Customer Reviews

250 Creative Knitting Stitches (The Harmony Guides, Vol. 4)

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This is the third of the Harmony stitch guides (not including the Aran guide which is rather distinct). Note that the title is slightly different -- including the word "creative." Indeed, this is probably the most intriguing, but least likely to be knitted, collection of the three books. The collection has four basic parts:

1. Knit/purl patterns -- simple you think. However, the average row repeat in this group is about 16 rows and several patterns go over 30 rows and over a dozen stitches. Pretty to look at, hard to memorize.

2. 20 pages of slip stitch/multicolor stitches, primarily mosaic stitches. These aren't as hard as they look, but tend to create a heavy fabric.

3. 16 pages of Cross Stitch/Twist Stitch patterns. Again, not as hard as they look -- cable effect without cable needles in most cases.

4. 34 pages of complicated cables. These are the eye candy of the book -- lots of fun to look at, though more complex than the average knitter is likely to use regularly.

So, aside from the substance, why buy this book. As with volumes 2 and 3, the color photography is wonderful if you're looking for ideas. As for picking this volume over the others, the biggest distinction is that this is the only one of the three books that uses charts (all three have written instructions). For those of us who are partial to knitting in the round, this is terrific. The charts are not written in the standard "magazine" symbol system and that takes a bit of adjustment.

As with my review of the other Harmony books, I urge others to check out the Barbara Walker treasuries. The photography is only in black and white but on the whole I find them easier to use when the needles are in my hands.

`250 Creative KNITTING STITCHES, Volume 4 of the Harmony knitting guides includes advanced knitting instructions for making fancy stitches. Whereas the earlier volumes relied almost exclusively on written instructions, the examples in this volume are not only illustrated with beautiful photos of the finished swatches, they are also shown in diagram form, which is very useful for making a relatively complicated piece. Slip stitch, cables and cross stitch patterns are all shown in detail. This is not a book of projects, such as sweaters and scarves, but rather a book of knitting samples with plenty of information for making each swatch.

I find the Harmony Guides useful reference tools, and I have used the patterns in earlier volumes to make test swatches to help me decide whether or not a yarn is suitable for a project from another book. Although I am slightly beyond beginning status as a knitter ( I can knit and purl, and do a few other basic things relatively well). I am collecting the Harmony series, because I know some day, I am going to use this book.

I purchased Vols. 2, 3, & 4 at the same time through Amazon, and had purchased Vol. 5 (Aran Stitches and Patterns) at my local yarn store. While these books are not meant to give you complete patterns, like for an entire sweater, they provide seemingly endless ideas for patterned stitches, including cables, knit/purl combos, slip stitch mosaics, texture & color stitch techniques, and even lace patterns. I'm so thrilled with these books that I hardly know where to start with the experimentation, but I would definitely recommend the entire collection to anyone serious about knitting or designing their own knitted items.

This is a review that I wrote for the book "The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches Volume 3."

This is the same book that was reprinted as 250 Creative Knitting Stitches: The Harmony Guides Volume 4. This is a fun book to have on your shelf. It has many interesting patterns. The book includes both written and charted instructions. The stitches are broken down into the following the sections:

Knit and Purl Textures
Slip Stitch Mosaics
Slip Stitch Patterns
Cross Stitch Patterns
Cross Stitch Panels
Cable Patterns
Cable Panels
Cable and Lace Patterns

You can find the older version, titled The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches Volume Three, here on Amazon. It is the same book, and you may be able to get a better price on it.

I regret that this book and the others in the Harmony series don't use standardized chart symbols that I am more familiar with. The color photography is great, however. If you get used to the charts, however, the color pictures are great and stitch dictionaries like this stimulate your creative juices. I love charts, but I am so used to the standardized symbols that I find I'm a bit slowed down when I have to learn new ones.

For that reason, I prefer the Barbara Walker series on knitting stitches, but for creative stimulation, the Harmony series is wonderful. The sheer number of stitches that can be made just boggles the imagination.

I would say, I recommend this book because 250 stitches are a LOT, there are color photos and if you design your own knitting, you just can't have too many stitch dictionaries.

Yes this will help you get creative with your knitting. Lots of patterns to help entice you to use color, which can be very scary when you are starting to knit. Be sure to get Volumes 1,2, & 3 to go along with this one.

The Harmony Guides are great reference tools that almost every knitter shouldn't be without.