If I buy a book or pattern, it's because I want to learn how to do something. If I can figure it out on my own, why buy the pattern? So yes, I read it, every word, and if there's a new technique that I haven't tried, then I try it, at least for that item. How can you learn new things otherwise? Often the designer has tried various methods for making something and has settled on what works best. I want to profit from her research, and her mistakes.