Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork

by Corrina Ferguson

Overview

Scrumptious texture, winding cables, and mesmerizing colorwork will take your knitwear wardrobe to the next level of fashion. All of these pieces are designed to go from office to errands to weekends. They are polished yet comfortable, closet staples with interesting details that will make you feel well-dressed every time you put one on. From textured pullover to cabled raglan to wrap-front cardigan, the 16 designs in this book will take you anywhere you want to go. Knitting sweaters from the top down offers many advantages knitters appreciate, not the least of which is that it minimizes the amount of seaming you have to do to finish your sweater. It also allows more easy options for customization in the yoke, raglan placement, overall length, and armhole length. Since you can try your sweater on as you go, you can make sure that you are working to the exact fit you desire. ·Helpful tips for knitting top down ·Sizes from XS to XXL ·Guide to finding your best fit ·16 patterns for pullovers and cardigans

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811718288
Publisher:	Stackpole Books
Publication date:	10/16/2019
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	1,095,136
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Corrina Ferguson is a knitwear designer and former editor of Creative Knitting Magazine. She is known as PicnicKnits on Ravelry, Instagram, Twitter, and has her own website, picnicknits.com. She has been designing for over 10 years and has over 200 patterns to her credit, including those in her first book, Warm Days, Cool Knits.

Editorial Reviews

09/02/2019

Extolling top-down sweater knitting as a neater and more customizable process than the alternative, this pattern book from designer Ferguson (Warm Days, Cool Nights) shows how to use hand-dyed yarn and brilliant color combinations to create stitches that will really pop. The 16 projects included are both charted and written out, so knitters can follow along as they prefer, and the photographs of each sweater include multiple, close-up views of stitch patterns, yoke detailing, color work, hem length and/or edging. Moreover, each pattern contains at least one detail—such as a shawl pin or “statement button”—that adds an extra bit of personality. Though projects aren’t labeled by difficulty level, experienced crafters can quickly determine whether they can tackle any given project. Most appealing to beginners will be either the “fast fun knit” shawl-collared “Flora,” or “Lenora,” a “warm and woolly layering piece.” The more complex knits gathered here are the author’s specialty, though, with the reversible “Constance” and the color-worked yokes of “Maude,” “Zelma,” and “Trudy” particular highlights. Ferguson clearly has a knack for color, and it will behoove readers of this appealing collection to attend to its plans and suggestions carefully. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Corrina Ferguson is a knitwear designer and former editor for Creative Knitting Magazine. She is known as PicnicKnits on Ravelry, Instagram, Twitter, and has her own website, picnicknits.com. She has been designing for over 10 years and has over 200 patterns to her credit, including those in her first book, Warm Days, Cool Knits. With "Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork" she has drawn upon her years of experience and expertise to create an instruction manual of DIY knitted sweaters specifically designed for anything from office to errands to weekend events. They are polished yet comfortable, closet staples with interesting details that will make you feel well-dressed every time you put one on. From textured pullover to cabled raglan to wrap-front cardigan, the 16 designs in "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" will take you anywhere you want to go. Knitting sweaters from the top down offers many advantages knitters appreciate, not the least of which is that it minimizes the amount of seaming you have to do to finish your sweater. It also allows more easy options for customization in the yoke, raglan placement, overall length, and armhole length. Since you can try your sweater on as you go, you can make sure that you are working to the exact fit you desire. Critique: Replete with a wealth of helpful tips for knitting top down, with thoroughly 'use friendly' patterns for sizes from XS to XXL, plus a guide to finding the best personal fit, "Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork" showcases patterns for both hand knitted pullovers and cardigan sweaters. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.48).

Midwest Book Review

Top-down knitting is such a thing that when this title crossed our threshold, it sent us scrambling to a stack of recent magazines to ensure people still knit garments from the bottom up. (They do.) Knitters and designers have gravitated to top-down knitting for good reason: You can try sweaters on in media res, and knitting this way obviates the need for most seaming. Divided into chapters highlighting four different stitch types (knit-purl, lace, cables, and colorwork), this collection offers basics with pretty details-a raglan tee in reverse stockinette with a twisted-rib hem, a simple cardigan with foliage lace panels trailing down the front , a wear-with-everything pullover with swirling-rib yoke, and a perfect striped long-line cardigan. Kudos to the author for the inclusive sizing (up to a 56-inch bust) and savvy top-down tricks.

From the Publisher

Inside Top-Down Knit Sweaters by Corinna Ferguson you will find 16 stylish sweater patterns that are sure to get you excited and stretch your knitting skills. Scrumptious texture, winding cables, and mesmerizing colorwork will take your knitwear wardrobe to the next level of fashion. All of these pieces are designed to go from office to errands to weekends. They are polished yet comfortable, closet staples with interesting details that will make you feel well-dressed every time you put one on. From textured pullover to cabled raglan to wrap-front cardigan, the 16 designs in this book will take you anywhere you want to go. Knitting sweaters from the top down offers many advantages knitters appreciate, not the least of which is that it minimizes the amount of seaming you have to do to finish your sweater. It also allows more easy options for customization in the yoke, raglan placement, overall length, and armhole length. Since you can try your sweater on as you go, you can make sure that you are working to the exact fit you desire.

Marly Bird