How to Knit: The Definitive Knitting Course Complete with Step-By-Step Techniques, Stitch Library, and Projects for Your Home and F

This book taught me to knit - with one ball of yarn and 5mm needles, I was casting on! Now after 10 months experience and a mini-library of knitting books, this is still my most used reference because of the clear picture/drawing examples and the index of abbreviations. Projects range from the really simple to the incredibly complicated and are arranged in a "learn the next step and move on" progression.For those experienced knitters who have always wanted to learn the entrelac technique, this book includes the best visual and textual explanations I have found.

This book is probably not the best choice for absolute beginers. For the very basics--casting on, knitting, and purling--you really need to find an experienced knitter to show you. No illustrations will really be the same. Try your local yarn shop, or your friends and relatives, you'll probably be surprised by how many knitters you didn't know that you knew. However, once you get past knitting and purling in straight rows to make scarves (or other various sized squares of knitting), and you feel you are ready to move on to colour or shape or texture or cable or four needles, then this is the book for you. This is the book equivalent of attending workshops of the different techniques. I still refer to the finishing chapter when putting somethig together. Yes, most of the patterns are for kids. But the reasoning behind this is sound--knitting a tiny sweater for kids is much less discouraging for a beginning knitter than starting out with something adult sized. While some people will see something through to the end once they have started, there are many who get bored or frustrated, and give up. I still have trouble with full sized items, and often find myself starting a child sized sweater when I know I'm supposed to be working on the one that was last year's Christmas present for the man in my life (he's getting it for next Christmas now!). So, if you don't have kids, see if you can find someone who does to give the finished product to.In conclusion, nothing beats having a knitter show you how to get started, but this book makes a good effort.

As a beginning knitter with no experienced mentor to ask questions of, making the jump from scarves to "real" items was intimidating, to say the least. The patterns were all in another language, and many other books (including those written by Debbie Bliss) often showed beautiful but very complicated patterns. Finding this book was a gift. So that's intarsa! That's how to cable! Best yet, the items made are attractive and useful, so you don't feel like you are doing your homework until the real fun starts. A wonderful resource for those not blessed with an experienced friend to show the way.