Vintage Knits: Thirty Knitting Designs for Men and Women

This book is lovely to look at. I haven't knitted up anything yet so I cannot comment on how well written are the pattern. But as far as I can see, the book is a good keep if you are a Rowan-style fashion fan. It is nice even just to look at it without knitting anything (just yet). With all the big designer names, it can't be wrong. One more good thing about this pattern book is that, the FO are shown by real modern time models. It might come to a surprise to you, but there are many pattern books out there just put the original picture from the original pattern. Very difficult to imagine how it is like on real modern time body.

If you are into vintage knitted clothing you'll absolutely love this book! I've found it to be full of patterns I want to make. It isn't often that I get a book, open it up, and want everything. Not just sort of want, urn for. They are BEAUTIFUL! For my accounts so far there are only a couple of pit-falls to this book. 1. Some of the patterns are VERY complicated and not easy to understand. Trial and error seems to be the only way to find out if you are doing it correctly. 2. Even checking the gauge it seems like some of the patterns might be slightly off on how much yarn (as in length) is needed (especially if you buy a kit of yarn for a pattern from say knitpicks). Even with the downfalls, the book is wonderful for advanced knitters.

Vintage Knits: Thirty Knitting Designs From Rowan For Men And Women is a fantastic collection of knitwear designs drawing inspiration from the fashion, simplicity, and charm of the 40's, 50's and 60's. Full-color photographs, extensive row-by-row instructions, black-and-white diagrams, pattern keys and more make the projects for various knitted tops easy-to-follow. Vintage Knits does presuppose that the reader is familiar with basic knitting skills and written knitting notation; there are no express tutorials. A superb sourcebook for intermediate to advanced knitters.

Since I loved the "Vintage Style" pattern collection enough to commit right away to three different projects, I couldn't resist purchasing this new hardcover edition. It has at least one important correction, because it includes the yarn color key to the chart for the Kaffe Fassett vest that was inadvertently omitted from the softcover edition. This is not a book for brand-new knitters, because the patterns use light- to medium-weight yarns, include shaping, and may utilize "advanced" techniques like intarsia. However, the finished garments are well worth the effort! Many of the patterns can be previewed on the web sites of Rowan yarn retailers that carry the "Vintage Style" pattern collection.

I pre-ordered this book based on the positive editorial reviews, and I was not disappointed! The book itself is beautiful eye-candy - the photography inspired me immediately. The patterns are very well presented and seemed at first reading to be easy to follow. The book includes projects for a range of knitting levels, from a long sweater coat in chunky yarn on size 10 needles, to a fair isle sweater done on size 3s. The suggested yarns come from the Rowan collection, but a description of each yarn (gauge, content, length, etc.) is given in the back of the book, which makes substituting ever so much easier. All the patterns in this book are tailored (i.e. close fitting) but they do include sizing from XS (32" bust) to XL (40" bust). I am an intermediate knitter, and am planning to knit several projects from this book ASAP, and will probably make more as my knitting skills increase. All in all, a lovely book.