As a preface to this review, I want to point out that this books’ author runs an affiliate program, so that people can earn money selling copies of her book. I want to make it clear that I am not involved in that program, nor will I be in the future. (Damned ethics.) I don’t earn any money if you buy Sweater 101.

Sweater 101 is the PDF version of Cheryl Brunette’s bestselling book, which sadly went out of print. It is now available for sale from the author’s website. I’ll just cut to the chase and tell you to go buy it now. NOW.

Cheryl offers a spiral-bound print version of the book for $32.95, or a downloadable electronic version for $29. I think you want to pay the extra few dollars and get the paper copy.

Ebooks are awesome, particularly reference ebooks. Why should a book take up all that room on your shelf when all you do is look something up once in a while? Nevertheless, a 120-page ebook presents a formidable challenge for those of us who like to step away from our desks once in a while.

All you really need to know is that this is a 120-page book about knitting sweaters. It’s not a 120-page book of sweater patterns. It’s about knitting sweaters. Brunette focuses on giving you the tools you need to knit sweaters. I love her.

Here is what happened when I opened the ebook:

1. I read the introduction and smiled.

2. I read “The Goals of Sweater 101″ and nodded in agreement. Yes. People need this.

3. I read “Tools that Enhance Sweater 101,” saw that the first item on the list was a hand-held calculator, and resisted the urge to applaud.

4. A few pages later, I read something (about how a drop-shoulder sweater is meant to be seamed) that made my eyes go unfocused as I realized how much simpler my life would have been, had I known this tidbit earlier.

5. On the next page, I read something (about how to program your calculator to memorize your stitch gauge) that made my eyes go unfocused as I realized how much simpler my life would have been, had I known this tidbit earlier.

6. I had to go make a pot of coffee before continuing further.

If any aspect of knitting a sweater – all of it, or just a tiny bit of it – is mystifying to you, then you need this book. It demystifies everything about sweaters, from the very basic (gauge) to the complex (equations for determining decrease rate).

I’m just going to lay it out there and say that every knitter should read this book. Even if you’re already designing and knitting your own sweaters from scratch without a pattern, there’s probably something in here you need. (Are you really drafting your own sleeve cap calculations for set-in sleeves? Or do you do what I do, which is to cheat and use the info from an existing pattern? Cheryl will show you how to draft your own sleeve cap from scratch.)

Just to give you a hand, Brunette has included schematics for thirty different sizes, from child’s size 6 months to men’s size 50. Each of these sizes includes schematics for drop-shoulder, set-in sleeve, and raglan sleeve versions. And with all the other information, you won’t have any trouble adapting the schematics to suit you.

Trust me. You need this. A+!

Tags: reviews, Sweater 101

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I finished the right front, and seamed it up to check the fit.

It feels like I’ve been working on this sweater for about three years now. I’m just glad for the gauge (3.5 st/inch) or I’d never get finished. Next task: re-calculate the sleeve directions for my gauge. Sigh.

I wore it around the house for a little while, and the wool/alpaca blend was wonderfully snuggly. A lot of people assert that big girls shouldn’t wear bulky yarn. As far as I’m concerned, they can go **** themselves. I get cold.

Bonus puppy of the day:

Tags: Drops 103-1, PUPPIES!

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I am having to take these pictures quick quick, before it’s done!

People, I am rocking the scarves. If you can knit one foot a day, you’ll be finished in a week (adding in an extra day for blocking and weaving in ends).

The idea for this scarf came to me while I was drifting off to sleep one night. It’s a basic checkerboard pattern of stockinette alternating with reverse stockinette. It is six checkers across, and each strip of color is two checkers. The colorwork is done in intarsia, which you get used to doing after a little while.

Of course, you “reversible scarf” fascists might want to skip this technique. I kind of like the “stitches” on the reverse side, though.

This is my favorite part. It’s a wee little hobo patch! I got the idea from some sweater pattern I saw online somewhere.

It looks cuter in person.

Lastly but not leastly, a huuuuge thank you to Keri for tipping me off that my blog was mentioned in Interweave Knits’ holiday special edition. Good looking out, yo! (Check her top pic, middle column at the bottom.) That would explain the bump up in traffic lately – and here I was, thinking you were all just being extra-lazy at work and checking my blog more often! But no, you are all being as diligent at work* as you usually are, there’s just more of you.

Hope all you Americans are having a fabulous Thanksgiving! I will be heading down to Seattle to have dinner with family. And I hope all you non-Americans are having a fabulous Thursday!

* Fun fact: historically, I receive the most visitors between 9 and 10AM on weekdays. The second-highest time slot is 2-3PM on weekdays.

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Brady has developed an infatuation with Sienna. His feelings for Sienna are so strong that he allowed me to take pictures of him, because it was either that, or leave Sienna. He loves Sienna, he wants to lie on it all day long, with the occasional break to scoop Sienna up in his paws and rub it all over his head.

Because I was finally allowed to take pictures, this post is all about Brady. Probably my last chance to post any Brady pics for the next year, so I figured I may as well make the most of it.

As soon as I put Sienna on the desk, Brady appeared. This was about noon or so. Here he is rubbing the back of his head on Sienna.

About an hour later, there was a noise outside. What could it be? He sat up and looked out the window, but he did not leave Sienna.

Note the funny tail. His tail is small, and shaped like a Z. He’s quite pleased with his funny tail, thank you very much. The final segment – the tip – moves independently, and can be twitched, just like the tip of your finger.

Note also his big linebacker shoulders. About 4 inches, from one shoulder blade to the other.

He stayed on Sienna all day, and into the night. Here’s a picture taken at about 8PM.

He even let me get crazy with the macro action. Nose freckle alert!

Brady would like you to know that his new diet – Natural Balance – costs the same as Iams (if you buy the 20lb bags), but makes his coat glossy and soft, like mink.

Look at that happy little bastard. He sat on my sweater all day long, and I let him.

This taught me something, though – until my sweater had a cat planted atop it, I never realized that you could knit a sleeve in the round just by twisting it back and forth. I had been rotating the entire sweater as I knit. It’s a lot easier just to twist. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out.

The next day, I took Sienna to Starbucks so that I could work on it for my lunch break. I think Sienna misses Brady. I’m pretty sure Brady misses Sienna.

I can’t help but wonder, will I ever love Sienna as much as my cat does?

Regarding Sienna, I followed Dorothy’s suggestion, and picked up stitches around the armhole and knit the sleeves top-down with a short-row shoulder, following Almost Felted’s instructions, and it worked out quite well. Then I stopped decreasing too early, and had to rip back eight inches of sleeve (elbow to cuff) and start over. Sigh.

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