Simply Beautiful Sweaters [Paperback]

Well,,,,after reading some of the very negative comments on this book ( as well as the others by these authors!) it would be easy ( if you did not own this book!) to by pass this treasure of a book.

I for one do not feel ( and I have said this before!) that good yarn does not = EXPENSIVE yarn,
That said, THEY use a lot of very EXPENSIVE yarns in their designs, (and yes, its yummy to look at and dream about,)

HOWEVER,,,,,,,,,,
I have recently put together my own little groupings of yarns to make up one of their summer short sleeved sweaters,,,,
what I used was tahki cotton classic yarns,,,in 5 colorways and added some textural yarn to mix in ,,,,,,,,what a lovely sweater this will be! The people at my LYS are amazed at what I was ( with very careful thought!) able to put together for the price I did ( total bill,,,,,100$$!) and have a to die for designer look!

know what? you CAN do this on your own and THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THESE BOOKS ARE TEACHING YOU TO DO!
IF you like simple to make sweaters but with lots of added zing and color that "pop", USE your imagination,,,,and create the sweater of your dreams!
and,,,,stay within YOUR own budget also!( WHATEVER that may be!)
see,,,,,,this is what its ALL ABOUT!
creating , creating , creating!

go ahead,,,,,MIX 2 to 3 yarns and see what you come up with!
Do SO many lack creativity that they MUST follow the patterns and use the SAME yarn,,,( and if its expensive,,,,complain?)
why not in heaven's name,,,,,,,MAKE UP YOUR OWN COMBINATIONS?

go ahead,,,,,start this and you wont be able to stop it,,,,,,
again,,,,,,,I repeat, that is exactly what these series of books are all about!

It NEVER EVER promised to be a technique book! ( does the word SIMPLE perhaps give that away??)
its SIMPLY lovely sweaters , well written and EXTREMELY flattering patterns ( unlike the super "hip" patterns of today that so many do up!) and so few can wear!

these are easy to do up! they even go so far as to tell the new knitter when to turn and work, ,,,(,how great is that?)

If you are looking for a technique book this is NOT the choice, but if you are looking for S*I*M*P*L*E patterns that will truly inspire you to begin to swatch your very own mixtures and come up with stunning combinations, this IS for you!
like I said, now I have people looking at my combinations and wanting to copy them! ( great compliment, but I do not want my things copied either!)
check the book out of the library first,,,look it over,,,,,,remember its UP TO YOU to create( they do give guage and yarn requirements!)
why copy? make your own and see what kind of creativity can pour out of you if you give it a chance! you will find out for yourself how much FUN this is,,,,,,,,

Unfortunately this book has absolutely none of that. The styles are basic at best.. no challenge whatsoever. The yarns are "way too expensive" novelty yarns that will all be discontinued as yarn trends change. If you are wondering whether to buy... DON'T! I sold my copy on ebay within a week of purchasing it.

Also, there is a sweator in a picture of the store that looks great but.....it's not in the book!

I bought this in a friends yarn shop as a favor and I have not knit one thing from it.