I see posts from people asking for sites with free patterns. I have links to some of these sites over at Slipped Stitches. But I wanted to give you a better way, a way that will free you from having to work someone else’s designs. I’m going to suggest some books that will allow you to make your own designs. And I’ll be talking about knitting here, as I’ve never used a book to make a crocheted sweater. I just started crocheting.
Elizabeth Zimmerman
- Knitting Without Tears
- Knitting Almanac
Priscilla Gibson-Roberts
- Knitting in the Old Way
- Simple Socks
Ann Budd
- The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns
- Knitter’s Handy Book of Top Dow Sweaters
- Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns
- Getting Started Knitting Socks
You’ll need a stitch guide. You could start with Barbara Walker’s first book or try Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book is useful too.
For colorwork, Alice Starmore’s Fair Isle Knitting is available from Dover and reasonably prices. Janet Szabo’s Cables: The Basics has some nice cable patterns. If you are interested in cabled sweaters, I’d highly recommend her books.
The only other thing needed here is yarn and needles. I used the Mary Thomas books plus Ida Riley Duncan’s Book of Progressive Knitting for a long time. The Knitter’s Guide to Sweater Design by Carmen Michelson and Mary Ann Davis will guide you through just about any kind of sweater you’d want to make. It’s out of print but worth getting.
You don’t need to own all of these, of course. Pick an author that suits you. It’s not hard to do your own design, just requires that you use your own creativity.
