Along with being pleasurable and satisfying, knitting can sometimes be
frustrating: the turtleneck that looked so fabulous on the model is too
bulky for your body, or the cardigan you spent countless hours on just
doesn't fit right. Herein lies the beauty of Custom Knits, which
teaches knitters how to use improvisational techniques to achieve
spectacular results--and to unleash their inner designers.
Wendy Bernard, creator of the popular blog Knit and Tonic, provides 25
original designs for sweaters of nearly every type, plus variations,
most knitted in one piece starting at the top, a method that allows you
to try on as you go, alter as desired, and essentially design on the
fly. "Make It Your Own" prompts in each pattern suggest easy alterations
to suit your style and body type. And an in-depth reference section
teaches how to alter key sweater elements, for example, change a
crewneck to a V-neck, add sleeves to a vest, and much more. For the
truly adventurous, the book concludes with guidelines for knitting
sweaters with no pattern at all.
Bernard's friendly writing style and photographer Kimball Hall's lively
images create an inviting book of beautiful designs and key techniques
that a knitter can use to customize nearly every garment she knits from
now on.