Hi Knitters,I am a longtime fan of Wendy Bernard. Sometimes you find a designer that just clicks with your own thought process and Wendy is that person for me. I read her writing and patterns and I get her intentions so clearly. I have learned so much about sweater knitting from her, especially over the last year or two.
With that in mind, I want to share with you her second book, Custom Knits 2. It is an extension of her first book, Custom Knits, with even more technique and guidance packed in. Custom Knits 2 was released this past October and it is an excellent pattern book but even more so it is an excellent resource book for customizing your sweaters. The book is fun to look at but it is one that you need to actually sit down and read thoroughly. Custom Knits 2 has a ton of instructional tutorial-like information that benefits any sweater knitter from beginner to advanced.
Here are the various topics addressed in Custom Knits 2:
Preplanning for your sweater
Simple alterations and add-ons
Converting patterns to fit men, women and children
Tailored raglans
Substituting yarns, gauge and stitch patterns
Starting from scratch
Starting from Scratch is my favorite section in both of Wendy's books. This is where she provides a formula for making your own sweater from scratch. Her formulas really work as I have used them before and I will be using the one in this new book to make a top-down yoked cardigan very soon. I have big plans for this.
Anyway, please check out these links to get some great information about this book:
Click here for Wendy's guest blog post on the STC Craft blog - a great interview where Wendy answers all of your questions.
Click here to see the Knit and Tonic Ravelry forum group where Wendy will soon host a knitalong for her new book. This group has over 2,000 members!
I simply love Wendy's easy, casual style, her clearly written patterns and formulas for sweater knitting and her blog. I think you will, too. I basically recommend everything to do with Wendy. She's a good one.
If you would like to win a copy of Wendy's new book, Custom Knits 2, please leave one comment on this blog post. Please leave your email address or your Ravelry ID in your comment so I can get in touch with you if you win. I will be back in a few days to select a winner.
Good luck if you enter.
best, susie