The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine [Spiral-bound]

Elaine Rowley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

The best articles in Knitter's Magazine's technique section "Knitting School" are included in this collection of step-by-step instructions on the essential skills of knitting. From casting on the first stitch to fancy stitch maneuvers, a range of key expertises are discussed with pointers that will help knitters prevent problems, fix mistakes, and create flawless projects. Updated information on industry standards in yarn weights, fit and sizing, and skill levels are provided.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Knitter's Magazine is a 20-year-old magazine featuring articles and projects for today's knitters.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 128 pages
• Publisher: Xrx Books (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893762211
• ISBN-13: 978-1893762213
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy Reference for Beginner/Intermediate Knitters, August 30, 2005

By 

Busy Mom (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine (Spiral-bound)

I've purchased many books in the quest to find "the one" to keep in my knitting bag at all times, and for me, "The Knitter's Handbook" was more than adequate. This book is extremely helpful for those times when you are knitting away and the pattern dictates some technique vaguely familier or completely new. This book relays such techniques in an easy-to-understand precise manner.

Frequently our ability to understand things is as unique as our personalities, so it is good to investigate many different handbooks. For my knowledge as a beginner-going on-intermediate knitter, this book went just enough beyond "Vogue Knitting, Quick Reference", without all the fluff of "Stitch'n Bitch" or Debbie Bliss' "How to Knit" (each excellent, but far too large for a knitting bag).

Couple this book with "Stitch'n Bitch, A Knitter's Design Journal" and you will be good to go for current and future projects.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Or you might want to replace the other with this one., July 15, 2005

By 

Purlwise (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine (Spiral-bound)

It's true that you can find the information from various sources but that's not a reason to exclude this one from your library.

It's a portable reference that covers most of the useful techniques needed in a normal project. When I need more in-depth info I pull out "Principles of Knitting", but it's way too big and heavy to fit in my knitting bag for a trip.

I've been looking for a portable reference that covers the more innovative ways to cast-on, bind-off, increases and etc. This book cover those techinques, which Vogue's & Interweave's portable reference don't even touch. I had the Vogue one for a while but gladly gave it away to a beginning knitter and replaced it with this one.

The durable spiral binding and size works well for me. This one will definitely last much longer than Vogue's which has a flimsy cover and is an odd size. I also appreciate the table of contents and index (which is missing from Vogue's).

I just have one suggestion. How about a loose-leaf edition?

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super little reference book!!! Pick this one up., November 24, 2006

By 

A. Niebruegge "Selune" (Troy, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine (Spiral-bound)

Ah, the search for the good knitting book. I've perused many, and this one passed. This is not a comprehensive reference guide for the super experienced knitter. This is more geared towards the beginner or intermediate knitter. I'm just starting out knitting, and when looking through the available books, there was either too many long-winded paragraphs about stuff I didn't yet want to delve into (for the experience knitter), pictures where you couldn't tell where the needle was placed, etc. I wanted something that would easily tell me what k2tog meant and how it was done. For instance, I get to a stitch I don't know, I want to look it up and be able to do it. This is a great book for that.

So, here are the plusses:
1. Durability - nice little hardback, spiral bound, with the spine extending over the spiral (the spiral is not exposed). Pages are thick and well printed.
2. Pictures:
a. graphical representations of stitches - here is where this excels. They use both light and dark gray in showing which portion of yarn you are working with. There are clear, red arrows that start at the same place your needle starts, and guide you over or under the yarn, around the yarn, etc, so that there is never a question of where the needle goes or where your yarn should be. Stitches are shown in a multiple step formula, which is very, very clear.
b. for many of the stitches, you are also shown a picture of the actual yarn sample, so that you can see the end result and will know if what you are doing is correct.
3. Tips - very, very handy quick tips in blue on the sides that help you, such as "If after several rows you discover that a stitch was purled instead of knit, work across the row to the stitch above it, pull the stitch off the needle, drop it down to the mistake, pick it up correctly (they give you instructions on how to pick up dropped stitches or "ladders"), place it back on the needle, and continue."
4. Comprehensive coverage of the BASICS and a little more. This is the first book I've found that actually shows you, both with actual pictures and drawings, how to carry colored yarn on the back of your knitting. Geeesh, you'd think all books would show that.
5. Arrangement of information - information is arranged in broad alphabetical categories (basics; bind-offs; buttons, buttonholes & zippers; cables; cast-ons; circular knitting; color; crochet; decreases; edges and borders; extras (embellishments, beads, tassels, weaving); grafts and seams; increases; lace; shaping; symbols and charts (including symbol glossary); and index. The beginning of each of these sections has a breakdown of what is included in that section, for instance, decreases is divided into K2tog, K3tog, P2tog, P3tog, S2KP2, sl 2-k1-p2sso....SSK, SSP, SSPP2, etc. Very easy to find the stitch you are looking for. And there are running chapter headings on the top of each page, so you know what section you are in and what sections surround the current one.
6. Each section and the last page is a lined Notes page, so you can add your own stitches or comments. Very cool.

Anyway, a lovely, handy little book. Take a look at the pictures I've posted above.

Happy knitting.