What divinely exquisite patterns in the main. None tried, but soon...soon. ( )

This book looks like an excellent primer into seamless sweater construction. Griffen-Grimes covers several knit garment constructions with good detail and illustrations. She's chosen a French theme (quel shock!), and the sweater designs employ intermediate and advanced colorwork and lace in addition to interesting and sometimes complex constructions. The charts are clear and the patterns appear well-written at a glance, with all the important details easily found and some of them pointed out with bullet points. I knit the sweater "Niobe" the week I bought the book, and the pattern was a clear and easy read. ( )

French Girl Knits is a beautiful book with lovely photographs and useful tips and illustrations for the lacy, almost diaphanous designs. Much of what I tend to think of as "flavour text" is kind of gimmicky or saccharine, but it definitely adds to the overall "story" of this collection of knitting patterns.

I got the book because it was on sale for less than $2 and I really liked the sequel, French Girl Knits: Accessories, which contains several appealing and fairly useful items. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that out of the 18 or so projects, only one or two even remotely appealed to me, and I would have to make alterations to the patterns for them to be wearable - not least because I can't wear animal fibres.

But Ravelry shows that the ones I do like best - a cute hooded shirt based on sailor middies, a couple cardigans, a bell-sleeve pullover - should be easy enough to adjust, and they look nice even on women who aren't the small-breasted skinny type modeling the garments in all the photographs. That weird wrap skirt, though, is probably hopeless...

I will have to report back after I try a pattern, but giving the book a flip-through and reading here and there, the instructions don't look overly complicated, and there are a lot of explanatory sections for potentially new or tricky techniques. ( )

Superbly fitted and fashioned in luxurious yarns, these imaginative patterns follow four thematic vignettes inspired by French daily life, film, and history. Each section features dramatically different types of yarns, colors, and stitch patterns combined with timeless, figure flattering silhouettes that are suitable for knitters of all skill levels. Using innovative seamless construction methods, the need for sewing seams has been nearly eliminated by fashioning patterns in one piece from start to finish, easily allowing for adjustments for a custom fit. A handy design workshop features in-depth tutorials that teach seamless construction methods and provide valuable technical information for both beginning and seasoned knitters. Perfect for all body types, the designs are figure flattering with curve friendly waist shaping, empire waist detailing, and stitch details such as lacing, openwork, lace edgings, and bell sleeves that highlight the silhouette. ( )