One of the problems with working with many published knitting patterns is that they are made to fit everyone--which means they often don't do a very good job of fitting anyone.
Fitted Knits: 25 Designs for the Fashionable Knitter by Stefanie Japel aims to change all that by providing knitters with garments that are already fitted, along with advice on how to alter the patterns to fit you perfectly.
Shaped in Style
Though Japel does a good job of explaining how to alter her patterns, doing so is not exactly for the faint of heart or the math phobic.
That's because so many patterns include detailed stitch patterns, lacework or cables that would need to be worked around to make the projects perfectly your size.
This shouldn't be a major issue for users of the book, since there are a wide variety of sizes given for most patterns. Only those who are very small or very large will be forced to do some math to get the best fit.
Other knitters will likely find that the thoughtful shaping strategies used in the book are enough to make better fitting knits than they've ever seen before.
Ranging from changing needle sizes and stitch patterns to using darts and short rows, just about every shaping strategy under the sun is used in these patterns, making them a wonderful introduction for people who'd like to incorporate shaping into their own patterns--or published patterns from other sources.
Patterns
There are 25 patterns in Fitted Knits, ranging from tank tops and vests to sweaters and coats. They are meant to take knitters through the seasons, starting with smaller summer projects, transitioning into those pieces that are perfect for spring and fall, and ending with projects perfect for the winter months.
Patterns range in difficulty (the color-coded skill levels are supereasy, medium and challenge, which is a bit of a challenge for knitters to remember) with most appearing at the higher end of the spectrum. That's to be expected since many of the techniques used to shape garments are beyond what most new knitters know how to do.
As mentioned earlier, most patterns also include somewhat fancy stitch patterns (easier patterns mostly use ribbing), lace and cables to make beautiful patterns that are fashionable and timeless.
The yarns used in these patterns include choices from Cascade, Lion Brand and Lana Grossa. Many are knit with wool or cotton blends for the cooler pieces.
Knitting up these patterns would provide the skilled knitter with a variety of wonderful wardrobe basics, from a simple knit tee to a variety of shrugs and short cardigans, a lacy tube top to the perfect ribbed sweater, a lacy wrap-around sweater to a beautifully fitted u-neck vest.
These beautiful patterns will inspire and educate knitters and, most importantly, send them running to their needles.
Note: errata for the patterns are published at Japel's blog.
