Bth-Sweater's for Men

by Alice Starmore

STARMORE GREW UP in Britain's Outer Hebrides island of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, and her sweaters reflect that wild, beautiful background: rugged yarns and beautifully muted colors inspired by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345345347
• ISBN13: 9780345345349
• Release Date: October 1989
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 2.68 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Classic & Creative Sweaters for Men

I've knitted two sweaters from this book, one for my son - the "Gansey Style Sweater" and one for my daughter who fell in love with the "Boat & Rope Sweater". Both turned out fabulous - the directions were right on. I can't say that every pattern in this book appeals to me, but most do, even if I don't intend to knit them. There is such a broad range that most knitters will find at least some of the patterns to their taste, which is better than most knitting books. The photographs are large and in color, and show where she got her inspiration for the color pattern in each sweater. It's really a lovely book.

for the guy who said 'dated' styles...

I knitted the 'Rocks and Sand' sweater from this book. Since the specified yarns are no longer available from Rowan (though they have equivalency suggestions at their site), and since Rowan is pricey yarn, I knitted it in Debbie Bliss yarns in a different gauge than specified, using the Medium pattern to proxy for Large, as my adjustment for yarn gauge put my figures very close to the stitch counts in the Medium size (size is fairly easy to adjust for gauge, but trying to get pattern elements right after such an adjustment is a real PITA.) There are rare elements of some of the designs that are 'dated', and I would say in the Rock and Sand pattern, the cowl neck is not currently in vogue for men. However, the 'dated' elements of the patterns are all easily fixed by an intermediately-skilled knitter. Converting the cowl neck to a V-neck crew on "Rock and Sand" required little more than some thought and a couple of trial swatches to work out the decreases so that the crew neck would lie flat in the context of the angles of the neck opening. (FYI, on this pattern I also swatched what Philosopher's Wool calls a 'Baltic Braid' technique, along the border between the body and yoke of the sweater where the pattern calls for a course of purls; wasn't aesthetically pleasing--too bulky, at least in worsted weight--so I can save you some work by saying don't bother with that bit of tweaking if you were considering it.) My brother has happily worn that sweater during the Connecticut winters for the past 5 years or so, and *EVERY* time he wears it out, someone comments to him about what a fantastic sweater it is and wants to know where he got it (at which point he can smugly reply, "Oh, I had it custom knit...") This is among the less expensive of the out-of-print Starmore pattern books. Personally I think that anyone ready to attempt projects of this complexity can improvise well enough to 'fix' any elements they may see as 'dated'. The Starmore patterns are definitely worth working on not only because of their intrinsic beauty as written, but because of what you will learn about knitting (and especially about color, should you choose a colorwork pattern) as a result of completing them. My suggestion--see if you can find the modeled finished sweater pics on the web. If two or more of them appeal to you, then buy the book. Handle it carefully (photocopy the pattern you want to use and work from the photocopy to protect the book from damage during knitting), and if you find you aren't knitting the patterns after all, put it back for sale online. You'll get back something in the neighborhood of what you paid for it, if you take care not to damage the book.

Gorgeous sweaters he'll wear with pride

Face it. Most "men's" sweater patterns look like large versions of women's sweaters, and a lot of men just don't feel comfortable wearing them. This book, on the other hand, is filled with patterns for classic sweaters that even my picky husband will gladly wear, and wear, and wear.

Sweaters for Men by Alice Starmore

This lovely book of sweaters for men contains photos of the Scottish shores that inspired both the colorways and the patterns. The photos of rocks and moss are inspiring. The designs are both wearable and attractive. The styles are masculine in appearance rather than unisex. I currently have this book on loan from the local library and am seeking this out of print book because it is one that presents timeless patterns in a beautiful setting.