Aran Sweater Design

by Janet Szabo

Knitting an Aran sweater is one of the most delightful and interesting projects any knitter can undertake. Knitting an Aran sweater that you've designed yourself is even more fun! This comprehensive reference book walks knitters—step by step—through the process of choosing and combining cable patterns to create a unique, textural work of knitting art. Lots of photos, illustrations, and sample projects give additional help along the way.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction

175 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2006

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: The writing was clear and easy to follow. The outline approach to construction was logical and I feel like I could knit a sweater fairly easily just following the directions (no pattern). I appreciated the sections on knitting without a cable needle and how to fix mistakes in cables. These are instructions that have been omitted from similar books.

What I didn't like: It was expensive for the format and the overall vibe is dated. Having illustrations of cables without corresponding charts or patterns (and only oblique references as to where to find similar patterns) was frustrating. The four sweater patterns at the end of the book seemed dated and pretty unattractive. I wouldn't want to make any of them. On the other hand, it's a book about design, not necessarily just knitting, so the patterns were disappointing but not deal breakers.

Overall, I wish I had borrowed this from the library instead of buying it, and I'm going to end up buying my borrowed copy of "Aran Knitting" by Alice Starmore. While Starmore doesn't include the knitty-gritty design elements, there's enough discussion of Aran construction for an experienced knitted to fill in the gaps.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do it yourself mix and match sweater with stitch pattern.