The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine

by Elaine Rowley

Book Overview

The best articles in "Knitter's Magazine"'s technique section "Knitting School" are included in this collection of step-by-step instructions on the essential skills of knitting. From casting on the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Spiral-bound
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1893762211
• ISBN13: 9781893762213
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: XRX Books
• Length: 106 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Knitter's Handbook

I feel that it was a very good purchase,written and illustrated well. It's small enough to drop in your knitting bag. It contains good material for both Novices and Skilled Knitters. I've used it to study cables, and to make buttonholes and found it very helpful.

Super little reference book!!! Pick this one up.

Ah, the search for the good knitting book. I've perused many, and this one passed. This is not a comprehensive reference guide for the super experienced knitter. This is more geared towards the beginner or intermediate knitter. I'm just starting out knitting, and when looking through the available books, there was either too many long-winded paragraphs about stuff I didn't yet want to delve into (for the experience knitter), pictures where you couldn't tell where the needle was placed, etc. I wanted something that would easily tell me what k2tog meant and how it was done. For instance, I get to a stitch I don't know, I want to look it up and be able to do it. This is a great book for that. So, here are the plusses: 1. Durability - nice little hardback, spiral bound, with the spine extending over the spiral (the spiral is not exposed). Pages are thick and well printed. 2. Pictures: a. graphical representations of stitches - here is where this excels. They use both light and dark gray in showing which portion of yarn you are working with. There are clear, red arrows that start at the same place your needle starts, and guide you over or under the yarn, around the yarn, etc, so that there is never a question of where the needle goes or where your yarn should be. Stitches are shown in a multiple step formula, which is very, very clear. b. for many of the stitches, you are also shown a picture of the actual yarn sample, so that you can see the end result and will know if what you are doing is correct. 3. Tips - very, very handy quick tips in blue on the sides that help you, such as "If after several rows you discover that a stitch was purled instead of knit, work across the row to the stitch above it, pull the stitch off the needle, drop it down to the mistake, pick it up correctly (they give you instructions on how to pick up dropped stitches or "ladders"), place it back on the needle, and continue." 4. Comprehensive coverage of the BASICS and a little more. This is the first book I've found that actually shows you, both with actual pictures and drawings, how to carry colored yarn on the back of your knitting. Geeesh, you'd think all books would show that. 5. Arrangement of information - information is arranged in broad alphabetical categories (basics; bind-offs; buttons, buttonholes & zippers; cables; cast-ons; circular knitting; color; crochet; decreases; edges and borders; extras (embellishments, beads, tassels, weaving); grafts and seams; increases; lace; shaping; symbols and charts (including symbol glossary); and index. The beginning of each of these sections has a breakdown of what is included in that section, for instance, decreases is divided into K2tog, K3tog, P2tog, P3tog, S2KP2, sl 2-k1-p2sso....SSK, SSP, SSPP2, etc. Very easy to find the stitch you are looking for. And there are running chapter headings on the top of each page, so you know what section you are in and what sections surround the current

Best Knitting reference book

This is the one! I just love this little spiral book with knit techniques explained and well illustrated. Being a beginner, I especially appreciated that the book can open with the purl stitch and knit stitch pages situated side-by-side...FINALLY got the difference!! I'd give this book SIX stars if I could!!

Handy Reference for Beginner/Intermediate Knitters

I've purchased many books in the quest to find "the one" to keep in my knitting bag at all times, and for me, "The Knitter's Handbook" was more than adequate. This book is extremely helpful for those times when you are knitting away and the pattern dictates some technique vaguely familier or completely new. This book relays such techniques in an easy-to-understand precise manner. Frequently our ability to understand things is as unique as our personalities, so it is good to investigate many different handbooks. For my knowledge as a beginner-going on-intermediate knitter, this book went just enough beyond "Vogue Knitting, Quick Reference", without all the fluff of "Stitch'n Bitch" or Debbie Bliss' "How to Knit" (each excellent, but far too large for a knitting bag). Couple this book with "Stitch'n Bitch, A Knitter's Design Journal" and you will be good to go for current and future projects.

Fabulous reference book

First, I have to say that I **love** Knitter's Magazine and all of their publications. I consider their patterns to be the most well-written patterns in print, especially with the way they specify the major characteristics of each pattern at the begininning (e.g., sizes, measurements, yarn and needle requirements, etc.) Soooo - that being said -- this is the definitive reference book for Knitter's Magazine and its other publications. I like having the central reference to use whenever I make up one of their patterns, not to mention other patterns and publications. I love books, especiall knitting books, and especially knitting reference books, so this is a fine and valuable addition to my knitting reference library.