Melissa Leapman

NOT the same old, same old.

Here are a lot of stitches I haven't seen before. Thank you, Melissa Leapman. Most newer stitch dictionaries I have seen are reruns of the ones that have been around awhile, namely Barbara Walker, the original Sunset/Harmony and the French one (Tricotiere?). Leapman's book is a real addition to my collection. While not all of the designs are new to me, the originals are well-balanced, often with good play of light and dark and more subtle tones. I can picture show more their usefulness for a number of project types.
The methods involved in knitting the stitches are all in my knitting vocabulary. There aren't any moves that involve extreme needle-hicular acrobatics--calisthenics and twisting yes; circus-level contortions, no. The explanations of the techniques in the back matter are clear. The drawings are exceptionally informative and were certainly done by an artist who understands knitting.
A lot of swatches have both right and wrong side views. I'd like to see ALL of the wrong side views, even if they aren't considered suitable for the front of one's knitting. I'm nosy that way. I believe that dictionaries should be descriptive, rather than prescriptive. The many wrong side views take us a long way in that direction, but let's go all the way.
The photography on the swatches is sharp and easy to read with the exception of many of the holey stitches. You can't see the holes. This happens a lot in stitch dictionaries, but isn't necessary. Also, as is standard, the charts are too small with no attention paid to other readability enhancements, such as font. The symbols are even hard to make out on the key to the symbols. I ask that publishers put more effort into book design when it comes to the graphics.
As a knitting stitch dictionary aficionado and knitter, I highly recommend The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook by Melissa Leapman. show less

Many thanks to Netgalley, Storey Publishing, and Melissa Leapman for an ARC in exchange for a review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

Shawls are one of the most versatile pieces you can have in your wardrobe. They are an excellent layering piece, can be worn many different ways and are easy to make. You can use almost any different yarn weight so you can use your special lace weight skein that you bought when you were somewhere special, or a worsted show more weight that you have laying around in your stash. They make beautiful gifts and the knitted shawls of today are not what your grandma used to make.

If you are new to knitting you might not know that Melissa Leapman is a very well known and prolific designer. Her patterns have been in all the major publications for both knitting and crochet. She has written many books herself, some of which I own and I really do love her designs. Part of wanting to check out this book was because I saw that she was the author. She does not disappoint.

This book is truly amazing. There are so many components to it, so I’ll try and break it down for you. First she has 7 steps in creating the perfect shawl. First you choose your silhouette. She breaks down the shawl into the smallest component - the wedge. Then, depending on how you want your shape, you decide how many wedges you want. Two wedges creates the triangle shawl. Once you start adding on, there are different ways you can put the wedges together to get different shapes. You can use up to six wedges. The second step is the choose the stitch pattern. She has many in the book, but you can use any stitch you want, from any stitch pattern book. She has accounted for how to adjust to different number of stitches in the stitch pattern, so really anything can work. Then you decide on your background texture. Choosing between a knit background or a garter stitch background will really make a difference to the appearance of the stitch pattern. Step four asks you to choose your edging and step five a cast on tab, which goes hand in hand with the edging you have chosen. Step six means choosing a border and step seven a bind off and that completes the steps in constructing a shawl. You can choose a solid fabric or decide on a lacy, more openwork design, the choices are endless, but by breaking it into these easy steps nothing is overwhelming.

There are fixed patterns that you can follow step by step with picots of what the end product looks like. What is even better is that there is a gallery of shawls at the back set up so that you can see how each of the seven steps apply to each of the patterns. Simple substitution and small tweaks give you another jumping off point to creating your own design. Of course, you can be as creative as your imagination and remember, if you don’t like it, you can always undo it! There are no mistakes. I love that you can all take baby steps and get more creative as you become more comfortable with experience. There are many diagrams and charts that clearly help you map out what style you would like to make. Even with the most basic design, and a simple stitch pattern by simple changing one or two small elements like the border, or the edging, you can end up with a completely new looking shawl. The possibilities are endless!

This book is so easy to use, full of inspiration and really limitless in ideas, I think it will become a staple that you will refer to many times for many years. I am so excited! I can’t wait to cast on my first project. Now hmmm, which yarn shall I choose?? show less

I was so excited when I won a giveaway copy of this book here at Goodreads. I've been a crocheter for nearly 25 years and accessory projects are my favorites! I love to make hats, scarves, handbags, jewelry....any accessory! They make perfect gifts, and are easily portable projects I can take nearly anywhere.

There is a nice mix of patterns in Melissa's Leapman's book. Everything from crocheted hats to jewelry. I took my time perusing this book fully before reviewing it. I made 3 projects, show more and read the instructions for all of the patterns. Very easy instructions, great photographs and fun patterns! My two favorite patterns were the Ashley Headband (I love to wear similar headbands while jogging because they keep my ears warm and hold my earbuds in) and the Phoebe ring. The headband is a quick project but has a nice finished, fashionable look. And, it stays put while I run! The Phoebe ring is made from thread and just has an awesome eclectic fashionable appearance. I've made 3 of them so far -- I love this pattern! And, the friends I gave them to loved it as well!

I definitely recommend this pattern book for crocheters! A nice blend of different projects, and difficulty levels. Beautiful photos and concise directions, too. show less

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Sometimes a book falls into your hands at exactly the moment you need it. Knitting Modular Shawls, Wraps and Stoles by Melissa Leapman is one of those books. I had just finished knitting my first shawl based on an idea that started what if I did this. Exploring this book took me further down the path and now five shawls later I’m hooked. This book is both for people like me who like to design their own show more knitting projects and those who like clear concise patterns to follow. The photographs are beautiful, illustrations informative and the designs interesting and creative... the only limit is your imagination. I would say definitely add this book to your Christmas list if you are interested in creating beautiful shawls wraps and stoles.
Publishing Date December 25, 2018 #NetGalley #KnittingModularShawlsWrapsandStoles #MelissaLeapman #storeypublishing show less