Book Review – The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters

As a knitter, I have always had a fondness for top-down knitting patterns. These patterns allow you to knit your sweater from the top down, starting with the neck and working your way down to the hem. This method of knitting has many benefits, one of the biggest being that it allows you to try on your sweater as you go, ensuring the perfect fit. It also means you can easily adjust the length of your sweater or sleeves as you knit, and it eliminates the need for seaming at the end.

In “The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges,” Ann Budd offers instructions for knitting five basic sweater types: circular yoke, raglan, modified-drop shoulder, set-in sleeve, and saddle shoulder. These patterns are offered in multiple sizes and yarn gauges and for a broad age group, making it a great resource for knitters of all skill levels.

The book also includes three diverse patterns from top designers that illustrate some of the many ways that instructions can be used as springboards for creative expression, including color, texture, and shaping variations. For intermediate to advanced knitters, there are personal design touches, detailed charts, clear instructions, and quick tips to expand knitting possibilities and maintain creative originality. Overall, this is a key reference for knitters and a must-have on any knitter’s bookshelf.

Next Pattern:

This swirly square stitch knitting pattern from Studio Knit is a lot of fun, and it looks kind of complicated without being difficult at all.

The swirly nature of the block comes from regularly placed increases, as the pattern is worked in rounds from the center out. Switching between sections of all knit stitches and all purl stitches (which gives you stockinette and reverse stockinette respectively when worked in the round) adds to the off-kilter flair but makes it really easy to knit.

You can work it in a single color or change colors regularly. This isn’t really a change colors randomly kind of pattern just because it looks better if you work a full repeat in a single color, but you know there are no rules so you can do whatever you want.

You can also make it any size you like, and indeed use any yarn you want. This one is blanket sized and used five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you can use any yarn and corresponding needles (you’ll need double pointed needles and circulars of various lengths, depending on how big you want to make your square).

For a start, why not grab some cotton yarn and stitch up a swirly washcloth? You could still use a couple of colors if you want, jsut for fun.

Once you try that, you’ll probably want to make a bigger version, and you could definitely use more colors than Kristen did (or just one color if you prefer), you just need to make sure you change colors at the beginning of the pattern repeat to keep everything looking good.

If you’re ready to start (and I know I am!) you can grab the free pattern and check out a video to help you get started at Studio Knit.

[Photo: Studio Knit]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?