Confessions of a Knitting Heretic [Spiral-bound]

Annie Modesitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

You are NOT knitting wrong! If you're getting the fabric you want, then you're knitting fine for YOU!.

Now that we've cleared that up, let's investigate how and why you're making your stitches the way you do so that you can follow standard patterns and get the most out of your knitting!

DON'T change the way you knit - learn to make the way you knit more efficient, and more comprehensible!

Editorial Reviews

Review

A gold mine, chock-full of information presented with style, wit & humor. A great addition to your library! -- Wendyknits Knitting Blog, May 2004

Assuming her readers are intelligent, Annie doesn't dumb down her instructions ... a subtle, refreshing difference that left me totally engaged -- Knitters Review, May 2004

I enjoyed the essays & was happy to see the 'I-Bobble' - at last a good looking knit-side bobble! -- Anna Zilboorg, Author, Knitting for Anarchists

From the Publisher

This is a self published book. After shopping the idea around to several knitting and craft publishing houses, I found that they felt there was no market for this book.

In it's first 10 weeks it has sold more than 2,000 copies, which is amazing for any knitting book, let alone a self published one.

It is true that the quality of this book is not the glossy, coffee table book standard. The pages are printed in black and white and a few of them could be clearer.

Having said that, I find that many of my customers are returning to purchase extra copies for sisters, friends, cousins - folks they want to sway toward the heretical thought that There Is NO Wrong Way To Knit!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 218 pages
• Publisher: ModeKnit Press (April 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0975421999
• ISBN-13: 978-0975421994
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book from a master knitter..., December 12, 2004

By 

anon-new-yorker (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Confessions of a Knitting Heretic (Spiral-bound)

Ms. Modesitt, a master knitter, writes a book from the perspective of a natural problem-solver with innate talent. Intermediate to advanced knitters will find a wealth of information in her book, from cabling without a cable needle, slip-stitch color knitting, and even knitting with wire. However, although Modesitt is adamant about not "dumbing down" her excellent and innovative material, beginning knitters or those who learn more slowly may need a bit more guidance than is offered in this book. Perhaps a later edition will provide more photos and explanations.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Friendly Knitting Book, July 24, 2004

By 

Robin MacAskill (Bethesda, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Knitting Heretic (Spiral-bound)

I felt as though I had made a new friend after reading this book. There are two aspects of this book that have helped me. One is the technical explanations, the other the essays.

I'm rather reclusive and knit quietly at home. I have lots of beautifully illustrated books to which I refer if, say, I want to knit a cable. The explanations are technical, precise, well illustrated. The explanation I'm going to remember, however, appears in the black & white pages of Modesitt's book wherein appear little faces on the stitches. Oh. I see, Annie. Knit the wallflower first!

There is no shortage of perfectionists in my family. Perfectionists and proud of it. I, on the other hand, leave a mistake in my knitting on the theory that "Pride goeth before a fall."

Modesitt's essay on valuing one's work yet not being a perfectionist put this conflict into perspective for me beautifully. After reading her book, I got out a Raggedy Ann doll I had made 40 years ago. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. It certainly shows evidence of having been well loved.

Moreover, Modesitt's ideas came in very handy elsewhere: when visiting a hospitalized friend; when talking to members of a bereavement support group. We are none of us perfect.

I'm in debt to the experienced knitter who said she learned to purl better through reading this book.

If you like beautifully colored images to pop off a glossy page and grab your attention, you may be disappointed initially. It's a book to read quietly and savor. A book to pick up when you wonder about a new technique. A book to ponder.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tips, techniques, and projects for intermediate to advanced, November 11, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Knitting Heretic (Spiral-bound)

Confessions Of A Knitting Heretic offers original tips, techniques, and projects for intermediate to advanced knitters. A quite unorthodox and self-proclaimed "knitting heathen", Annie Modesitt dares to break conventions in this spiral bound volume, which uses black-and-white photographs, diagrams combined with a clearly delineated text to expand the limits of imagination and creativity when crafting with threads. The guidelines and suggestions include row-by-row details for truly amazing creations. Confessions Of A Knitting Heretic is a superbly unique resource for anyone with enough experience in knitting to tire of the "same old, same old", and who yearns to try a dazzling, brand-new technique with their knitting projects and practices.