Sweater 101 by Cheryl Brunette is exactly what it says it is—a terrific guide to knitting the perfect sweater. It is currently available in e-book form and hardcopy.
This book truly is a classic. Knitting is trendy, but “Sweater 101”, in e-form and soon to be in-print form, applies to all generations. Who doesn’t want a hand-made knitted sweater—one that actually fits well, too?
The Author
In her 50 years of knitting experience, the author has seen the change from stores that offered the same yarn made to be used on the same needles over and over to stores that exploded with color and choices. Brunette has seen the evolution of yarn (and thereby is very experienced with substitution of yarns), pattern sizes, and even tools, like knitting machines.
The Goals
The first stated goal of Sweater 101 is to give you the information you need to make sweaters in basic styles that fit you and your loved ones. You’ll learn to draw your own “picture patterns” that are easy to follow and give you valuable information when it’s time to make another sweater for the same person.
The second stated goal is to help knitters gather and organize their knitting information in one place. S knitter following Brunette’s system will have pages of notes that will tell her instantly which needles gave her good results on a similar yarn.
The Topics
Organization: One line in particular illustrates exactly how much this book stresses organization—“Did you know that you need to make your first finishing decision before you cast-on?” Organization matters greatly in a knitting project.
Illustrations: Diagrams are provided throughout the book to help the reader visualize every kind of sweater, including the drop sleeve, the raglan sleeve, and the set-in sleeve sweaters.
Vintage illustrations are placed throughout the book, and are quite amusing.
Knitting Math: Okay, yes--there is math. But those who make garments already know that; those who make garments that fit well already take that for granted.
Before any snap judgments are made, know that Cheryl Brunette takes the reader through each computation, and provides the knitter with worksheets for computation. The e-version of the book has interactive worksheets; the math is computed when measurements are entered. Out of these calculations come the sweaters of dreams.
The Review
An entirely new way of thinking about knitting is introduced and well explained. Not only is the knitter taught how to make a sweater, but Brunette also shows how to think about the process and internalize it. Simply following a pattern isn’t what is stressed here; a course of thought and understanding are encouraged, instead.
Sweater 101 is a good, solid reference book. This is one to have on the shelves (or the computer) for knitters who like to knit sweaters.
Every knitter should strive for the goals set by this book. Knitting well-fitting and flattering sweaters promotes our craft as superior to mass-production methods, and is the best advertising possible for the art of knitting.
More Information
Purchase the book at Sweater101.com.
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