I really gave this book 3.5 stars. I found the photos really showed off the patterns as a whole, but really could have used more detailed pictures. Other than that I find myself wanting to make every single thing in this book.

This pattern collection turned out to be a bit too traditional for my modern taste, but if this is your style, this is a great book to have!

Knitting top=down is a new technique for me, but this book made it make a lot of sense. I loved the European designs and styling. The book is beautifully illustrated and the translation is good. The one proviso is that the size range is from S (32 in chest) to XL (48 in chest).

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

“Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories” is a well written book filled with patterns for sweaters and accessories. I have knitted since I learned from my grandmother, but the “top down” concept was new to me. I was a little hesitant to try this very different (to me) style, but I was captivated by the concept, specifically that I would not have to “sew up” all those seams as with “typical” knitting. The book has inspiring photographs of the finished sweaters along with a step-by-step “how to” guide, and specific hints and tips. I found several designs appropriate for a novice “top down” knitter, and picked one.

I grabbed my needles, yarn, and began to knit. I did have to get circular needles, and adjust my yarn to meet the specific requirements, but by knitting a test square (as one should always do) I insured that my knitting and my yarn matched the pattern’s specifications. I found the instructions clear, and the transition to circular needles and the “top down” construction was easy. It took a while, but really less time that knitting in the “traditional” manner because, of course, no seaming after. My finished sweater is beautiful.

I found that the “top down” structure gave me the option to lengthen the design to a “tunic” style without worrying if I had enough yarn; I just continued knitting until the yarn was gone!! I received a review copy of “Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories” from Wenke Müller, Rowman & Littlefield, and Stackpole Books. The book contains a variety of styles, some with more complex color work. Now that I have mastered the top down concept, I will advance to the more colorful and complex designs.

Knitting was a thing when I was an undergraduate at a prestigious women's college. The first sweater I made was top down colorwork in Icelandic wool for my boyfriend. I wonder if he ever wore it… Knit a man a sweater and he vanishes.

Anyway, top down on round needles has remained my fave way of knitting and I really can't get enough books about it. This one is a good addition to my library. The designs are clear and well written and the illustrations are clear. The selection of items to try is good – sweaters, hats, mittens, and more.

If you want a new sweater design book, this one will do very well

A good entry and introduction to working with top down colour sweaters. Would recommend for anyone looking to try this technique

*Not me drooling over all the gorgeous colorwork and Fair Isle designs on Instagram*

Needless to say, when I spotted this book on NetGalley, I couldn’t help myself, I knew I had to get my hands on it. “Top Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories” by Wenke Muller is a gorgeous collection of beautiful knits for both men and women.

A yoke pullover is a knitting project that I’ve been eying more and more. If you have no idea what this means, it’s the idea of creating a sweater from the top with minimal seaming work. Often new projects stress me out because I like to have the perfect knit, so I put off this project, but this book makes me feel brave enough to actually cast on a project.

Muller has been a knitter for years and it shows. This book had all the details I could have hoped for, and included plenty of beautiful photos to inspire creativity. I love that this book offers accessories and smaller projects to build confidence, too. The variety of project difficulty adds so much value.

I gave this book a solid 4 stars. If you are a knitter and are looking to add a quality book of patterns to your collection, look no further. “Top Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories” hits the shelves November 1st!

Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Top- Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories by Wenke Muller had some gorgeous sweaters listed in it, as well as some cute accessories.

The Kindle edition was impossible to use and the formatting was all wonky.

The PDF copy I was able to download was a lot more helpful. The formatting, information, and pictures were well done. I appreciated the fit guide as it had it listed out several ways. Many of these patterns were also gender neutral. While I think many of these sweater patterns might be hard for a very new knitter, I do think some of the accessories might be possible. I already have this book on my preorder list, and I cannot wait to receive it.

I would give it 5 stars, but I deducted a bit for the formatting.

I received an eARC from Rowman & Littlefield through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories is a beautifully colorful collection of top down knitted items by Wenke Müller. Due out 1st Nov 2021 from Rowman & Littlefield on their Stackpole Books imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The first thing that struck me about this book on a first read-through was the attention to detail. Everything from the photography, lighting, and models' positioning, down to the clear photography and varied patterns are top quality. The patterns are beautiful and cleverly made. The shaping details are incorporated into the patterns. The book includes basic instructions in the introduction, but I would not recommend absolute beginners begin with this book for learning to knit, especially if they're knitting in a vacuum. I would recommend starting with some of the accessories first such as hats or shawls before tackling the more difficult projects, or at least have a local knitting guru on speed dial (I recommend having a local knitting guru on speed dial, anyhow)!

There are 14 sweaters by my count and 10 coordinating accessories. The instructions are clear and streamlined. The intro to each pattern gives info such as incorporated ease and yardage. Specific yarns are given with their yardages so readers can make substitutions if they wish. The yarns called for in the patterns are gloriously, decadently exclusive, mostly Isager and Lana Grossa. Each pattern is given in one complete consecutive piece (no flipping back and forth, yay!). Every pattern is accompanied by one or more clear color photos. The designs are classic and not trendy - they'll be heirlooms and on point in 20 years.

Five stars. A wonderful book!

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories by Wenke Muller, feels like a good book for either beginners or experienced Colorwork knitters. I especially like the top-down construction with the short-rows in the back. I think anyone could have a lot fun with this book.

Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories is a collection of Norwegian style yoke sweaters and matching accessories. Patterns range in difficulty from beginner to advanced. Instructions are in written and in chart format. Sizes generally include small through x;-large,. Some patters are more suitable for men or women, but I feel most of these type of sweaters can be worn by either. This book concentrates on the methods of stranded colorwork as it is applied to top down sweaters. The author gives detailed instruction on how to handle multiple colors , while creating a standard sweater yoke, knit in the round.. Knitting in the round adds to the knitters attraction in that there are little to no handsewn seams. necessary in garment finishing.

I by no means technically edited these patterns, however found them to be clear and concise in terms of direction and readability. What I appreciated most about the book was the author's input by mentioning tips that fit realistic knitting needs, that only knitters with experience would know enough to carry out.. The author shares her secrets right from the start, as she is obviously a very experienced and advanced knitter.. These tips have a very positive effect on the overall outcome and fit of the final piece.

This book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read, review, and enjoy this ARC.

#netgalley
#topdowncolorworkknitsweatersandaccessories

4 stars. Some lovely patterns in this book, and given the minimal seaming and top-down construction = lemme at them!! Can't want to cast on!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

The patterns in this book are incredible. I have plans to buy this as a gift for a friend who knits she would absolutely love the book. I highly recommend it. I do not know how to knit but to me the instructions seem clear to understand and follow and I absolutely loved the beautiful pictures. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning or finding beautiful patters.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Wenke Muller for this ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a beginner knitter, having learned the basics of knitting and purling just this year. That said, this book is best for more experienced knitters. The sweaters are beautiful, but still too complicated for my current skill set. However, the patterns for various accessories — several hats, a beret, and a gorgeous shawl — still make this a worthwhile purchase even for beginners like me. The patterns and diagrams are well written and understandable.

It’ll take me a few more months or so before I can create the more complex sweaters in the book, but in the meantime, I can start tackling one of the hats.

4 stars overall!

The book has really nice color photos of all of the patterns. The charts are really well displayed as well. There are 14 patterns for top down colorwork sweaters. There are 12 accessories about half that are colorwork or textured with charts. The designs are unisex and very nice. The author explains the method of colorwork using 1 hand.

The only drawback is that it is not very size inclusive only up to 48 in chest. But they can probably be sized up by an experienced knitter very easily.

A great pattern book for the knitter. The patterns are complicated and simple all at the same time. Highly recommend it as a gift for the advanced to intermittent knitter in your life.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Top-Down Colorwork Knit Sweaters and Accessories by Wenke Müller is a lovely collection of 27 knitting patterns for women and men featuring colorwork and minimal seaming. The sizes range from Small to Extra-Large. I found the patterns to be intriguing, and there are several that will go in my to-be knit list, the instructions and charts are clear and concise, and the photographs are beautiful. There are both beginner and more advanced patterns, and the techniques used are explained very well. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who enjoys or wants to learn stranded colorwork knitting. Publishing Date: November 1, 2021. #TopDownColorworkKnitSweatersAndAccessories #WenkeMüller #RowmanAndLittlefield #StacpoleBooks #KnittingBooks #StrandedColorworkPatterns #HandKnittingPatternBook #NetGalley #StrandedColorworkKnitting #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer

Lovely designs from a German knit designer, this book is a translation.
Great explanation of basic stiches at the beginning of the book, easy to flip back to as is needed. Patterns are well explained with lots of notes so perfect for a beginner knitter, and for the more experienced knitter it is a great reminder, or there might be some “ah ha” moments. Wide range of sizing, easy to read charts, patterns for a variety of experience levels, great seamless knitting. Some lovely mitts, hats and scarf patterns are all so included.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stackpole Books for an early glimpse in exchange of my honest opinion.

The designs are stunning.
Love the details in the pattern and how easy to follow they are.
The photos are beautiful and inspiring for a new project.
Was really amazed, that at the end, the author also included the accessories. Hats, mittens, scarf, leg warmers and so on.
Definitely recommend it.

I loved the brief and to the point introduction in the book. Taking on your first sweater is by no means an easy feat, and every sweater after that can bring with it its own set of challenges. I’ve found that with other pattern books, there can either be too much information, or not enough. This seemed like a good amount.

One of the things that drew me to this book in particular was that all the sweaters are knitted from the top down. I’ve tried others and haven’t had much success. As a knitter, I really dislike having to sew pieces together at the end, so top down sweaters are the best, and in my opinion, great for beginners.

Another huge draw of this book was that the sweaters within it are unisex. As a male, I’ve struggled to find a book of patterns with great designs catered to both men and women. I’ve tried to increase for a more masculine fit, but have yet to make a sweater that fits me. It was thoughtful that the author took this into consideration while writing this book.

Although at times in the book, the information can be overwhelming, there are other times when it isn’t, and that the author is concise and to the point.

The increases and decreases section were perfectly described. I LOVE the author’s reminder when it comes to increasing, “I’ve left the front door open” and “I’ll be right back” as ways to remember the left and right increases. I learned a lot of my knitting with phrases like this so appreciated this.

One thing I wished for more of, was diagrams and images in the book. There were some good diagrams in the magic loop section, but that appeared to me all. It would have been great to see diagrams like that throughout the book.

The author includes a please note headline and tip, within each pattern which was really helpful.

The addition of hats felt like a bonus to me! I’ve made a lot of hats since I started to knit, and have a ton of patterns saved up but I really liked that these accessories matched the sweaters in the book.

All round, great book with a ton of useful information. I just wish there were more diagrams.