In this book, Ms Duncan explains how to knit a wide arrary of garments without a published pattern. She uses what she calls "formulas"--Formula for a top down knitted raglan, Formula for a high round neck, formula for a v-neck, & etc. The styling & fit of the included garments are dated but the basic shaping information is timeless. I've been knitting my own designs based on this book for over 25 yrs. (I'm on my 3rd copy, finally located a hard cover. ) This is the book for any knitter who always wanted to knit their own designs. I should note that all instructions are for flat knitting, however this is not a concern by the time a knitter is ready to branch out to designing.