Knitting

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Grab a Chance to Learn Seamless Knitting from the Pros

by 23 Comments

the art of seamless knitting
Shelia is our winner.

This is another one of those books that I love because it’s just really smart and helpful and has great patterns, too.

The Art of Seamless Knitting by Simona Merchant-Dest and Faina Goberstein really grounds knitters in good techniques before presenting any patterns, so if you take the time to read all that material (and you should) you’ll start out feeling a lot more comfortable about where you’re headed.

The first chapters of the book cover things like different ways to construct garments seamlessly, how to read patterns and charts, preventing jogs in patterns worked in the round and ensuring you make a garment that will fit by measuring, swatching and altering if necessary. It even makes changing up patterns seem less daunting as it covers adding and subtracting length with and without shaping and designing your own garments with and without sleeves.

The next three chapters take you through different kinds of projects — with lace, cables and textured stitches — that can be worked seamlessly. They offer tips on designing garments with those sort of stitches, how to work shaping within designs and how to combine patterns to make a garment with more interest. Each chapter also includes a few sample projects (there are 12 in all) to get you started. Check them out on Ravelry. I love the cabled tunic and the lace stockings.

This is a really smart, well thought out book and the patterns are pretty, too. You’ll want to knit them and then take your new knowledge and confidently alter patterns or design your own with just the stitch patterns and shape that you want.

If you’d like a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, April 23. I’d love to know if you have any experience designing or altering patterns and how that experience has gone for you in the past.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. The only experience I have in altering patterns is accounting for a mistake I made that I don’t want to frog it out!

  2. I make a lot of hats that I knit using magic loop techniques and it makes it a lot easier! That’s the only way that I use for no seaming knitting!

  3. I’m a pattern follower…so I have no experience designing or altering patterns. This book looks like a wonderful chance to do just that.

  4. I almost always make up my own designs. Sometimes it works great, sometimes I do more frogging than knitting, but I get there in the end. Resources like this book to help my planning, so I can do more knitting than frogging would be great!

  5. The only alterations I have done are to lengthen a pattern. I find cute patterns that are too short for my liking and just add length to them. Thanks for the chance to win.

  9. I’ll make minor alterations to a pattern on occasion and the sweaters have come out…well…ok. It’s not often that I’ll knit a sweater anymore because I’m never thrilled with the finished item.

  13. I have altered a pattern when the size that I wanted is different from the original pattern.

  14. I usually create my own designs, sometimes making it up as I’m knitting. I hate seaming, so I even figured out a way to do saddle shoulders without seams.

  15. I haven’t designed any patterns, but I am certainly all for knitting a sweater without any seams in it. Sounds like a helpful book.

  16. I have knit many sweaters that were written flat, in the round so they are seamless.

  17. I have been knitting for a few years, maybe 6 or 7, and still have so much to learn. I have altered a little by adding stitches, length, to ensure right fit, but didn’t really have any guide to follow for this. Sounds like a wonderful resource.

  18. I’ve turned a skirt pattern into a shawl. I liked the repeat & thought it would make a nice shawl. It does. I also find that if I knit a scarf or hat and like the print, I’ll attempt to make a set.

  20. I am apple shape so alway have to alter patterns to fit. So far used top down patterns. Still working on getting jumpers to fit to flatter. Would like to design own jumpers from scratch.

  21. I just love seamless sweaters! I made already a few for myself and family members. Sometimes I follow the pattern and other times I just like to play around the pattern and make my own version. In the end it worked fine. I’m still wearing my hacked sweaters.

  22. My experience altering patterns is usually limited to changing sleeve length and girth, unfortunately through trial and error ????

  23. I need this book! I want to knit a cotton sweater for summer and would love to learn how to make a seamless one.

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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