Knitting from the Top

Rating:
Summary: Why knit from the top down?
Review: EVERYONE begins a sweater from the ribbing up, right? Wrong, Barbara Walker takes you through a method to start from the neck down. This isn't just to be contrary, there are definite benefits to knitting top down.

One thing you can do is check the length while trying it on. Yes, you can do this. Put the unfinished stitches on a strand of yarn and slip the sweater over your head (or the head of the recipient.) You will quickly see how much more you need to knit, or whether you should add "short rows" (extra half rows that add a bit of ease) to cover a tummy or get rid of the dreaded riding up in the back. The book has methods for saddle shoulder sweaters (easy the top down way), raglan, drop sleeves, etc.

The book also has great methods for doing leggings, tights, skirts and other items you might want to knit but don't know how to. With a simple gauge-and-circumference technique you can make nearly any garment for anyone.

This is a revised edition. The original had some very dated 70's patterns and the new edition has been modernized.

Rating:
Summary: Seamless and made to fit!
Review: Hate sewing up? Never quite sure if it's the right length? Want to line up designs in the lower border with the pattern in the body? Then knit from the top. If your body's shaped like mine, patterns just don't fit and after you've done all that shaping at the top, who wants to undo it! With this method you make this decision at the end and make it having tried on the garment. I don't think I'll ever knit a sweater the other way. Best of all - no seams!

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous book
Review: I grew up watching my Russian grandmother knit everything from the top down. In fact, like many Russians, she's never even considered knitting from the bottom up. I myself have always been too scared and lazy to bother with calculations, so I followed printed patterns. I don't find grafting and weaving difficult, but at the same time I found that adding seams to babies' and kids' garments is unappealing. If yarn is bulky, and the size is small, seams become obtrusive. So, I got B. Walker's book, read it from cover to cover, and now I am knitting a skirt from it for my little daughter. The book is absolutely clear and comprehensive without being too wordy. My only "complaint" is that it has no pictures of actual garments, only diagrams. I would have loved to see some pictures of the described designs.

Beginners, take note - this book assumes that you know how to cast on, cast off, increase, decrease, etc. If still unfamiliar with basic techniques, you will need another intro book.