Customer Reviews

The Urban Knitter

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

A knit-book junkie, I recently picked up a copy of this little number for my collection. I enjoyed the really interesting mix of projects for beginning and intermediate knitters. I consider myself to be a seasoned knitter who can handle projects with varying difficulties, but I appreciated that the easier patterns weren't just pot-holders and long scarves. I confess that all of the projects didn't jump right out at me, but let's face it, what knitting book can claim that? Besides, there is something more to appreciate about Lily's book than first meets the eye: the incredible attention to detail that goes into every pattern.

I selected the men's raglan sweater to knit up -- chose a cool silk yarn. The pattern itself was easy enough, but what was completely impressive were the way the pieces fit together perfectly, right down to the matching seams. Of note, Lily added this fabulous decrease "tuck" at the shoulder that really made it look professional and downright cool. If you're from the Elizabeth Zimmerman school of knitting, this sort of pattern detail is lost on you (don't get me wrong, Lizzie's my idol). On the other hand, if your idea of a perfect evening is s flawless seam or a perfectly graduated arm, don't overlook this book.

This is a wonderful book aimed at young,fashion conscious knitters. There are 20 projects in the book. I am 40 & have been knitting since 1968 but found plenty of designs I'd like to make--the unisex garter-striped diagonal vest, the cardijacket and the evening cardijacket preeminent among them. I can't imagine wanting to knit shoes or a sports bra, but it's nice to have patterns available should I change my mind. She has designs for garments, socks, household items, stoles, and purses. The designs vary widely in skill required and there is something for everyone, including men. There is a short article about the knitters for whom Chin created the items,with accompanying photograph. And I hope the low price of the book sets a trend!

This book is like taking a workshop class with Lily Chin, except the price is a bargain and you get to keep a set of detailed notes that Lily herself wrote for you!

As a busy mom, I don't have time to write reviews, but I had to write this one because I don't feel that the reviews written do this book justice.

Reading this book, you learn a lot about how to match a yarn to a project, what to consider during the design process, some special Lily Chin techniques that have worked for her, how to ustom shape a knitted item to your own shape, and many other useful tips and concepts for knitting.

Everytime I read this book over, I learn something new. I have read it several times, and even purchased a second copy just in case my first copy gets damaged or lost.

I would say that this book is similar to reading one of Elizabeth Zimmerman's books, where there is lots of talk about knitting and few fancy looking pictures or garments.

The book was not well marketed in that it seems to be a book aimed at hip knitters looking for hip designs -- in which case, they should have put more money into photography, models, graphics and layout to create a hip look. Instead, they tried to make the production of the book as affordable as possible, so the price would be affordable. But the end result is that the book and the garments don't look snazzy at all.

The patterns included in the book are all well designed basics that we could all use. I think that they would probably much more attractove looking if they were on models or mannekins. I have to say that I haven't had time to knit any of the patterns yet, but I want to do several.

At first glance, the Urban Knitter does not have a lot of slick designs, engagingly photographed with pretty models. Visually, I found it left a lot to be desired. But if you look past the cosmetics, there is a wealth of information here on FORM and FIT detail that is unique and useful.

Examples: there is a lot of attention to construction. So much so that two sports bra patterns are given. The directional knitting is interesting and fitting such a knitting garment is no mean trick.

While some of the other items may look boring, good simple patterns that can be knit in a fine yarn for evening (cardijackets for example) are valuable. Maybe you won't be knitting a dress or a bra, but this book will teach you about construction and fit in a way no other knitting book can.

I'm a big fan of Lily's trendy, cool, witty designs that have been showcased in Knitter's and other publications, and assumed this would be a collection of her designs. Whoops... shoulda read the reader reviews! I didn't realize this was a compendium of drab, amateurish, lumpy-looking items designed by non-professionals, and aimed at those just getting into knitting. Some of the ideas, like the bra top and the shoes, were almost a tiny bit cute-ish (is this called damning with faint praise?)- but I wouldn't be bothered taking the time to make any of them.

While I like the idea of showcasing atypical, young and ultra-trendy knitters, this wasn't my dream book. However, I would welcome a book of Lily's own creations.

Like so many other younger knitters, I am a big fan of Lily Chin's designs and her highly technical column in Knitter's. I was quite excited when I heard about this knitting book and it was a bit of a letdown when I actually saw it.

As pointed out before, the color pictures are stuck in the center of the book so that the reader has to stick her thumb in the pages to save her place so she can see what the project will actually look like. Also, the finished designs are not modelled, they are photographed less attractively on a shelf, like a department store ad or something. It's a shame since I think it would have been cool to see the young designers modeling their creations.

Ok, that's the bad stuff. Here's the good stuff. The book is well-written with a short knitter's bio of each of the Urban Knitters Ms. Chin selected for the book. Many of the designs have little twists and touches that makes them more professional and unique than your average knitting patterns. The design of the knitted bra is a definate highlight and though I know I am in the minority, I thought the knitted shoes were kinda neat. They just would have looked better if there had beem a model. Shoes (especially sandals) don't look too exciting by themselves.

Advice? This is a tough one. Look at the sample pages, maybe even borrow a copy from a friend or from the library and see if this book contains the sort of things you enjoy knitting. But then again, this is a fairly inexpensive knitting book so if you feel adventurous, take the leap as I did. Maybe the book will grow on you too!

I could not make up my mind for long time since some says this is interesting but others says it is boring. But, I finally decided to purchase this book and have just received the book yesterday and loved to read this book. I have never seen the book like this. The closest one is E. Zimmermann's books in the sense that; 1) it encourages readers to create their own craft, 2) the end-products are pretty but not necessary appealing to the mass, 3) people still love the book because it focuses on the process of the creation, from which people can learn a lot. It taught me to take my knitting activity more seriously by making it a "project" . It encourages you to start clarify your needs, to set goals and to choose strategies and etc. Just like you are required to do at work or school. It is relatively small in size (8" X 8") so that I could put it my bag to read in commuter train every morning. The patterns may not be as gorgeous as the ones which is created for more commercial purpose. They are rather simple, meeting somebody else's needs. However, I could find 5 items I like to knit myself out of 20 items shown. If your purpose is to find lovely commercial patterns to start right now, this book would be waste of your time and money. If you enjoy reading and thinking about knitting, and love to create your own project, this is a good reading book.

While I enjoyed the profiles of the various knitters, the patterns themselves (why else should you buy the book??) were pretty bland. Some of them were boxy and 80s, not exactly current, and some of the more interesting patterns looked very difficult to successfully pull off, like the dress. Nothing was particulary current or stylishly classic, most of it just looked unflattering to the wearer. And the photos are in the center of the book, not next to their patterns (annoying to have to flip back and forth) and none of the clothes are shown on human models, they are all just laying flat. Maybe because they don't look so good on people??? I was very disappointed.

While I certainly did see a few patterns in this book that I wouldn't be caught dead knitting, I personally have never seen a pattern book in which every pattern was worth my time. For me, the novel ideas - such as the bras, shoes, halter, dress - are what made me want to purchase this book and I'm not at all disappointed with them. I also love all the small 'gift' projects, stylish patterns for scarves, purses, pillows, socks that are great to have on hand in a gift-giving emergency. While my definition of hip and urban apparently differ from Lily Chin's (I'm 23 and more into the mild side of couture - most of this was a bit tamer than I was expecting), the good percentage of unique items in this book that I will be knitting up definitely make this book worth the cost.

I was surprised when I examined this book. The illustrations are sparse; the photographs few and clustered in the center. The quality of knitting was inconsistant and I can't imagine the items being comfortable. Case in point - the cable sweater appears lumpy, its finishing done poorly, and the neckline must surely chaff the wearer. There are far better examples of any of the patterns elsewhere. The yarns were poorly chosen.