning design to Kids, Kids, Kids: Funtastic Knits And Fantastic Toys, and she designed many of the projects featured in Kids Knitting. She designs for Interweave Knits and a major yarn company and writes a weekly column on food or crafts for familytime.com. The former editor-in-chief of Chocolatier magazine, she has written for many newspapers and magazines, Including Good Housekeeping, Traditional Home, Classic American Home, Country Living, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Working Mother, 1,001 Home Ideas, and Americana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564969185
• ISBN-13: 978-1564969187
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #675,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointed, April 8, 2004

By 

Jen in Mpls (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living: Quick-Knit Projects from Beautiful, Chunky Yarns (Paperback)

I was dissapointed with the patterns, they were all very interesting and the pictures were beautiful but the yarn use for the patterns was ridiculously expensive. I made a pillow and it ended up being $65. The patterns also had several misakes in them, I made the slippers and the pattern was incorrect, I brought the book into my yarn shop and they said they do NOT recommend the book to newer knitters due to the multiple pattern errors. Great pictures and good for ideas but not great for a newer knitter.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing "sophisticated" knitting book, July 31, 2005

By 

Med Student (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living: Quick-Knit Projects from Beautiful, Chunky Yarns (Paperback)

I had very high hopes for this book after reading all of the good reviews, so maybe that's why I was so very disappointed in the patterns. It does have a couple of nice pillow designs. But for a book that claims to be for 'sophisticated' tastes, the wine wraps and purses are downright tacky. And the trivets, pot holders, welted baskets, and hanger cover are all straight from your grandma's knitting books. Then there's a host of projects that look good, but are really just very simple designs that use expensive yarns to make their statement. Replacing the yarns with less expensive versions (as I usually am forced to do) that have different textures and shading patterns would effectively ruin the look of the pattern since that look is almost entirely supplied by the yarn itself. Those patterns include most of the patterns for throws and adult's clothes. Also, the slippers 'for anyone' look like baby booties. If you're looking for a sophisticated slipper pattern, the argyle ones in Weekend Knitting are really great.

I kept the book because I want to make the bath set. Even that I don't think is really something special but I already bought bath salts & such for a gift basket so I'll toss in the knitted bath set as an accompaniment.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money, May 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living: Quick-Knit Projects from Beautiful, Chunky Yarns (Paperback)

I was excited to order this book. I had heard good things about it. However, I was dissapointed when I received it. It has very few and very basic patterns. And, the photographs are hard to see because they are either cut off or do not show the item well enough for one to appreciate the item. Out of the whole book, only one item interested me and it was a shawl. I would not reccomend you buy this book. THere are lots better out there.