Customer Reviews

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting (Leisure Arts #15914) (Donna Kooler's Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Donna Kooler has done it again. Like her Encyclopedia of Crochet, the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF KNITTING is a must-have resource for your knitting-crocheting library. EN is divided into three major sections: 1/ history and other basic information; 2/ a few dozen knitting projects (scarves, pullover, hat or two, beautiful pullover shawl in kaleidoscopic pattern, a toy or two, dog jackets, socks); 3/ `Knitting Pattern Gallery'.

The Knitting Pattern Gallery shows pages and pages of various pattern swatches with instructions on how to make each of them. I find making a swatch a really good thing to do before I become immersed (and embroiled) in a larger project. Some of these patterns are quite complicated and definitely beyond the skills at hand of the new knitter. Others are doable. If you are working on a complex pattern and want a little guidance, Kooler's books are handy to have nearby. I refer to them all the time. Sometimes you just need to see a stitch up close to determine whether or not you can tackle it. ***** for patterns; **** for projects

While this book may be a good general reference, be careful when starting any of its projects. I tried to make the "elegant beaded scarf" and found the pattern so full of errors (in some cases the stitches in a row just didn't add up!) that I had to get out some graph paper and redesign the beading. Luckily, the scarf came out beautifully, but it was a frustrating experience. I'm not going to risk trying the other patterns in the book - I don't want to waste expensive yarn.

What I especially like about this knitting book is that it shows a variety of techniques from basics to entrelac, from beading to fair isle, from felting/fulling to beautiful lace work... along with a nice stitch dictionary. 22 projects by well known knitters included in the large sized, substantial book. Definitely worth the retail price! And it'd make a great gift for yourself... or for any knitter--beginning to experienced.
I'll be knitting the a few of the patterns from it very soon: the fulled baby mary janes, the fulled hat, and the fulled sheep with my handspun yarns.

Buy it! You won't regret it.
That's my humble experienced knitter's opinion and I'm stickin' to it!

I don't know if I would recommend this book hands down for a beginning knitter, but the patterns included are good. I especially like the "Illumination Lace Scarf" and the "Reversible Wrap." Being 21 and in college, some of the apparel patterns are a little dated for me, but I didn't buy this book solely for them.

The list of tips, instructions, and the stitch gallery are pretty exhaustive, though you might be able to find more complete books dedicated solely to one of the aforementioned topics. Nevertheless, Kooler's inclusion of all these things, and her coverage of each one, makes this a really good reference book to have on your shelf.

I definitely recommend this book as something every single knitter should have in their stash of patterns and reference books.

If you need instructions on how to learn to knit, I recommend the first "Stitch 'N Bitch" by Debbie Stoller or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. Kooler's covers a bit more advanced techniques but is a great review - just may not be what you're looking for if you're jumping into knitting for the first time. This book is more than worth what you'll pay for it.

Last year, I purchased Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crocheting, and fell in love with the beautiful design, clear instructions, neat projects, and stitch library. I started knitting again recently, and when I found out there was an Encyclopdia of Knitting coming out, I got it without looking at a single page or reading a review, and I'm not disappointed.

Like the crochet version, the design is very nice and clear. It's not too big (240 pages); it's colorful and nice to handle. There is a history of knitting, and from there it goes into instruction, techniques, projects, and a stitch library.

Some of the projects that have caught my eye are the "Take it from the Top Pullover", "Elegant Beaded Scarf", "Sweet Baby of Mine" (easy and pretty cotton baby blanket), and especially, "Kaleidoscope", a gorgeous wrap done in Entrelac squares and Noro's Silk Garden yarn. I think "Kaleidoscope" will be my introduction to Entrelac. I also want to get into knitting with beads and colorwork, and the book has nice instructions and projects for those techniques.

This book has something for knitters of all levels--I straddle somewhere betweeen advanced beginner and intermediate. I already know that it will be one of my favorite knitting books and assist me in improving my knitting skills and knowledge for years to come.

I bought this book as more of a reference book than anything else. And, it's definitely that. It covers just about everything, and the selection of stitch patterns in the last section is very nice. The patterns are okay. The two that I'd probably make would be the baby blanket and the hat.

The reason that I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I feel that some of the descriptions of techniques are hard to understand. I would consider myself an intermediate to advanced beginner, but even the things that I already knew how to do seemed confusing to me when explained in this book. Also, except for 1-2 patterns, the rest are all intermediated to advanced--though the sweater knit in tubes and then cut has peaked my curiosity!

So, for reference and stitch patterns, it's fine, but I wouldn't try to learn to knit from it. I learned to knit from an older lady, and then picked up Teach Me Visually Knitting to learn some of the things I didn't know. That is a great book to learn knitting from. In my opinion, if you get the Visual Knitting book, the Encyclopedia of Knitting, and The Knitting Answer Book, you should have all the bases covered!

I was very excited to get this book because of all the stitch patterns in the third section. There's a great variety.

Unfortunately, almost every pattern I've tried so far has had at least one error in the instructions. I'm glad I didn't try the beaded scarf, as another reviewer did--I'm not sure I'm resourceful enough to recreate the pattern myself.

In addition to the huge number of errors I've found so far, I also feel like the book is rather poorly organized. It's hard to find the information your looking for, due to the way the book is set up.

If anyone can recommend something equally comprehensive that isn't full of mistakes, I'd be happy to hear about it.

This is one of my favorite knitting books.
It is roughly divided into four parts. The first is sort of a history of knitting, description of needles and yarn, etc. Pretty much the same info as what you would find in other knitting books. The second section covers basic knitting techniques. Again nothing that hasn't been covered before.
Then there are the patterns. I love the patterns. I have not noticed errors like some of the other reviewers, but I will admit that I often change patterns to suit myself and see them more as "guidelines." So, it may not be right if you are a very beginning knitter or do not adapt as you go. The patterns are a good compilation of different types of knitting and different techniques. Very good for trying a little of this and a little of that. There is a raglan sweater from Deb Gemmell that is knitted in one piece in the round. A lace scarf, good if you have never tried lace. From Bev Galeskas there are patterns for felted baby booties and a felted hat. There is also a pattern for a felted sheep that, I think, is worth the price of the book. It is so clearly written that even if you have never tried short rows or picking up stitches, you will not have any problems. There are a couple of Nicky Epstein designs, including some of her knitted flowers, and a sweater by Lily Chin. There are a couple of patterns for Entrelac. I found the Entrelac scarf pattern very easy to understand. There are also some fair-isle patterns, a beaded handbag, and a cabled shawl.
The last part of the book is a stitch dictionary. There are so many here that this is another reason I love this book. I especially like that each stitch pattern is written out and charted. So either way you prefer to work is right there. Also I found it useful for when I was just getting started working with charts to see it written out as well.
So this probably would not be the ideal book to use to actually learn to knit. But even if you are a "beginning" knitter, you will find something that you can handle even if it is just making swatches of the stitch patterns. As you get more confident in your knitting, you will find the pattern section very useful for a wide range of projects.

What a fantastic book for skill levels from beginner through advanced. It has great illustrations of every step to make learning basic stitches or advanced stitches a breeze. The combination of history, needle advice, detailed directions and illustrations make this a must have for every knitter!!

I purchased this after reviewing Donna Kooler's "Encyclopedia of Crocheting"...which is equally fantastic!

Recently, I inherited two knitting projects that weren't working very well for the "friends & relatives" who's started them. Well, this was beyond my "off the top of my head" knowledge and I needed to look some stuff up that I hadn't tried for years (taking off bindings and cuffs from the bottom and replacing them - various buttonhole choices to fit a certain design - augh!). I needed a good "encyclopedia." My mother snagged my old Vogue one and wasn't giving it up! Not even to borrow! (A good encyclopedia is almost IMPOSSIBLE to find.) I ran across this one at the library. It had everything in it that I needed and written in clear instructions with good illustrations. After using it, I decided I would be sorry not to own a copy. I will share the title and give it a good review but I am going to hide my copy!