Cardigans & Closures: A Review and A Giveaway

Today I've got a giveaway for you all, a neat new book about cardigans and how to close them. Cardigans & Closures by Melissa Leapman is exactly what its title says it is: one half cardigan patterns and one half reference guide for the various closures you can use for your cardigans. The book breaks down and takes you through the various sorts of knitted closures: afterthought (like zippers and button loops), eyelet buttonholes, elongated eyelet buttonholes, bound off buttonholes, double-thick button bands, anything you can think of. And then, it gives you a pattern to practice each technique.

The closure instructions and tips and illustrations that accompany them are fantastic. They're clear and concise and immediately understandable. As a pattern-writer, I know this is not always easy. Sometimes the hardest part of describing a technique is editing! I find that the longer and more ramble-y a description of a technique, the harder it can be to understand, but Ms. Leapman doesn't fall into this trap. Her technique instructions are just perfect. And, honestly, if I hadn't already decided to do a giveaway, I'd so be keeping this book for the technique reference alone.


You, too, can achieve a perfectly sewn in zipper.

And then there are the patterns, 7 in total, and all pretty cute.


I love this Double Breasted Mosaic Cardigan:


And the pretty Le Charme, with added scarf:


I was somewhat surprised to see that all of the patterns are knit in pieces, then seamed. Don't get me wrong -- I don't think this is a bad thing, I'm just so used to seeing garments knit all in one piece these days (including my own work). But this is an easy mod if you're not feeling the seaming.

All in all, I really like this book and I love the closure instructions. It's just the right, length, too (56 pages) and about the size of a knitting magazine (the super anal part of me wishes all my books were this exact size so they would line up perfectly on my shelf). Another plus? You can purchase this book as an electronic download (on the Annie's site, here), which I wish were available for more knitting books!

Now would you like a (physical) copy of this book?? Just leave me a comment here and tell me if you have a favorite cardigan closure -- zipper, buttonhole, shawl stick, super glue, whatevs -- and if not, that's ok, too. I'll draw a name next Wednesday (8/29) at noon Pacific.


Side note: I completely forgot to mention last week that I was interviewed over on the Malabrigo blog! Check it out if you'd like to hear me wax poetic about my experiences with Malabrigo, my favorite colorway, and hearing yarn speak.