Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters: Give Your Knitting that Professional Look [Hardcover]

Sharon Brant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters presents expert tips and tried-and-tested shortcuts for beautifully finished hand-knits.

 Expert tips and tried-and-tested shortcuts for beautifully finished hand-knits.

An otherwise finely crafted piece of hand-knitting can often be spoiled by the finishing details. Now you can learn the shortcuts—and even more important, where not to cut corners. Starting with reading patterns and instructions, this invaluable guide then explains the different ways of casting on and off and the importance of shaping and sizing. It shows how to sew a variety of seams, provides methods for each type of stitch, and explains how to create perfect buttonholes, button bands, and necklines. Finally, a section on decorative detail shows how to add beads and other embellishments, while the trouble-shooting pages tackle those annoying problems that occur when things have gone wrong. An invaluable companion for beginners and more experienced knitters.

 

A Selection of the Crafter’s Choice Book Club

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Presentation is everything, particularly for knitted projects that take hours from cast on to bind off to complete. The thrill of finishing quickly dissipates when you realize you have to put your project together. Finishing a knitted piece is an entirely other skill from knitting, and many knitters avoid knitting patterns that require it. Brant tackles this intimidating subject through lush photographs, easy-to-follow instructions, and clear explanations of a wide array of techniques. She breaks down how to determine your size, obtain the right gauge, change yarns, calculate yardage, read a pattern diagram, and alter pattern measurements to fit. Her explanation of blocking is brief, maybe because this is the one finishing technique effectively covered by most knitting books. Clear, crisp photographs and simply written instructions illustrate techniques for casting on, shaping, binding off, garment assembly, embellishments, and edgings. Every topic from buttonholes to picking up stitches has two or three techniques explained. Brant provides patterns for all the sweaters used to illustrate the techniques in the book. Sure to become a well-worn, frequently referenced book. Jennifer Palmer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This handsome volume, replete with step-by-step photos, should go a long way toward easing end-game angst."  —Yarn Market

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570763364
• ISBN-13: 978-1570763366
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #904,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Pictures, Not Enough Information, March 4, 2007

By 

Sarah Rocklin (Timonium, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters: Give Your Knitting that Professional Look (Hardcover)

I found this book to be annoyingly simplistic. The illustrations - full color photographs - are nice enough but the text leaves a lot to be desired.

For example, the book gives three steps for sewing in a zipper, which might be enough if they told you whether to use thread or yarn for the backstitching into place (the picture seems to show them using yarn but it's not really clear), whether or not to remove the backstitching (the picture of the finished garment appears to show the (rather sloppy)backstitching still in place. The third step is to slip stitch the edge of the zipper into place...again, no mention of whether to use the yarn or matching thread, though it would appear to be embroidery floss.

Kitchenering is shown briefly (and not explained very well) but is called "Grafting by Sewing," so a newcomer to knitting wouldn't know what to look for in this book when confronted with the term "Kitchener" in a pattern and, alternatively, when faced with the term "Kitchener" in a pattern wouldn't know that this was the method they might have seen in this book called "Grafting by Sewing."

I'm sure there are better books on finishing techniques than this one.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, April 18, 2007

By 

Sac Mom (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters: Give Your Knitting that Professional Look (Hardcover)

I was trying to decide between this book and "The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques" by Nancy Wiseman and I chose this book because (there were no reviews when I bought it) I was sucked in by the glossy cover. Similar to other reviewers I found this book high on glossy pictures and short on actual information. It's almost borders on a being a coffee table book.

I'm ordering the Nancy Wiseman book today.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the advance knitter, February 20, 2007

By 

bitter purl (philadelphia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters: Give Your Knitting that Professional Look (Hardcover)

I had high hopes for Finishing Techniques, I've been looking for a book that really explains all those important little details. Unfortunately this one wasn't it. The book seems rushed, glossing over some techniques (one paragraph for lining a jacket?), and covering others that are easily found online or in VK Quick Reference (k2tog,cable cast on etc).

With the clear knitting pictures (some could be more up close or have the background cleaned up),I think this would make a nice reference guide for a beginner (though I still suggest VK Ultimate Knitting Book)with a few patterns in the back. Short rowing and picking up stitches are easily explained and demystified.