[.ca] Melissa Leapman's Knitting Beyond Scarves: Easy Lessons ... (ISBN 0823026140)

A bit disappointing:
This was the first book I bought after teaching myself to knit a scarf from instructions on the internet. I was looking for an easy way to move beyond knitting a rectangle, and this title sounded like just what I was looking for. The biggest problem with this book is the order in which you learn new skills. Most of the patterns call for just knitting, no purling. As a result, the designs are pretty boring. I would think that after knitting the poncho, you'd be bored to tears. I decided to knit the small tee on the cover, which turned out okay. The instructions were clear, the notes helpful, the diagrams clearly drawn. I even managed to substitute the yarn and still get gauge. But the design of the shirt is essentially a sack. There is no shaping at the waist or bust, and I strongly suspect the model's shirt is being pulled tight at the back to get the shaping in the picture. I suspected that might be a problem from the schematic, so I adjusted the pattern to be 2 inches narrower at the waist then the bust, with increases at intervals as I knit up the shirt. That's a lot of adjusting to do for a beginner knitter. In the end I was pretty happy with the overall shape, but should have knit the XS instead of the Small. I have a 38" bust and would never have dreamed I'd need to knit myself an XS. Needless to say I won't be bothering with any of the other patterns in the book, especially considering there are only a small number of patterns that aren't done in garter stitch (yawn). If you're a beginner knitter looking to stretch your wings a bit, look elsewhere for basic patterns (like knitty.com or magknits) and save your money for a better book.