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Sweater Design in Plain English
 
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Sweater Design in Plain English (Paperback)

by Maggie Righetti (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Saint Martin's Press (15 Oct 1990)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0312051646
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312051648
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 17.8 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 288,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis
Describes techniques for knitting sweaters, offers tips on selecting yarn, taking accurate body measurements, and choosing the best color and style for the wearer, and includes step-by-step instructions for thirteen sweaters.

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to feed the creative spirit!, 25 Jan 1998
By A Customer
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.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Because simple is beautiful, 10 Aug 2007
By jazzy pom "jazzypom" (united kingdom) - See all my reviews
  

There are books out there for us inquistive knitters: those of us who are content with buying pattern books and working from them - but want to be savvy enough to know when their tech writers were wrong, or when the devil's printer is acting up.

This book is such a book: you may not want to do your own design, but it is important to know the principles behind said design, so you can alter the garment as you go on, to make the pattern suit your specific needs, and not the generic constraints of measurements that the designer has to work with.

For starters, Righetti writes in plain English. It is a big deal, believe me. Then, to add to that, the tone is encouraging, never patronizing (in the way Zimmerman can be at times). The author is one who believes in swatching, doing classes in figure drawing, and other things that on the surface of it, does not seem connected to the craft of knitting, but will only enrich your knitting skills when done well.


Righetti speaks about different types of bodies, and how to knit for said body (I'm a pear shape, so it was helpful to me) as well as what sorts of styles and knits to avoid. She is of the opinion that knitting in pieces are an invaluable tool in learning design, as well as knitting in the round. Righetti speaks of the importance of body measurements and gives you directions on how to do them and get the right fit. This is important. For example, if your upper arm is 10 inches around, and your pattern schematic gives you 12 inches for the upper arm, you'll need to pay attention to your decreases in order to avoid an unintentional baggy sleeve.

Righetti also speaks about how to do set in sleeves so that you can knit them downward from the armhole instead of from bottom up. That's brilliant, because it saves on error in terms of sleeve length. She also discusses shortrows and darts, and how to do different necklines for jumpers. I find that chapter helpful in the fact that I like lower necklines than the pattern mavens, and it's good just to know how to make my knitwear work for me.

Righetti also underscores the drawbacks of various stitches, and gives you pointers for finding the colours which are best for you (I'm currently contemplating a soft coral knit jumper, and this is coming from a woman who couldn't abide the colour and concept of pink).

In addition, the principles in the book are aptly illustrated by black and white diagrams, which shows her ideas in a clear style as her writting.

The only drawback with the book are the patterns included. They are very dated, true, especially with the drive towards vintage - smart colours, set in sleeves (instead of dropped sleeves) - but it is an invaluable insight into how patterns are 'built' per se.

Overall, this book is for the intermmediate knitter: the one who's been around the block, knitted a few jumpers and is anxious to tweak and change here or there. The book is also for the knitter who wishes to work smarter, not harder on her knits.

Highly recommended.


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