Book review | Three from the top

If you listen or watch the Crochet Circle podcast you may have already heard the news that my lovely friend Tamara and I are planning a crochet garment blog hop and CAL - the Back to School Sweater CAL. I'll be telling you ALL about it in a post at the end of July but in the meantime I thought it was a good time to share a review of a favourite crochet garment book.

As a guiding principal I won't share a book review with you unless I have made a couple of projects from the book so that I can really judge how well it's written, how the patterns work up and so on. Having made two of the cardigans from Three from the top I feel well placed to share a review.

Three from the top by Kat Goldin and Joanne Scrace from The Crochet Project

 

Overview

Three from the top as the name suggests is a collection of three crochet cardigans, constructed from the top down, starting at the neck or neckband. The great advantage of a top down construction is that you can try the garment on at each stage of the design, make any adjustments and ensure a good fit. All the cardigans are seamless garments, which avoids the pain of sewing up a garment, ensures a professional finish and a comfortable fit.

The three designs in the book are;
the Aberfoyle yoked cardigan,
the Kippen set in sleeves cardigan,
and the Callander raglan cardigan.

Each pattern gives instructions to make the cardigan in a variety of sizes; from newborn baby to extra-large female size. The book gives information about yarn substitution

The projects

I have made two of the designs; the Aberfoyle and Callander cardigans. I don't enjoy wearing cardigans with collars so I don't think I will make the Kippen but that it is no reflection on the design, simply my personal preference. I loved making both cardigans; the Aberfoyle is a very flexible and adaptable design and I am already thinking about making it again in another colour-way with longer sleeves and perhaps another without sleeves as a summertime cardigan.

I really enjoyed making the Callander and I am so happy with the finished result, it is already proving to be a very wearable garment so I’m tempted to make another…

The patterns

The Crochet Project pride themselves on well written, accurate patterns and the patterns in this book are no exception. I made the Aberfoyle first and I am pleased that I did because it was a really good introduction to seamless garment construction. The Callander was slightly more complex with a basket weave border and vertical slit pockets, but again clear instructions meant that I didn’t feel lost.

I took photographs during the construction of both cardigans, and you can find them on Instagram or Ravelry if they would find it helpful to picture how the cardigans come together.

Yarn choices

I used a yarn substitute for the Aberfoyle as it was my first crochet garment and I wanted to use a less expensive yarn in a case it all went horribly wrong! I used Drops Merino 4ply yarn, it was actually a great substitute creating a warm squishy cardigan and I would probably use it again. I used the recommended yarn for the Callander; Scheepjes Stone Washed 4ply, a cotton and acrylic mix. I hadn’t used the Scheepjes Stone Washed before and it was lovely yarn to work with.

Final thoughts

There are so many aspects of the book I like; the top down seamless construction, well written instructions, variety of sizes, ability to adapt to personal preference etc. But above all, each design is beautiful and timeless; I can see myself revisiting this book and re-making these patterns frequently in years to come.

I hope this review has whetted your appetite for the forthcoming blog hop and CAL - it's going to be so much fun! x

This is an extract from a review that I originally prepared for the Crochet Circle podcast. You can read the full review in the Crochet Circle Podcast group on Ravelry.