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In nearly a decade of knitting, I have yet to meet a knitter who loves to sew seams. Most complain about finishing—and many admit that they often finish the pieces of a garment, only to put off the finishing indefinitely. I’m one of those knitters who go out of their way to avoid finishing, which is why I’ve completely embraced seamless knits—like the styles found in designer Andra Knight-Bowman’s book, Seamless (or Nearly Seamless) Knits.
Some books of seamless designs offer little more than a collection of variations on the same design, but that’s not the case here. The book’s 19 patterns are divided into three sections, grouped by their construction: bottom-up, top-down, and side-to-side. And the styles are varied, too: raglans, drop shoulders, vests, cardigans, and more.
Many of the designs are presented in a tantalizing rainbow of colors—from bright pinks and cheery corals to crisp whites—that make them jump off the page. While some of the designs look slightly dated, most of them are classic or updated styles that will make great additions to any wardrobe.
My greatest concern with the designs is that some of them seem oddly sized. In the pictures, they look too short and too wide. That could cause some frustration for strictly by-the-book knitters—but if you’re willing (and able) to tweak the patterns a bit to personalize the fit, you’ll end up with simple, seamless, and stylish new sweaters.
Knight-Bowman’s patterns, meanwhile, are relatively simple and straightforward. In fact, most of them are just a couple of pages long. She also takes all kinds of knitting needs and preferences into consideration. Each design includes a diagram to show finished measurements—and any stitch patterns are presented as both written patterns and charts.
Though I generally love top-down patterns (especially since I’m taller than the average knitter, and the technique allows for easy lengthening), my favorite designs in this book come from the other sections. Highlights include Billie, a bottom-up sleeveless top that combines ribbing and a simple cable for form-fitting shape and eye-catching style. As I mentioned above, though, the finished product looks especially short on the model, so the project will most likely require more knitting (and more yarn) than the pattern suggests. Deb, a garter stitch bottom-up cardigan vest, would make a great first-garment project for newer knitters, while April is an adorable (and simple) asymmetrical jacket. The side-to-side entrelac design of Jackie is intriguing enough to make me want to tackle my first entrelac project. And the colorful patterns of Wendy are enough to brighten any cold winter day.
If you hate sewing seams as much as I do, you’ll appreciate the simplicity of the designs in Seamless (or Nearly Seamless) Knits. The ease of knitting, the minimal finishing, and the variety of the styles included in this collection promise months and months of happy, seam-free knitting.
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