The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics (ISBN 1400097983)

wearable sweaters but...:
The only problem I have with this book is the yarn listing. The authors listed the brands, but I had to look up the yarns to find the weights for substitution. Otherwise, the patterns are great - very classic and comfortable.

basics patterns presented in an accesable manner:
I bought this book a few of years ago, after I had just begun knitting. The patterns are all quite easy to follow and do not require too many skills beyond a beginner/intermediate level. The down side is that most of the items are kind of shapeless, which is OK for some garments but can be limiting for others. All the same this is a good book for new knitters to jump in to a project and create and complete a garment without feeling confused by too many shaping instructions. For new knitters I really recommend the Vogue Knitting hard cover book. It has instructions for almost every stitch and is presented in a really clear manner. Can't live without (...) either!

What did I do?:
This book is for every knitter that's ever clicked those sticks or is planning to! Wonderful information - and explanations as well. Patterns are well done, hints are timely, and explanations of patterns are well done! Whatever did I do before I had this book???

Love it!:
I have this book as my first request for my birthday present! I have checked it out from the library on 4 different occasions so far, and love it! I have made all of the scarf patterns several times and in different yarns and have always gotten a ton of compliments! I am even starting one of the sweaters! I have been putting off making sweaters due to fear, but reading this book and learning the patterns from it, I feel confident to take that step. The patterns are beautiful and even fun.

Great patterns that allow you to use your imagination:
I love their books! I like clean design and I appreciate the patterns being shown in beautiful simple yarns. It allows me to see the actual pattern and its potential. I really don't understand why people have so much grief with the yarn! They make it so easy to substitute! I know you don't want to swatch, but you gotta. The very first sweater I ever made (I had only been knitting about 3 months) was from their first book. I bought very cheap TLC yarn(of course now I wished I used better yarn), and I used 2 strands to get my gauge. I made "trick or treat" and it came out great. They also include weight and yardage of each skein of yarn used. This really helps with making substitutions. The patterns are also a great place to start if you like to improvise...change to short sleeves, waist tapering, add a hood, etc. The only negative was the lack of mens patterns in this book, I would have preferred a few mens patterns rather than ponchos and throws. But I'm 'knit'-picking here, I have their first two books and I look forward to getting Knits for All Seasons".