Teach Yourself Visually Knitting & Crocheting

I purchased on the recommendation from one of the employees at my favorite yarn shop. She was right on the mark. I learned to knit back in the eighties, but hadn't kept up my skills. I really needed something that knows a beginner is just that; a beginner. The instructions and pictures really helped when my Vogue book left me clueless. I loved the book so much that I purchased a second one for my sister-in-law, mainly because of the pictures. Her second language is english and has difficulty with our written instructions. She's also thrilled with the book, since I can't pop overseas to help her with her knitting problems. If you want something that is clear and consise, this is the book for you.

The photographed step by step instructions with additional graphics and different colored yarns really makes this a good reference for someone starting from scratch. I checked out 10-15 different how to books from the library and find that I keep coming back to this one for help. If I had to have one reference book on knitting and crocheting I'd get this one; I'd recommend it for people who need good visual aid. Nothing beats photos combined with clear concise directions. It's also the only book I read that explains the difference between the English and European styles of knitting. The crocheting section is a little thin but not bad. Crocheting School is an excellent and more thorough reference for just crocheting.

This book is AWESOME!!! Great pictures which clearly show the knit and purl in English and Continental. I wanted to learn Continental and did so (comfortably) in a couple of hours! It is so doable and it feels really rewarding to be able to have such great visual images from a book that you can learn it that fast! I have recommended it to friends already who have seen it and been equally impressed. I also have a nice CD-rom called Knitting Made Easy which shows every hand movement in motion which is nice too, but for those of you without a cd-rom drive this book should really be sufficient! Happy knitting!

Between this book and Stitch N Bitch I taught myself how to knit in a day. And this is the only book I used to learn how to crochet. The advantage of this book above other is that they use large color photos to illustrate the step-by-step process of knitting and crocheting. Confused about how to insert the needle for the purl? There's a picture! Don't understand how many links should be in a turning chain in crochet? There's a picture and a clear graph! The projects are pretty uninspired - but this is a learners book, so what do you expect? Intermediate knitters and crocheters...this may be a nice additional reference guide. Advanced knitters and crocheters - this book would probable too basic for you. But, if you are just learning to knit or crochet I highly recommend you make this one of your first books.

If you're not fortunate enough to have a grandmother or auntie who can sit down and teach you how to knit, this book is the next best thing. I've looked through a hundred knitting books and almost all of them have a lame little introductory chapter on how-to. Not this book -- this has explicit photographs that show you very clearly what each and every step is. It has a cool graphic on some of the photographs kind of like an improved version of the glowing red light on the hockey puck -- it helps you know where you should be focused. The projects in the book are so-so -- not bad, but definitely not as hip as those in Stitch n Bitch or Knit Wit, two of my other favorites. Again, if you're trying to teach yourself how to knit, this is THE BEST book out there. Get yourself some other books for project ideas, but get this one for the basics.