Knitting from the Top

This is the best knitting book I own or have ever seen.Still, it is not for everyone.It is not for knitters who like to knit row-by-row patterns. It does not have projects in it with type and amount of yarn and needle sizes.It is not for knitters who like to knit panels and then sew them together.It is not for knitters who do not like to shape garments to the body as they knit.This book has no photos of finished projects because there is no need for those. The book is a manual. It tells you how to knit most styles of sweaters from the top down, to your own measurements, and in your own choice of yarn, color, and pattern stitch. Design your own, or pick a style from an illustrated knitting magazine or book. Then follow the very clear and cogent directions in this book to produce the design in your chosen size, knitting from the top down. You can adapt these directions easily to almost any pattern you buy, eliminating seams that the original might have.If you are a beginner knitter, with little experience in clothing construction, you might find the instructions hard to comprehend, and may have to work at understanding something about how clothing fits the human body before it all makes sense.The hat instructions, though, are simple even for a beginner. You can also knit leggings with the directions in the book. These would be simple projects.Knitting a sweater from the top down is a liberating experience. It is easier to shape than kitting from the bottom up. As the book points out, you can try it on as it progresses. You can make it shorter if you find you are running out of yarn. You can knit & attach the sleeves early on in the knitting. And you avoid the tedious sewing of the seams when you are finished.If you are a magic loop knitter, you can cast on using that method for some of the sweater styles.I found the book to be well-written and easy to read and the instructions completely comprehensible. If you are used to following patterns, you might not, judging from the negative reviews here.

This book liberated me from having to depend on commercial --- and usually expensive and in the end, badly fitting --- knitting patterns for my hand knitting projects. If you want to choose your own wool and design your own sweaters that fit, with no or little sewing, and NO blocking (which I hate), then get this book. But this book alone is not enough to educate you in all the techniques of knitting a beautiful garment. I am a self-taught knitter, and I recommend (1) this book and (2) "The Knitting Answer Book" by Margaret Radcliffe or "Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book", which tells you how to knit, and (3) Ann Budd's "The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns", which tells you how much yarn you need for your gauge, for your size, and for your sweater type (the title is misleading, you don't buy it for great-looking sweater patterns, it doesn't offer that), and finally Barbara Walker's "Treasury of Knitting Patterns" (there are four books in this series, the 2nd one is the most popular), which gives you hundreds and hundreds of knit stitch patterns to choose from.But words of caution --- this book requires patience and the willingness to redo and redo (at least for your first project) until you get the result you want. For example, the first time I used this book was to knit a set-in sleeve cardigan from the top down. After ONE YEAR of patient effort, I finally achieved my objective, an absolutely stunning, beautifully fitting, cardigan in baby mohair silk yarn. Even though this book contains information on exactly what I want to achieve, its vague in places. That's why I recommend Ann Budd's book (or the percentage knitting system if you can find information on that) to help guide you as to how long to knit before increasing/decreasing etc, and how many increases decreases to make, etc. But once you get the hang of it, Barbara Walker's techniques for sweater design are incredibly simple and foolproof.

This book is by far the best knitting book I have. It has taught me the basics of how to design my own sweaters, caps, and ponchos. I enjoy knitting these things from the top. The book itself is quite plain and doesn't have many photographs, and only contains a few simple sketches, but the knowledge contained within is excellent. I also love the top down drop-shoulder sweater with the provisional cast-on method. It is so SIMPLE and wonderful! The possibilities for colors and patterns are really endless with this method, and it's so great to make a sweater without seams!I am very happy with this book and I highly recommend it.

Very happy with this book

This book is the thinking knitters guide to top down knitting in many styles. There is not a step by step pattern in the whole thing. Only a couple of photos the rest are schematic drawings. It is for those who want to completely customize their piece based on measurements, gauge, and desired style. The author has a great logical and creative approach to solving knitting problems and shares it with you in a conversational style in great detail. She helps guide the process of making your own pattern from the top so to speak. If you are looking to dig in to some serious in depth technical know how about top down knitting then this is for you.

Don't be thrown by the 70's cover. The information contained within is Wonderful. If you are looking for new line by line patterns, don't buy this. If you are looking for an actual How-To, it's perfect! Knitting from the top down intrigued me. Reading the explanation of "Top Down", knitting that way made sense. Your own gauge (you have to do a swatch anyway) is the Key! Grab a pencil and paper because you are going to need them. I use a calculator, too. She tells you how to go from there. Decisions about stitch patterns, etc. and options for ribbing and neck lines and such are ALL yours.

Mi ha aperto un mondo, pieno di ricette per progettare lavori a maglia, peccato non lo traducano.

A première vue ce livre peut être déroutant, la couverture fait aussi très début 80s. Mais en fait il donne les bases pour faire des pulls sans coutures commencés par le col, et laisse toute liberté au lecteur; de ce fait, on obtient le résultat qu'on imaginait; déroutant aussi parce que comme ce n'est pas un livre de patrons proprement dit, il donne des recettes empiriques plutôt que des chiffres précis. Passée la première surprise, on s'y fait très bien, au point de ne plus apprécier les patrons traditionnels.Enfin, il permet de faire un grand nombre de choses tricotées de bas en haut et va plus loin que le classique raglan; il y a la méthode pour des manches montées, des manche marteau, des jupes, des capes.bref, un indispensable livre de référence qui devrait être traduit.

This is one of the best technical instruction books for knitters I have seen. It is written in a precise, accurate manner. Whatever you wish to knit from the top down, instructions are there, to the point, without embellishment. Every knitter who has been disappointed with results of a purchased pattern, will find solace in this brilliantly simple book.

So you wanna be an online knitting desinger? If so, you just need a dollop of creativity, and Barbarba G. Walker's Knitting from the top.If you actually have this book to hand, and a modicum of creativity (or a few fashion magazines with knitwear to inspire you) you've got it made. Just an initial skim of a raglan topdown one button cardigan reminds one of a popular web blog designer's creation. The only difference is that the latter just throws a rib pattern below the bodice, but it's the basic shape and form (complete with button!)- but with short sleeves instead of long( refer to p. 50, fig. 23).Or if you want to make a cape/flared jacket, look at pg. 53-54 and you're all set.It's not cheating per se, because it's a basic shape, but it just goes to show that with this book, you're already quids in on saving money buying the basic topdown patterns online, because Ms. Walker spells it all out for you. Yes, duckie, there is even a way to do topdown set in sleeves. Think of sleeves being the perfect length and having the perfect ease! In addition, the process is very straightforward.Knitting from the top is only 120 pages long, but oh my, what a lot of information in these pages! There are about 12 chapters, and each chapter covers a basic design element (raglan pullover, cardigan, seamless cape, seamless skirt, sleeves sweaters, pants and caps). Within each chapter, Walker breaks down the principles for you, and doesn't go further than third grade Arithmetic. The secret to shaping is revealed here, and is as simple as pie.Ms. Walker's writing style is straight forward. She doesn't meander as much as Elizabeth Zimmerman, nor is she as over enthusiastic as Maggie Righetti can be at times. As a result, her prose is clean, and relatively uncluttered. In addition, the are basic diagrams in every chapter which illustrates Ms. Walker's ideas beautifully.If I had to choose between Knitting from the Top or Righetti's Sweater Design in Plain English, I'd go for Knitting from the Top. Knitting from the top is a much smaller book, but has more bang for the buck and less Math if you're not that inclined.In addition, there's a simple stitch glossary at the front, about 20 different increases explained on page 20 and a short section on how to chart your own patterns, and how to convert piece knitting into the round.This is the book that's being quoted by almost every popular knitting blog designer out there, and I can see why. It really allows you to dictate the terms of your knitting.

Ottima qualità.