Knitting Pattern Essentials: Adapting and Drafting Knitting Patterns for Great Knitwear

Well-known knitting designer Sally Melville has a gift for explaining knitting techniques in simple, easy-to-understand language. Her previous books (e.g., The Knit Stitch , The Purl Stitch ) are deservedly popular. With KNITTING PATTERN ESSENTIALS, Melville has done it again. She has created a book of pattern templates for knitted garments that is the easiest to follow of any that I've seen. This book is NOT a book for beginning knitters. But knitting isn't exactly rocket science. Any moderately experienced knitter who is motivated to draft custom patterns--patterns that will really fit--should be able to make good use of this book. Aside from basic knitting skills, all that a knitter needs is the ability to read and understand schematic drawings of knitted garments; to take accurate body measurements; and to perform basic math calculations (e.g., to multiply a width-in-inches measurement by a swatched stitches-per-inch number, in order to determine how many stitches will be required at a given place in a garment). What sets KNITTING PATTERN ESSENTIALS apart from other books of pattern templates, is Melville's explanations of WHY you need ease, of HOW MUCH ease you need in a particular garment style, and of WHY you do (or don't) need certain kinds of shaping (e.g., shoulder shaping) in a specific garment style. Melville teaches you to understand the patterns that you draft, which of course makes for better custom patterns. The basic garment shapes discussed in the book are drop shoulder, modified drop shoulder, set-in sleeve, and raglan. However, the book contains much additional discussion of shaping of necklines (funnel, v-neck, etc.), hems (diagonal, shirttails), sides of garments (A-line, hourglass, etc.), sleeves (puffed, saddle shoulder, etc.), cardigans (no overlap, banded, etc.), and finishing bands (armhole, collars and hoods, etc.). Melville also explains how to combine various garment elements successfully. Personally, I like to use computer applications for drafting knitting patterns, because the apps do all the math calculations for me. But any template-generated knitting pattern is only as good as the information typed into it, and the assumptions made by the basic template. With this book, you can fine-tune any template-generated pattern to ensure that you get the desired custom fit. KNITTING PATTERN ESSENTIALS also includes eight Sally Melville knitting patterns that are suitable for advanced-and-adventurous beginners, or for intermediate-level knitters. These are the Three-Bow Pullover, Marsha's Top, Uptown Jacket, Lace-Paneled Top, Escher-Inspired Vest, Bordered Lace Pullover, Carrie's Wrap, and Cee-Cee Wrap. My favorite is the oh-so-elegant Lace-Paneled Top (shown on the book's cover)--which by itself goes a long way toward justifying the book's purchase price. Some other good, fairly recent books on drafting knitting patterns are Custom Knit Jackets , Vintage Design Workshop , and The NEW Knitter's Template .

I love to knit for myself and enjoy 'designing' my own, nothing whacky, just things I prefer in a sweater. Of the many how to do it yourself books there are, (S.Paden, D Bliss, et al), this one is chock full of useful, straightforward information. I find good advice every time I open it up. With it, I can choose to fuss with all the picky details for a perfectly fitted sweater executed to a tee or I can wing something with happier results thanks to eveything she shares based on her lengthy experience. There are knit to fit books, too, but this breaks down the best proportions in a simple discussion up front about balance point that I found enlightening. D. Newton's Design Your Own book is also great (she makes the math of shaping anything easy peasy) but for the sheer glut of practical advice per page, I haven't found another that helps like this. Even the appendix is uniquely useful, with more than the usual explanation of various increases/decreases/techniques, but also where each is most appropriate. (There are 8 patterns for sweaters/tops, too, half of which I hope to get to someday.) It's more compact than my other books, so it goes with me while I'm pondering my next project. But I break out Newton's book to finalize my stuff. If you're L/XL to plus sized, also very good is KnitWearLove, for explanations and advice, but I didn't love the patterns in it, and the patterns are much of the book's content. Still, it's great for techniques like short row shaping for achieving a great knit result for yourself. Or some lucky person you're knitting for.

I have been knitting for 20+ years but have done very little design work and have been pretty dissatisfied with the results. But, there are a lot of lovely patterns out there so I have been kept busy. However, I have decided to try designing my own knitwear again and so I ordered this book. It is very well written and provides excellent templates for a wide variety of sweater types. The explanations are well written and easy to understand. Also, Sally Melville have a number of very pretty patterns included to illustrate her explanations. This is not a book for beginning knitters but if you want to give design a try I would recommend starting with this book.

FIRST THOUGHTS, 03/26/2013: My first impressions are extremely positive. The book warrants a five star rating. Detailed schematic illustrations and worksheets accompany a text rich in insight and instruction. While there is a hefty amount of text, the book is written in a casual and easy voice that is welcoming and reassuring. "Of course You Can Do This!" is the underlying tone. From the introduction and first chapter, we delve into the concepts one needs to understand to draft the perfect pattern. The book proceeds by looking more closely at various shapes and specific garment types. It closes with eight or so intriguing patterns to work. The patterns represent the garments used as example pieces throughout the book. All, by the way, are classic Sally Style, with exquisite silhouettes and details. "Knitting Pattern Essentials: Adapting and Drafting Knitting Patterns for Great Knitwear" is a comprehensive yet cohesive and accessible journey through the acquisition of pattern drafting skills. It's a dynamic and thorough look at pattern drafting through the eyes of one of the knitting world's best, a teacher and designer extraordinaire.

Ik ben heel benieuwd naar het breien van ingewikkelde patroonontwerpen en was dus op zoek naar een boek waarin eerst de basis goed werd uitgelegd. Prima boek daarvoor.

This book is excellent!! Being in the UK I've never heard of this woman before, but she clearly knows her stuff and is very experienced. She explains everything in a very easy to understand way. Yes there is a lot of maths, but if you want to draft patterns from scratch you have to expect that.. knitting is all about numbers after all! I can never find women's sweater patterns I like, so I find similar ones and change them slightly, but wasn't sure if I was doing it right. The book has helped me with some questions I had, and tricky areas, but also given me the confidence to have a go at drafting one from scratch. Its really straightforward, and contains pretty much any kind of style you'd ever want to draft. Its fairly thick with loads of info and even some free patterns and so very good value for money. I am really looking forward to using it, and can already tell its going to be invaluable.

Je viens de recevoir le livre et, en ouvrant le paquet, je constate que la couverture est détachée... Il était censé être "neuf", mais voici son véritable état.

Sally Melville has written another brilliant book. She has given us a huge gift...a master class in pattern drafting. She takes us by the hand and teaches us each skill we will need to know to make our own garments. Each chapter brings a new class and a new skill. So we learn to calculate our own measurements, create a pattern, shape several necklines, sides, sleeves, and hemlines. There are lovely, clear and very helpful diagrams to help make the process clear. And she doesn't leave us hanging when we encounter problems . . . she offers different solutions and shows us how to finish our garments so they look .... well, like Sally knit them. There are 8 elegant patterns added at the end of the book that one can apply all these skills she has so deftly taught us. I have always enjoyed Sally's books just for the pleasure of reading them...she is always a knowledgeable and enthusiastic advocate of her art and this book is no exception. It looks beautiful. It is elegantly presented and is so packed with information for all of us to have fun exploring it for years to come.

The book covers the basics and then moves on to adapting patterns or even making up your own patterns. Easy and logical to follow, it doesn't get tangled up in unnecessary complications .It should inspire confidence in most knitters. Not many patterns ,so don't buy it as a pattern book, and the yarns are probably not easily available in the UK so you have to be ready to think things through rather than just following blindly.But you should be able to copy garmets you like by following the instructions.