Coco Knits Knitting Pattern - Katje

OK....since the Coco Knits sweater workshop pattern book is not sold here, I want to make it clear that I am reviewing that book, and the process. NOT this pattern in particular. I have no idea if this pattern uses her sweater workshop method (I suspect that it does from the description). If it does use the method, without the extra info the book gives you, well, you are in serious trouble.While I understand that this may seem unfair, to review the book, and not this pattern, I also think it is unfair to not warn people about this methodology and the book. Although there are some good ideas and innovations in her method, there are also unnecessary complications and, for a whopping $35 for the book, you get very few pictures of the unique ideas she's selling you for that money. The descriptions are only OK, and by gosh, you had better be a very experienced knitter (and experienced with sweater construction) in order for you to read those descriptions and understand what you are supposed to do without clarifying pictures.I've been knitting for about 35 years and made lots of sweaters from patterns that were a lot easier to understand than this method. For this kind of money, there should be tons of clarifying, explanatory pictures so you can understand some of the unusual design/construction elements that make this method unique. You don't get even close to enough of those.While I think it is interesting to knit a sweater this way (I am almost finished with the Lizzie) and I normally enjoy the challenge of learning a new way to knit or a new process for a sweater, I have to say that I resent what seems like an almost intentional obscuring of the details in this book. It is as though the author is afraid that people will make copies of her pages that have explanatory pictures and let other people use them for her method without buying the whole book. So that leaves the person who DID lay out the 35 bucks for this to struggle through and try to understand what the **** the author means in certain places (places where, if she respected the purchaser, she'd have put a decent picture in to actually *show* you what she means).I also want to be fair and let you know that when I went to her website with a question, she answered pretty much within the hour. So I appreciated that. However, if you are going to have a byzantine method, and expect people to pay top dollar for it, you'd better answer their questions!OK...I'm done. Tons of people give away really professional patterns and give lots of pictures and help. I'm not expecting something for free, but I just can't believe that the editor didn't say, "whaaaaa??? I don't get this! You need more pictures here!" I'm still annoyed that it *seems* as though the author was more worried about someone copying her work than she was about me trying to understand what her techniques are supposed to look like. I won't be buying more from this designer because of that.