Reviews

I have been buying quite a few of Nicky Epsteins books and have found this book to be up to her excellent high standard of quality design, instructions and gorgeous photos which both myself and my grandaughters love looking at to choose which outfit to make next.

This book goes far beyond Barbie. It has become my favorite knitting pattern book! The doll patterns are adorable, but usually call for tiny amounts of fine-gauge, hard-to-find yarns. I personally am not planning to knit a doll sweater. If you are a Barbie Doll lover though, you will certainly find some wonderful things to make. But the book also has patterns for girls, boys, women and men (one "Dad" sweater). Nicky Epstein has some wonderful techniques in her patterns which make for beautifully finished sweaters. I am at the advanced-beginner level, and her book makes it easy to turn out professional looking sweaters by using methods like a three-needle bind-off at the shoulders, and making sleeves by picking up stitches at the shoulder and knitting down toward the cuff. The writer suggest specific yarns to use, but she also gives you plenty of information about gauge and yardage so that it is easy to substitute a different yarn. My daughter and I love to look through the book and pick out our "next" patterns. There are lots of matching mother and daughter patterns (plus doll, of course) which look equally nice on women and girls. I have already made the father-and-son rugby sweaters, and my next project will be a soft little cardigan for my daughter, with a fluffy collar and cuffs and matching fluffy headband. For myself I would like to make the raglan sleeved turtleneck. Nicky Epstein has some awesome knitting books out on embellishments and edges, and home decor. I wish she would write some more sweater patterns too, because she makes it very easy to make a great looking garment.

Reviews

I purchased this as a gift for my daughter, who is an avid adult Barbie collector. She also knits and showed interest in this book. I hope she likes it!!

Who needs another book of patterns, especially for a Barbie doll? Anyone who makes doll clothes! What a lot of fun! When you don't feel like wrestling w/a new big project just whip out this book and knit a little Aran Sweater or a "fur" coat or a stunning evening gown for Barbie. Use your imagination!! Don't have a doll to knit for? Donate the clothes to a church bazaar, sell them at a craft show or donate them to a neighbor's child. You won't go wrong purchasing this book...just remember to buy the yarn in a Barbie size scale (fingering or DK)and it does call for size 2 or 2.5 needles. :o)

This is a great pattern book with easy to follow instructions. It would be even better if the materials suggested were easy to find or if equivalents were mentioned.

Unfortunately, the patterns make boxy garments without much shaping. While errors, as noted by an earlier reviewer, are problems, omissions make the book deficient, and a novice would have difficulty. The book offers interesting ideas, but I found making adjustments to the instructions was the only way to get good results.

This book is full of great patterns for Barbie. It also really made me laugh. I am not a Barbie collector or enthusiest. I just got it to knit my daughter some pretty Barbie clothes. Each outfit has a description for it as if it were a very exspensive designer piece being bought out of a catalog. I read the whole book as a work of fiction and as a good pattern book.