First, the facts:
Title: Knits That Fit: Instructions, Patterns, and Tips for Getting the Right Fit
Author: From Potter Craft
Published by: Potter Craft, 2011
Pages: 143
Type: Patterns.
Chapters:
1. Fit Basics
2. Pullovers
3. Cardigans and Cover-Ups
4. Sleeveless and Short-Sleeved Tops
The In-Depth Look:
The back of the book says, “When you lovingly make something stitch-by-stitch, it shouldn’t fit like it came from a department store. However, that’s exactly what happens when you knit to fit a general size instead of your actual measurements. In Knits That Fit, you will learn how to break free from following a pattern word-for-word and start making small changes to tailor your knitwear. It’s not hard, either! You’ll be walked through all the essential ins-and-outs of taking measurements and basic pattern alteration. Before you know it, you’ll be able to tweak nearly any pattern to better fit your unique shape.”
Well, who can resist an invitation like that?
It’s true, too. The first chapter–25 pages or so–goes into great detail about how to go about adjusting existing patterns to fit YOU. How to change the width of the shoulder, or add more (or less) shaping at the waist. How to change the length, how to make the sweater actually look more flattering. How to pick the right kind of yarn or drape for the best sweater for you. There is also a section of tips for bigger girls, with their specific fit issues.
It’s all geared toward women. Not children. Not men. Full-grown people of the female persuasion. If you’re looking for tips on how to fit a sweater to your toddler, you should look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for tips for fitting you or your mother or your best friend (assuming, again, that they are female), this book has some really good, really helpful information.
The next hundred pages or so? They’re patterns for different sweaters–pullovers, cardigans, and short-sleeved tops and they are all nice patterns. Some are more traditional. Some are trendy. Some are classic. Some are unique. Some are comfy. NICE patterns, with a nice variety of “type.”
This isn’t surprising considering that they come from a variety of designers like Sally Melville, Lily Chin, Annie Modesitt, and Berta Karapetyan–each of whom is enormously talented and widely published as a designer. It’s not a surprise that their patterns for this book are all sweaters you’d be proud to wear. But … about that “widely-published” thing.
All of the patterns have been published before.
Similar to last year’s “The Art of Knitted Lace,” this book is a collection of different patterns from different books, all published under a new umbrella. It’s essentially a Greatest Hits collection with highlights from some of the earlier books which you might already have.
Which books? Big Girl Knits, More Big Girl Knits, Knits Three Ways, Mother-Daughter Knits, Romantic Hand Knits, and Runway Knits. If you already own all of them, you’ll have to decide if one really useful chapter on how to customize your sweaters is worth duplicating the patterns.
Considering the book is geared towards customizing, I expected to see sidebars or notes with each pattern, suggesting places it would be easiest to make adjustments, but there are none. From what I can see, each pattern is reproduced exactly as it was in the original book, with no extra notes … which means you’re on your own to figure out how to adapt the lessons you learned in chapter one. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
All in all, I liked this book, and I was pleased that it says right in the Preface that this book is “featuring the best of Potter Craft” and “brings together patterns from…” its designers. It’s not trying to mislead you into thinking that they’re new patterns. It tells you right up-front and stresses that the book is about getting the right fit
This book is available from Amazon.com.
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This review copy was kindly donated by Potter Craft. Thank you!
