Cotton Knitting: Over 30 Exclusive Patterns from Top Designers

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Collection
Review: I can't imagine why this book is out of print. I found it at my local library and instantly wanted it for my own collection. The designs are timeless as well as gorgeous. Even though it was written in 1987, the designs are classically up-to-date. And each design is shown with variations of color combinations. The book is filled with full color photos of every design and the instructions are clear and concise. There are over 30 designs from simple to complex and include vests, long sleeve, sleeveless and even a tank top! What a find!

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Collection
Review: I can't imagine why this book is out of print. I found it at my local library and instantly wanted it for my own collection. The designs are timeless as well as gorgeous. Even though it was written in 1987, the designs are classically up-to-date. And each design is shown with variations of color combinations. The book is filled with full color photos of every design and the instructions are clear and concise. There are over 30 designs from simple to complex and include vests, long sleeve, sleeveless and even a tank top! What a find!

Rating:
Summary: Some intriguing sweater constructions.
Review: I obtained this out-of-print book based on the one Amazon.com customer review. If you are one of those knitters who lives in a temperate climate, such that wool sweaters are too heavy for most days, I would definitely try to find an inexpensive copy of this book. The thing I liked the best about the book is that there are two or three VERY unusually constructed sweaters, including one that I loved, knit all in ONE piece, which included front, back and cap sleeves - all that's left to do after knitting is to sew up the side seams. What I found disappointing about the book was the lack of specifics about how cotton knitting differs from wool knitting. Wool is a favorite choice for knitters because, of course, wool yarn has that natural elastic quality, something that cotton yarn has less of, though, as a natural fiber, it still has some elasticity. There is also the question about testing swatches for shrinkage, color-fastness, blocking, washing and caring for cotton knits about which the book didn't go into much detail - also disappointing. Basically, the book is a gallery of sweater designs with patterns, line-by-line knitting directions, line drawings and color charts provided. The sweaters are photographed on professional models. I personally found the colors used and knit-in designs rather too bright and flashy, but that is easily changed to suit personal taste. The close-up photos of the patterned swatches are very good and will be a help to the knitter. Although the book doesn't say it, cotton knitting, though challenging, can be quite lovely in some designs. Some lace patterns knit up quite well in cotton, although I have found that cotton yarn does not hold up too well in very intricate twisted stitches - it tends to fray and look battered right away. I also wish the book had explained the differences between cotton yarns, mercerized vs. non-mercerized, for example. However, given the fact that there are few books available for cotton knitters, I think this book is well worth your time and attention.

Rating:
Summary: Some intriguing sweater constructions.
Review: I obtained this out-of-print book based on the one Amazon.com customer review. If you are one of those knitters who lives in a temperate climate, such that wool sweaters are too heavy for most days, I would definitely try to find an inexpensive copy of this book. The thing I liked the best about the book is that there are two or three VERY unusually constructed sweaters, including one that I loved, knit all in ONE piece, which included front, back and cap sleeves - all that's left to do after knitting is to sew up the side seams. What I found disappointing about the book was the lack of specifics about how cotton knitting differs from wool knitting. Wool is a favorite choice for knitters because, of course, wool yarn has that natural elastic quality, something that cotton yarn has less of, though, as a natural fiber, it still has some elasticity. There is also the question about testing swatches for shrinkage, color-fastness, blocking, washing and caring for cotton knits about which the book didn't go into much detail - also disappointing. Basically, the book is a gallery of sweater designs with patterns, line-by-line knitting directions, line drawings and color charts provided. The sweaters are photographed on professional models. I personally found the colors used and knit-in designs rather too bright and flashy, but that is easily changed to suit personal taste. The close-up photos of the patterned swatches are very good and will be a help to the knitter. Although the book doesn't say it, cotton knitting, though challenging, can be quite lovely in some designs. Some lace patterns knit up quite well in cotton, although I have found that cotton yarn does not hold up too well in very intricate twisted stitches - it tends to fray and look battered right away. I also wish the book had explained the differences between cotton yarns, mercerized vs. non-mercerized, for example. However, given the fact that there are few books available for cotton knitters, I think this book is well worth your time and attention.