Mary Thomas's Knitting Book

I've taken my time between receiving the book and writing this review. This book has so much going for it I didn't know where to start. This is so information packed with techniques that I thought were "new" such as knitting with beads, looped knitting and felting. I know how tempting those big books with all the beautiful color pictures are but you'd pay three, four or five times as much as you would for this little gem. It provides a surprisingly interesting chapter on the history of knitting. It has an old-fashioned feel to it that is totally charming as are the illustrations which give the eye a rest among all the info provided. I purchased it mostly because I need techniques for Fair Isle knitting, and the book provides very good info on this. Deserves to be in every knitters library no matter how hip you may be.

A must have knitting book. Mary Thomas, Barbara G. Walker, Elizabeth Zimmermann's and Barbara Abbey's books are all must have books for any serious knitter. You can't go wrong purchasing any of their books. Don't pass up this little gem of knowledge.

I was surprised to find in this book many of the things that appear in newer how-to knitting books eg the spiral sock that is on page 229, 230. And this not the only material that you will see that's in other books. In this book the material is in a rather condensed form. In the newer books it appears with color photographs and modernized. But still I find this a good book and especially at this price you can see where it all begun.

As with many Dover books, this one is information dense and packs a lot of detail in a small space. It covers a wide variety of knitting techniques and the accompanying hand-drawn diagrams are straightforward. While other knitting books may overexplain a technique to the point of confusion or boredom, this one is economical and precise. It serves well as a reference guide and learning book.Not only is it of value in terms of technique, but it serves as a wonderful primer for the history of knitting. The only caveat is that if one is an absolute beginner with no background in knitting, then the "Knitting for Dummies" books is easier to digest.All in all, a wonderful find at a wonderful price.

This edition is a reprint of a book first published in 1938. Some of the language seems a little old-fashioned and quaint, as do some of the references to "new" items,(rayon yarn for example) but this only adds to the charm of the book. The descriptions are precise, the illustrations are clear, and the techniques themself are classic. This book is loaded with interesting ways of doing things that I have never seen before. I would imagine that without books like this, some of these techniques and historical tidbits would stand the risk of being lost. That fact alone makes this book priceless. I would enthusiastically recommend it not just as a basic reference for any knitter, beginner or experienced, but for anyone interested in craft history.