Knitting Simple Sweaters from Luxurious Yarns

Knitwear designer Cohen's first book is a stylish collection of 28 comfortable, sophisticated sweaters for women. Targeting advanced beginning knitters, Cohen uses distinctive yarns--mohair, linen, angora--to create simple tops for every season and occasion. Most of her designs feature the elementary drop shoulder, along with a variety of simple necklines and minimal shaping. Color pictures are shown for each sweater, and though there are a few clunkers (a nylon sweater for evening that's neither particularly dressy nor especially interesting), most are appealing, especially for knitters looking for subtle colors and shapes they might also find on machine-made sweaters in the J. Crew catalog. Cohen offers inventive stitches and cables that keep the sweaters from being too plain, with yarn suggestions that run the gamut from merino and cashmere to wool blends and ribbon. The specialty yarns add a unique--and pricey--touch to the sweaters, so it's disappointing that her suggestions on working with and caring for them are so minimal. A few designs for men and children, or plus sizes, would also make the book more appealing. The usual instructions on matching gauge and helpful piece measurements for each garment are provided; basic knitting instructions are not. By eschewing frilly edges and eye-popping patterns, Cohen's elegant designs ably fill a niche in the knitting book market.