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.

Last year I shared a roundup of shorts knitting patterns over at Our Daily Craft, and it’s consistently one of my most popular posts this time of year.

What that post lacked, though, was any projects of mine, because I have never written a shorts knitting pattern before.

And I guess technically I still haven’t, but I have written a detailed tutorial of how to knit shorts that fit you. Use whatever yarn you have, at whatever gauge you like, and knit using whatever stitch pattern you want to make the size you need.

The “pattern” walks you through knitting a swatch and the measurements and math you’ll need to do to make sure your shorts fit. Yes there is math. It’s not terrible, I promise. And because gauge is sometimes a liar, I talk you through all the points along the way where I tried the shorts on as I went to adjust the fit as needed.

This was actually a really fun project. I used yarn I’d salvaged from ripping up one of my husband’s old sweaters (with permission, of course!) and made a really simple pair of lounge shorts that’s all stockinette stitch with knit hems.

But it’s really easy to change it to make ribbed edges, or throw in an allover stitch pattern, or stripes, or whatever else you want to do. I love writing tutorials like this instead of patterns because I don’t know what your body is like or what kind of fit you want, or how long you’d like the legs on your shorts to be. And it’s really satisfying to be able to figure it out for yourself.

And once you know how to knit shorts that fit you, there’s nothing stopping you from keeping on with the legs and knitting a pair of pants in just the same way.

I’m actually really tempted to do just that. Good thing I’ve got another sweater to unravel.

Have you read?