Wow - what a wealth of information.
I received my book a few days ago, (and admittedly have only read the first two chapters and eagerly scanned the whole book), but as somewhat of an advanced-intermediate-self-taught-beginner not afraid to tackle anything, I wanted to give my opinion.
To those who feel half-hearted in approaching the idea of designing and knitting your own creations, Shirley Paden has written an instructional book in a clear and understandable format. The illustrations and photos are precise and easy to take in - corresponding with the captions nicely. This hardback book has a spiral binding for ease of laying flat. She has provided an Outline to copy and fill in which will take you from your initial design to the finished piece with instructions, calculations and tips provided in this book. I just learned to knit a few years ago (finally) so I could design and knit my own wearable art, and I do believe I will be able to do just that!