The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits

As a new knitter (about 3 months now), I decided that I have enough scarves and was ready to take the plunge into something more challenging. Most patterns in the craft stores looked like something my great aunt used to give us for Christmas presents. Then I stumbled onto this book. I immediately bought yarn for the "Danielle" sweater, and had the whole thing completed in a little over a week (made my co-workers very jealous!). The section on finishing the pieces was very easy to follow, and an experienced knitter at my work place immediately commented on the quality results! I am now working on a beautiful afghan from the book, and bought yarn from the authors' store to make a v-neck. I am looking forward to stopping by their store on my next visit to NYC. While I agree with a previous reviewer that the suggested yarns are expensive, I decided that the effort that I put into these hand made treasures deserves special yarn. Also, I was able to substitute a less expensive yarn in a craft/hobby store for my afghan, by just following the guage advice. Thanks to this book, I am quickly turning into an addict, complete with my own yarn stash!

Ok, I'm a crocheter at heart, but this book woke up my bad knitting skills, and so far I have made 2 sweaters and have more planned. Thanks to a small yarn shop in VT, they showed me how to convert the yardage and wt to a not so pricey yarn in a price range I could afford. My yarns for all sweaters have been less than $50, now I feel confident that I can make any sweater in this book with yarn I love, and in a reasonable amount of time. Hint: Find a good yarn shop or mail order source for yarn, and that will help with the pricy yarns used in the book. I also discovered wooden needles - worth it!I usually ignore gage completely, but I learned the importance with help from this book... everything I now make has perfect sizing! (and I now make guage swatches and adjust my needle sizes accordingly)I would strongly recommend this book to anyone... It woke up my knitting skills, and am falling in love with knitting again - I love the stories that go with the patterns as well. A definite must for any beginning and up knitter.

I've been knitting five months and I really enjoyed this book. I'm currently knitting the "Design Your Own Throw" and I look forward to trying some of the other patterns soon.The book is absolutely beautiful and well worth the purchase price. It's a hardcover and is loaded with colorful pictures on every page (unlike some of the dull, "traditional" books). No 80s babes with feathered hair and tight lavender cable knits in this book!I agree that the yarns used in this book are sooo expensive (especially for the college student or young professional that this book seems targeted to), but with a little bit of brain power you can easily use their patterns and substitute less expensive yarns (try a big craft store like Michael's or Jo-Ann fabrics).Knitting is an expensive hobby and I think that expensive yarn produces superior garments, but until I have the money to buy "gourmet yarn", this book has given me some ideas that I can work into my budget. Yes, the book uses huge needles and bulky yarns, but that's why I love it! My friends who knit (we're all in our 20s) don't have time to sit around with toothpick sized needles and thin yarn. Experienced (often older) knitters seem to object to chunky, bulky knits for some reason. If you want instant gratification and stylish patterns (think stuff you'd see in the mall), you'll love this book. Patterns knit up quickly, which means the items make great gifts!I give the book 5 stars because it's layout, colorful pictures, and trendy patterns speak to the modern, young knitter. The major drawback is that the yarns featured in the book are expensive and sometimes not enough details are given in the patterns (ask an experienced knitter for a little assistance).

I have a lot of knitting books, even though I'm fairly new to knitting, just a little over a year off and on. But I purchased this book, and am in love with it. Not only are there simple patterns that knit up quick, but they explain how to mix and match the patterns. For instance there are 10 basic patterns, each with three variations, which ultimately gives you 30 patterns, but infinite possibilities. Plus they have all the basic patterns covered, crew neck, v-neck, cardigan, and funnel neck (there is even a guy's sweater)and let me tell you these sweaters are CUTE! I can't wait to get started on the one with a hood. They also not only explain how much yardage of yarn, but explain if you substitute yarn, how to buy the right amount, etc. Plus, and best of all, they give you the pattern directions, etc. like all normal books, but then on the neck shaping, and armhole, etc. they write it out row by row. For a beginner, that is incredibly helpful. But what I really want to say, is buy this book. You won't regret it!

The title of this knitting book is accurate; you'll find thirty simple, straight lined knitting patterns for sweaters, tops, cardigans, jackets, hats and throws. Most of them are done in the trendy bulky wools that have become a hot item with the young and fashionable. If you are one of those "young and fashionable" who longs to learn knitting and make a trendy outfit to wear, you are going to like this book a lot.The initial chapter illustrates basic knitting instruction with good drawings. However, if you are a brand-spankin' new knitter, it's probably a good idea to supplement this with a video or lessons from a knitting friend. The rest of the book is devoted to various styles of clothing, including the popular funnel-neck pullovers and their kissin' cousin the turtleneck. There are sexy tank tops, from slim and summery to more season-crossing sleeveless tops that could go under a jacket in fall or even winter. There is a long jacket that is particularly nice and a poncho or ruana based on rectangles that looks elegant. There are quite a few models even I would knit, and I am not particularly a fan of the bulky yarn trend (and I certainly am not young and fashionable.) The back of the book lists the yarn sources, for those who want to replicate the models in identical wools.If you don't like the bulky style, however, this book really isn't for you. There isn't a lot of fine detail work, color work, or other fancy technique. As the title says, this is simple. If you are a new young and trendy knitter, this book will probably become your designing bible-that is, until the styles change. And when they do, you can adapt these classic shapes to new yarns and new trends. Meanwhile, you can learn knitting from these patterns, as it is far easier to begin with straight lines and big yarns. Recommended highly for new knitters and young knitters especially.Joanna Daneman