I hope others will take advantage of [Sweater 101] coming back into print . . . Your book, along with Barb Walker and EZ have freed me from the constraints of others! Sarah Rawlings, Rockville, VA

I think everyone who knits a sweater needs to buy your book.  I think it’s wonderful . . . I’m so tired of making sweaters that are too big or too small . . . I have several design books and they are all so complicated, this book is so straight forward and great for the visual learner. Rose, Madame Purl http://madamepurl.com/ Rockton, Illinois

What a wonderful book!!! I still have your original 101 booklet and I use it all the time. Now I can update. You really started me keeping a record of my knitting for others. . . Thank you for putting my life on track.  The sweater schematics give me a starting place.  Especially when the person I am knitting for is out of my area. . . The binding on your latest book is great, I can “flatten out” the pages. Thank you for all your time and talent you give to others. Beverly Kaufman, Sedro-Woolley WA

Wow!  Cheryl!  What a fantastic resource!!  It is just great!  The Appendix B pages are so great…little interactive forms . . .  I will definitely be recommending your ebook to friends and students of mine. Marlene Reilly, Basking Ridge NJ

What a great book! Elora MeKenzie, Talcott WV

Hi Cheryl….Yes indeed, this is just what I’ve needed all along! I read through the whole thing instead of paying attention to the Super Bowl game, and I am really impressed with your knowledge and the way you’ve presented it . . .I know I would be years ahead if I had had your book all along! Loretta Balga, Juliette GA

Hi Cheryl . . . I DO love Sweater 101. . . I am going to get a ton of use out of [it]. Thank you for offering such a valuable tool! Judy Madge, Toronto, ON Canada

I was amazed that this has not been in my library already!  I was looking for such a book last year! I’ve thought about designing plenty of times and now I have so much information at my fingertips! Mary Chan Victoria, B.C.Canada http://marydotmusic.livejournal.com Ravelry: YarnOverHere

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how much I love and have used Sweater 101 over the years.  And just last night I watched your Finishing 101 Video. . . There is a brand new baby in the family so both Sweater 101 and Finishing 101 video will be getting a brand new workout! Thank you for both of them!  They are just wonderful. Lynne Cunningham, Greenville NY

The design book I refer to most frequently is Cheryl Brunette’s Sweater 101. I have and use design software, but I still go back to this book.  It is easy to use and gives me good results. The first thing I ever  designed using this book was my best-fitting garment ever. I still wear it . . .  It is a very basic book, good for fledgling designers or people  who  wish to alter commercial designs for a custom fit. I have . . . [other sweater design titles] . . .  but Sweater 101 is still my recommendation. Rebecca Aldrich Bowen  http://sunshineknitdesigns.com

Thanks for reprinting Sweater 101.  I had a copy I bought from Patternworks years ago and lost it in a move.  I thought I would never have another chance to use the book and regretted its loss.  I am very, very pleased to see it again! . . .The only thing that could improve upon the experience would be to get a copy of your Finishing 101 video.  It was excellent . . . Thanks again, Anne Burton, Ocean NJ

I purchased your Sweater 101 way back in the day when it was a folder from Patternworks and am wondering if it has been updated or includes anything new?  No matter, I would love a copy for my knit bag when I travel and I dare not tote my original around for fear of losing it or destroying it. Antonette Pearson, Willows CA

I’m so pleased with Sweater 101 . . . I’ve only just started to use it but I’m already happy with  it.  Your writing is so clear, and the quality of the paper, print, and binding is excellent.  A really nice product — thank you! Anne Childs, Pleasanton CA

My book has arrived! . . . and it looks great – better than I had hoped, actually. The diagrams are fantastic – I especially like the handwritten ones/sketches of working out a sweater design. I should have had this book a few months ago before knitting something far too small. I can’t wait to try designing something. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book, and for getting it back in print for people who weren’t knitting when the first version came out (or who were knitting uneven-gauged scarves with acrylic yarn :-)) Jodi Lough, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Dear Cheryl,  Many years ago, when I purchased my first Bond knitting machine, I had the joy of owning  your videos.  I can’t tell you how much I loved watching those videos!  . . . I happened to see a reference to you and  Sweater 101 (I think I MAY have a copy of that, I’m not sure – our house burned this past August and I’ve packed the surviving books away until the house is rebuilt!) If I can’t find it, I will definitely be ordering another copy now that I have a granddaughter and a grandson that will arrive in January!  Many little people to knit for!  I’ve just downloaded your Afghan 101 and will be plotting fun blankets and afghans for the very near future! . . . You’re such an incredible teacher (I’m sure you’ve heard that many, many times) . . . Catherine Keller

This book is such a great boon to designers! Thank you! Charisa Martin Cairn, Past President of the Snohomish Knitters Guild, http://pulsh.blogspot.com/

This book gives you the tools to make anything. It gives you the confidence to go ahead and do it! I heard about it from Meg Swansen years ago and I was thrilled when I heard it was back in print. Cris Peterson, IA

Sweater 101 is an excellent resource for knitters….chapters on basic sweater styles, a couple of math skills, gauge, fit, and measurements— and most importantly how to fit it all together to come up with exactly what YOU want! Wonderful! The last chapter of taking it all beyond the basics is not only freeing to the knitter but very encouraging. Tina Kim, http://knittingcontessa.blogspot.com/

This is a clean, functional, step-by-step guide to building your own sweater patterns. You don’t get out of measuring, but you do get someone guiding you clearly along the path to sweater success time after time. Amy R. Singer, Editor, Knitty Magazine, http://www.knitty.com/

Sweater 101 Full Reviews +Foreword

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+!       Erika Barcott, Redshirt Knitting

Sweater 101 – How to Plan Sweaters that Fit and Organize Your Knitting Life at the Same Time by Cheryl Brunette

Sweater 101 is one of the most practical, clearly written guides to the art of knitting. It is also one of the easiest to learn from as well as being one of those books that will so empower you that your knitting life will take on creative dimensions in ways that will surprise and delight you as they enrich every stitch you make. Following her clear and sensible advice will yield sweater after sweater that fits perfectly. Add your own design elements whenever and where ever you wish – even if you are now a novice, Cheryl’s pointers make it so simple to know what to do next that once you try them out, you’ll never look back.

In other words, Sweater 101 will set you free. It is a must-have for your knitting techniques bookshelf. Don’t leave home without it (even if your destination is not a desert island!). Nancy Parsons, Knitter’s Bookshelf

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