What do you think?
Rate this book
Knitting Plus: Mastering Fit, Plus-Size Style, 15 Projects
Knitting Plus explores five basic pullover and cardigan sweater construction styles, including drop-shoulder, set-in, raglan sleeves, and seamless yoke and dolman. First, each specific sweater element is explained in detail, along with guides to body and sweater measurements and key tips for plus-size knitting. Included throughout are simple versions of each construction type as easy-to-reference templates to facilitate quick and simple alterations and adaptations for custom fit. An invaluable reference about fit and shape, Knitting Plus includes fifteen irresistible designs by a variety of knitwear designers, including Mandy Moore, Lisa R. Myers, Lou Schiela, Katya Wilsher, and Kathy Zimmermann, as well as Shroyer's own designs. Each pattern offers a broad range of sizes and instructions for bust sizes from about 44 to 56 inches. Packed with useful information and ready-to-knit patterns, Knitting Plus is the go-to technique and design reference for plus-size knitting.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
38 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 9, 2021
The book has some good points on how to construct plus size knitted garments and which things to consider in terms of cut and style. However most of the designs seem a bit dated and are all sort of the same style. It didn't peek my interest to knit any of them.
April 20, 2025
I regret taking a chance and buying this book. It should be titled "Knitting Plus Fuss." The designs are not appealing, and I suspect the necklines and other features will not fit properly over time.
Here is a sample of what I find unsettling: "delsea pullover . . . .This pullover offers just one variant of the dolman-construction style. The standard dolman wing-shape sleeves in this version will help you evaluate how this construction type works for you (and see how fun it is to knit)." I do not knit sweaters for "fun" to discover if they suit me. I don't have the time and don't want to waste the yarn to knit something that may not "work" for me.
I am old enough to remember when sweaters being knit from side to side were in one piece. The side-to-side sweaters in this book are knit in two pieces and joined at the center back and center front. This is fussy and complicated to me.
When I was in my 30s and 40s, I knit from charts. I no longer do so. This book provides only charts. Alana Dakos' "Botanical Knits" books are more useful to me because they provide charts AND written directions for the motifs, cables, etc. They also give instructions for plus sizes up to 60". I also prefer the plus-size top-down sweater patterns in "Knit on Down," edited by Jeanne Stauffer, which also includes sweaters for babies, children, and men.
Here is a sample of what I find unsettling: "delsea pullover . . . .This pullover offers just one variant of the dolman-construction style. The standard dolman wing-shape sleeves in this version will help you evaluate how this construction type works for you (and see how fun it is to knit)." I do not knit sweaters for "fun" to discover if they suit me. I don't have the time and don't want to waste the yarn to knit something that may not "work" for me.
I am old enough to remember when sweaters being knit from side to side were in one piece. The side-to-side sweaters in this book are knit in two pieces and joined at the center back and center front. This is fussy and complicated to me.
When I was in my 30s and 40s, I knit from charts. I no longer do so. This book provides only charts. Alana Dakos' "Botanical Knits" books are more useful to me because they provide charts AND written directions for the motifs, cables, etc. They also give instructions for plus sizes up to 60". I also prefer the plus-size top-down sweater patterns in "Knit on Down," edited by Jeanne Stauffer, which also includes sweaters for babies, children, and men.
February 4, 2022
Lots of useful information, nice patterns. Best for someone who already knits, as she doesn't have any introductory info. The author is from the pattern publishing side, so she has lots of more technical language. I don't mean this to say that it's inaccessible to less experienced knitters (of which I am one), just that there's not a lot of explanatory hand-holding. I haven't tried any of the patterns, so can't evaluate the pattern instructions. I'm just reviewing the vibe of the thing. :)
Library book.
Library book.
April 18, 2018
This book is fantastic! It gives great patterns for larger girls, and uses the structure, and constuction of the knitting to flatter larger frames. Just such a great book, worth purchasing.
June 8, 2011
There was a ton of great reference info in this book! It takes the main *styles* of sweaters and goes over how they are traditionally put together and then how they could be modified for different body types and sizes. For each style, a selection of patterns is available, illustrating the reference material well. I'd really like to try a Seamless Yoke styled sweater.
The two-color accents of the Poppy Cardigan are a great way to draw your eye to the color, with a neat set-in sleeve. I really like the Cleveland Shell, with its full coverage and then a bit of lace in the front to make it more A-line. The idea of the Audubon Shrug is really clever - a very slim streamlined front with a pointed back - kinda like a triangle shawl with arms! The Passyunk Pullover has delightfully sweet lace and super horizontal lines on a reverse stockingette base (Worsted weight is nice too). The Barton Cardigan is the first fully-cabled sweater to truly catch my eye enough to consider making it - it's steeked and I've been wanting to do that - and just really nice cables (DK weight)... would it take me a million years to make it?
Overall, really good info with some patterns that caught my eye in a big way!
The two-color accents of the Poppy Cardigan are a great way to draw your eye to the color, with a neat set-in sleeve. I really like the Cleveland Shell, with its full coverage and then a bit of lace in the front to make it more A-line. The idea of the Audubon Shrug is really clever - a very slim streamlined front with a pointed back - kinda like a triangle shawl with arms! The Passyunk Pullover has delightfully sweet lace and super horizontal lines on a reverse stockingette base (Worsted weight is nice too). The Barton Cardigan is the first fully-cabled sweater to truly catch my eye enough to consider making it - it's steeked and I've been wanting to do that - and just really nice cables (DK weight)... would it take me a million years to make it?
Overall, really good info with some patterns that caught my eye in a big way!
May 13, 2013
Excellent go-to book for those of us who don't fit into fashionable size ranges. Several types of sweater patterns are discussed in depth, with a ton of information given to enable the knitter to make up a sweater that fits *them* precisely as they would wish.
Good explanations, decent production values for a tight-spined large paperback (admittedly not my favorite format for a knitting book!) and the use of several techniques that, while not new to me, were explained rather better here than in some other books I've seen (i.e., three-needle grafting). The fifteen patterns shown are decent, but I've only given four stars not five since only one of them appealed to me, and it was made on circular needles, something I absolutely cannot manage! I could, I suppose, break the design into component pieces and make them up, but frankly it's more work than I want to do for a "pretty nice" pattern.
BOTTOM LINE: Good book to keep in your personal library if you need large sizes for the sweaters you generally make up. There's a lot of useful information on how to alter "fashionable sized" patterns included in the extensive instructions given here about making-up and/or adapting patterns.
Good explanations, decent production values for a tight-spined large paperback (admittedly not my favorite format for a knitting book!) and the use of several techniques that, while not new to me, were explained rather better here than in some other books I've seen (i.e., three-needle grafting). The fifteen patterns shown are decent, but I've only given four stars not five since only one of them appealed to me, and it was made on circular needles, something I absolutely cannot manage! I could, I suppose, break the design into component pieces and make them up, but frankly it's more work than I want to do for a "pretty nice" pattern.
BOTTOM LINE: Good book to keep in your personal library if you need large sizes for the sweaters you generally make up. There's a lot of useful information on how to alter "fashionable sized" patterns included in the extensive instructions given here about making-up and/or adapting patterns.
November 18, 2015
This book makes me want to try to knit a sweater. It also makes it look pretty daunting. If you're an experienced knitter, she has some GREAT instructions about how to size for the plus-sized woman as well as what types of sweaters look best on what body types.
When I'm ready, I will definitely be looking at this one again. My goal for 2016 is to knit a sweater for myself. This will definitely help!
When I'm ready, I will definitely be looking at this one again. My goal for 2016 is to knit a sweater for myself. This will definitely help!
April 5, 2017
This is a superb and comprehensive book on plus size knitting. The sweater designs are timeless and adaptable. I actually got this book from the library but now plan on purchasing so I'll have it on hand when I make the next sweater.
July 19, 2011
Good info, but none of the projects really moved me to want to knit them.
August 22, 2017
I really like the Audubon shrug pattern- one I definitely want to make someday!
April 27, 2012
Knitting patterns!
April 3, 2018
Nice patterns, helpful fitting instructions. All for women.
April 14, 2018
A very helpful book on how to make attractive knitted garments for larger people.
December 30, 2019
Not just sizing up patterns for the larger body, but modifying them so they fit in a more flattering manner.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews