A Book Review….

When I am looking for designers to work with on my yarn club, I spend a lot of time on Ravelry, looking at their designs and looking at their websites.  When I happened upon Elizabeth Doherty's website, well, how could I not fall in love with a "Blue Bee Studio".

Elizabeth made this lovely hat for our yarn club last year and then went on to create an e-book called Metalworks based on the stitch design that she used for her yarn club design. It is a great collection of designs.  Go take a peek.

Elizabeth is also very generous and sent me a copy of her new Top Down book and I have to tell you that this is one hard print book that I will never let go of. I know that every one says a bottom up sweater with set in sleeves fits better, but…..the 2 sweaters that I wear all the time are top down sweaters that I was able to tweak along the way given that I could try it on a long the way.

This book is full of really good information.  While this is not a conventional set in seamed sleeve, but rather a sleeve worked in short rows starting at the top, it's a brilliant way to knit a sleeve, giving the sweater the look of a set in seamed sleeve.  I have done this once before with my Bluebell sweater and I love doing a sleeve this way, once I figured the instructions out.  Elizabeth gives very clear instruction about how to do short rows and she also gives super information on how to adjust your stitches based on your swatch.  I am SO not a math person, but the way she explains it is very clear and concise, so much so that I think I might be able to sit and figure this out.  No easy feat for this ADD brain.

When Elizabeth sent me the pictures for her final project, Rose Gold, for her e-book that she created using my Emma yarn, which I love, love, love, the one thing that jumped out at me was the beautiful sweater that she was wearing.  I quickly asked her what the pattern was, because I love it and Elizabeth quickly sent me the pattern, Helvetica…thank you Elizabeth!!

I swatched both WW Kashmir and Neshobe for this sweater and while both yarns would work, I love the fabric that I got from WW Kashmir.  So soft and relaxed.  I was going to use this group of Cape Cod Blues that I had on hand, but those are not colors that make my heart sing, so I am going to dye up a sweater lot this week to match a few skirts that I have purchased this week for a new adventure that I will tell you about maybe next week.
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If you are on the fence about getting this book…jump right off this fence.  You won't regret it.!