or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Sweater Design in Plain English [Paperback]

Maggie Righetti
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

List Price: $21.95
Price: $16.42 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.53 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Tuesday, May 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback $16.42  
Image
Looking for the Audiobook Edition?
Tell us that you'd like this title to be produced as an audiobook, and we'll alert our colleagues at Audible.com. If you are the author or rights holder, let Audible help you produce the audiobook: Learn more at ACX.com.

Book Description

October 15, 1990
If you're tired of making sweaters with sleeves that are the wrong length, necklines that droop, armholes that are too tight, and an overall look that's not quite right, then let Seater Design in Plain English come to your rescue. In clear, straightforward terms, Maggie Righettie shares her knitting know-how and good fashion sense so that, no matter what your knitting level, you can overcome the fear of failure, avoid costly mistakes, adapt already-existing patterns, and plan and create sweaters that really fit and look terrific-sweaters that will be worn for many years to come. Topics and techniques include:

-Understanding the nature of yarn and pattern stitches
-Choosing the most flattering color and design for the wearer
-Taking accurate body measurements
-Estimating the amount of yarn you'll need
-How to tell whether or not a sweater will look good on you-before you start to knit
-How to alter printed patterns so they really fit
-How to understand the mathematics of gauge and pattern design
-Plus start-to-finish instructions for thirteen classic sweaters

Each technique is illustrated with clear diagrams, sketches, or photographs. Complete with conversion charts and a personal-measurements record-keeping section, Sweater Design in Plain English takes the guesswork out of every creative knitting effort.

Frequently Bought Together

Sweater Design in Plain English + Knitting in Plain English, Updated Edition
Price for both: $31.69

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maggie Righetti, a certified knitting and crochet instructor, is the author of Knitting in Plain English, Crocheting in Plain English, and Universal Yarn Finder. She lived in Atlanta, Georgia, where she ran her own knitting design company.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (October 15, 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312051646
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312051648
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maggie Righetti, a certified knitting and crochet instructor, is the author of Knitting in Plain English and Sweater Design in Plain English. She lives in Southern California.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(21)
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
147 of 147 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to feed the creative spirit! January 25, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I am an intermediate knitter who has been stifling my own creativity by knitting from commercial patterns for years. I have no knitters in my family, and taught myself to knit from books and help from art teachers in junior high school. Maggie Righetti is the knitting grandmother I never had, and always wanted. She has a wonderful sense of humor and a no-nonsense attitude of playfulness that cuts through the mystery and fear associated with design. Her first chapters are about the psychological barriers that keep knitters from taking control of their own craft, and this good-natured lecture is truly inspiring. Then she talks about the design issues and challenges associated with designing for REAL bodies of all types. Her attitude toward the fact that many people are bigger than the commercial designers assume, and that proportions can differ from that standard, but can still be beautiful, is refreshing. It's even--dare I say it--feminist! Righetti tells us to choose yarn that inspires us, then knit swatches with a variety of stitches and patterns. The swatch is not just to check gauge, but to let the yarn "tell you what it wants to be." Some may find this silly, but it has helped me to let my creativity go, and I am now working with a beautiful, inspiring purple mohair that told me it wanted to be a short-sleeved evening sweater with simple lines. The yarn didn't want anything fancy to upstage it (as if that was possible). My only complaint with the book is that the practice sweaters given are not the most stylish, and as many design techniques are taught in the context of these sweaters, it can be difficult to find a technique you want to use if you don't go through each of the design projects in detail. I highly recommend this book, and plan to check out her other books.
Was this review helpful to you?
117 of 119 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book September 13, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
When I first bought this book, my knitting experience was not matured enough to appreciate the depth of the information contained in this book. To be honest, I was even dissapointed since the style of sweaters shown was not stylish, the models wearing them were not stylish commercial models. The book is full of English text and has no eye-candy photos. So it had been sitting in my bookshelf for almost one year,I even thought about selling it.

One Saturday afternoon, out of boredom, I decided to pick it up to read, laying on the bed. I could not believe that I could not discover the wisdom that the authour generously shares with us. My knitting knowleadge by then has grown to understand the authour's intention. Most of us do not have perfect bodies so that we need skills to knit to fit better. The models shown are real people with real mesurements! The sweaters are simples ones knitters tend to come back after ellaborately ornamented commercial patterns, which are often too-stylish to wear everyday.

All these knitting skills for size-manipulation were right there in her book at my hand. I looked for those informaiton here and there scattered in many other books, but most of the time I could not find them in any where. For example, how to plan bust darts by short-rowing were something I always wanted to know.

Her charting system is good model to copy. Math for knitting is well explined. If you can draw it and can do the math part of it, you can knit it. The price is very generous for the wealth of information contained. Probably, no color photos, no expensive commercial models have contributed greatly to its price. I am grad she made the book easy access to many people.

I would reccomend this book to intermidiate to advanced knitters.

Was this review helpful to you?
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars great book! April 17, 2001
By Angela
Format:Paperback
I bought this book after I read "Knitting in Plain English". It is a great book. It helped me get over my fear of actually making a sweater. And though I didn't use any of the patterns in the book they did help me when I wanted to a make a certain sleeve or vary the neckline. It is a great reference book for anyone tired of following patterns that don't quite look right.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Info in this Book
Great reference book for knitters. I look things up in here all the time. Glad I have it. Thank you.
Published 3 months ago by Bill
4.0 out of 5 stars belongs in any knitter's library
Maggie Righetti's books are classic knitting texts and this one is no different. Lots of helpful info is included her to help you go out on your own and design your own sweater.
Published on December 15, 2010 by notanothernickname
5.0 out of 5 stars A sleeper of book WOW
I am a fairly new knitter and bought the "dummies" and Stitch n Bitch books. I borrowed this book from the library along with 3 other knitting books. Read more
Published on November 28, 2010 by Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book 20 years ago - still a great book!!
I bought this book when it was first published. There is a reason WHY it is still in print after 20 years!

This is an incredible book. Read more
Published on November 16, 2010 by Heart of Dixie
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazed and Thrilled
I was amazed to discover the amount of research, depth of the detail and information Ms Raghetti put into this book. Read more
Published on July 23, 2010
5.0 out of 5 stars Very easy to read and understand
Sweater Design in Plain English

Great book, it is funny and very easy to read. Many small and helpful hints, which when you think about it are common sense..... Read more
Published on July 22, 2010 by Beba Kusevic
5.0 out of 5 stars Make Sweaters That Really Fit!
If you have ever made a sweater just hoping it would fit, well, no more. Maggie takes the guesswork out of the planning, so the knitting really gives you the sweater you want to... Read more
Published on March 7, 2010 by Anami Bremer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an old timer with staying power.
Lots of practical style and shape advice about what works with what body style and what doesn't. Sensible instructions on making your garments fit. Read more
Published on August 6, 2009 by K. Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Grateful for Reviews
I bought Sweater Design in Plain English based on written reviews from experienced knitters and find that it is now the most important book in my knitting library. Read more
Published on July 17, 2009 by A. Gregory
5.0 out of 5 stars A good start to designing your own sweaters.
This is the first book that really explained how to design your own sweaters! She teaches you how to completely measure the individual you are knitting for, how to chart your... Read more
Published on June 11, 2009 by Alaina Shaffer
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews




What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category