Couture Knits

by Jean Moss

Book Overview

As one of Britain s foremost knitwear designers, Jean Moss has been designing and producing her own collections for 25 years, as well as designing for Rowan yarns and many international fashion... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1861084048
• ISBN13: 9781861084040
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: GMC Publications
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.6" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Stunning Patterns but little raving about gauge...

I love the designs in this book. They're highly individualized and stylish. The author has taken pains to attend to detail and I'm impressed with the results. The photography is lovely, directions are clear, and the models (especially the red head) are beautiful. This is an "eye candy" book of inspiration. The sizing ranges from 32 bust to 40, in most cases, and as is usually the case, there is nothing to accommodate a larger woman. That's too bad, too, because most of the women I know who have the style and confidence to wear these types of designer sweaters are older and larger women. My only real "beef" with this book is that the gauge is always calculated over the pattern stitch and in several cases is calculated over a blocked pattern swatch. Huh...how tightly should I block the swatch? Should I pin out all the points or just the corners? Will I be able to block the finished garment to the same actual tension as I have the swatch? Should I steam my blocked swatch? Should I block when I'm in a stressed or relaxed mood? How will the blocking affect the stockinette portions of the garment? How exactly do you count stitches in a cabled or lace pattern when the stitch counts don't remain the same every row? Do I really want to spend so much time doing a patterned swatch and then having so much difficulty counting the stitches? Do you see my dilemma? If an author is going to go to the time and expense to knit a prototype, doesn't it make sense to go right ahead and calculate the gauge over stockinette stitch or garter stitch with the same yarn, the same needles and the same knitter, so that readers can make yarn substitutions easily and use the pattern over and over for different sizes? I'm running into this same issue more and more often and I've learned to look at the dimensions given in the diagrams and calculate my own gauge with my own yarn from that. Funny, my old books and my mother's old Workbaskets always measure gauge over a simple stitch like stockinette or garter stitch. With all the designer yarns out there that come and go so quickly you would think a designer could make it easy to obtain an accurate gauge with a minimum amount of trouble by just taking one more small step. I suppose that with the word "couture" in the title I should have expected this. Never mind, it's gorgeous book anyway and I don't feel that I've wasted my money. I'll start with the first sweater using the Old Shale pattern, since I've knit that one for years, and work my way through. Despite my ravings about gauge, I'm quite excited about these projects and I'm looking forward to the results.

Knitting collections will find it fun.

Hand knitters will appreciate the tips and shortcuts in FINISHING TECHNIQUES FOR HAND KNITTERS, which introduces the basics of reading patterns and instructions and explores different methods of casting on and binding off, shaping and sizing. Seams for different projects, buttonholes and necklines, and tips on adding decorative embellishments such as beads makes for a colorful presentation pairing color photos of both finished projects and their step-by-step construction. Knitting collections will find it fun. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

classic, but not innovative

Jean Moss is known for her classic designs and this volume continues that tradition. That said, I admit to some disapointment with this collection. To me, the term "couture" implies excellence in design, technique, and detail as well as unique, individual and "up-to-the-minute" styling. Many of the designs in this collection appeared somewhat dated, and neither technique nor detailing were particularly challenging to the intermediate or advanced knitter. I also would have liked a little more attention to fit in some of the patterns. Several of the patterns would have been vastly improved with a little more attention to waistline taper, shoulder fitting etc. As usual, text did include some nice instructional hints.

Couture Knits - A Perfect Fit!

As the granddaughter of a dressmaker, I was taught to identify well-constructed garments. I had not encountered tailoring, draping and fitting techiniques in knitwear design until I read Jean Moss' knitting design books and attended her lectures. Jean Moss brings essential couture techniques to knitting that ensure a dressmaker's fit to each garment. In Couture Knits Jean Moss guides knitters of all levels through designs that are fresh and colorful. She shares dressmaker techniques that enable the knitter to finish each garment with polish and skill. The lessons in fitting a knitted garment will serve knitters well as lifelong tools for adding the couture touch. I recommend Couture Knits highly to knitters as well as knitwear design students. Jean Moss' books are perfect knitters' reference tools. If Couture Knits is your introduction to Jean Moss' knitwear designs, you will be wonderfully pleased with the outcome of your first project. You will undoubtably become spoiled when you notice just how well the garments you have knitted fit. Those of you who are serious about knitting and wearing great fitting designs will enjoy Couture Knits as much as I do.

WOW! My best buy in a long time.

I am SO pleased with this book. I rarely have time to write reviews but am blown off by this book. It's probably the best knitting book I've bought in quite a while. And I have a LOT of them! I would like to make the majority of items here. All very pretty, stylish and flattering. None of the old style long baggy jumpers with tight rib at the bottom. Really lovely. The sweaters are graded and there's everything from stuff for the beginner all the way up. She gives suggestions on how to give each item a different look too. There are a few accessories including a pretty lacy scarf and shawl, and a cloche and gloves. Just enough. They're all pretty special. Tops that can be worn out at night - camis and longsleeved - as well as daywear. Really cute cardis and jackets. AND there's a really great techniques section at the book. This is amazing. For someone who has just gotten into lace knitting, she includes drawings of how to do yarnovers in between different combis of stitches and at ends of a row- something that has baffled me for a while. Short rows, everything. I hate having to dig up different books when Ï come to a technique I'm not sure of. thank you! Yarns used tend to be rowan, jaeger, and aretesano alpaca. And she is not a fan of the huge needle yarn. Luckily i am so over that phase now... they're so uncomfortable. It has to be a really cute pattern to attract me to anything over 8mm max. Most of these patterns run between 3mm and 4mm needles. She uses colourwork and beadwork but not in huge quantities - just enough to give style. I'm not a fan of either, I tend to prefer texture, whether lacey or cabley - which she has lots of too - but I really like these. Caveat for the larger ladies - only a couple of items go over a 40inch bust. That said, I'm sure you could adapt some of them. I HIGHLY recommend this book.....