1.0 out of 5 stars
Hip to Knit--not so hip, Jun 5 2004
This review is from: Hip to Knit (Paperback)
LAME! The projects in this book are awful. The instructions stink, and I don't know any teenager who would want to make, let alone wear, the projects in this book. I would recommend Stitch n' Bitch if you're looking for hip, stylish and young knit designs.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great beginner projects, May 18 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Hip to Knit (Paperback)
Easy projects but not all boring. You know the new knitters curse: row after row after row of stockinette stitch. You can find it, but there are a variety of items, and stitches to try; all clearly explained via drawings and direction.
Swartz does a nice job choosing yarns that pique your interest and shows swatches of different yarns for the same project.
Particularly nice is the sock pattern. It is easy to do,and has clear directions for something that often make new knitters nervous.
The roll neck cardigan is very stylish, as is the ribbon-yarn funnel neck sweater. You get several sweater projects, including a boyfriend sweater, a couple pair of mittens, socks, scarves, hats, and a large "coat". The book is layed out in two sections with simpler projects first in each section.
Swartz will teach you circular knitting on circular needles, and double points. You'll learn cables, how to read a cable pattern, Kitchener stitch for seaming, and a variety of other techniques to make your knitting lovely.
I'd strongly recommend using it in conjunction with a "knitting bible" style publication (I like kathrine buss' Big Book of Knitting). Swartz occasionally assumes you know how to properly decrease for necklines etc. A reference would help out a lot.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best..., April 21 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Hip to Knit (Paperback)
The projects in the book are great, but unfortuantely, the measurements as well as some of the other instruction are either incorrect or just plain confusing. I have done two projects based off of the instructions given in the book, and both pieces came out either too large, or too small. I wouldn't recommend this book for beginners, or even those who are a little more experienced at knitting, unless you know enough about taking your own measurements and calculating the number of stitches you will actually need to work with in each project.
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