Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques

An interesting book. It starts with the authors philosophy and a "how to make your own custom dress form" guide, then takes you on a journey through some patterns and then to how to adapt said patterns to suit yourself.

This is all top-down construction, which suits some people and doesn't suit some others, but it does talk about adjusting designs and working them for yourself. This is a book for someone who knows something about what they're letting themselves in for. Definitely not a beginners book, though many of the patterns are mostly stocking (or stockingette) stitch or with a little bit of fairly simple design involved. It's a book to stretch you, to make you think about your relationship with your favourite jumpers and see how show more you can make them yourself, in your own favourite colours and with your own detail.

Overall, I'm torn, it's a good book with interesting ideas but nothing really sings to me in it, except of course the guidelines. show less

It would be a good idea to look at this book before ordering it. I think I will find it useful, but most of the patterns will not suit my body shape, and to make it worse, they are mostly shown in the very colours that just do not look good on me. The best thing about it is that it encourages knitters to change the pattern. However there is one pattern that might just be a good starting point for some special yarn I bought last year...

This book is great. It's one of few books I love most of the patterns and if I don't absolutely love it, there are instructions on modifying them (or any other pattern for that matter) so that I do love it. There also plenty of other tips and ideas included that are fabulous. On a lesser note I also love the design of the book. I highly recommend it.

Excellent reference book; the author shows how to modify the patterns to suit your body type and your taste. Great patterns. No-nonsense attitude.