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214 of 220 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ideal for beginners but great reference book intermediates, April 25, 2002
This review is from: Knitting for Dummies (Paperback)
I skipped buying this book several times since I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter and I felt that I did not need another learn to knit book. My book shelf is already full of them since I am a book-taught knitter. It wasn't until I thumbed through it in a book store that I realized what a useful book this is. There is little chitchat, the instructions are clear and to the point. It gives little details that I wish I had known when i began knitting. (Such as what knitting through the back means and how to keep from creating unwanted stitches in ribbing, two things that caught me up) There is a great variety of projects. The book is divided into sections, basic knitting, cables, lace, color and so one. Each section has at least two beginner projects. Bags, hats and scarves. While the bags and scarves were very nice, I found the hats a bit too wild for my taste. But since there are so many projects to choose from, this really is not a problem. And, once the new knitter's confidence is up, there are three sweater patterns to try out as well as socks and from-the-top-down hat. As I said before, this book covers almsot anything a knitter will need to know to get up past intermediate including short rows and intarsia. There is no coverage for such newer techniques and entrelac and intarsia-in-the-round (some say THAT is impossible but others swear by it) but as a rule, such techniques are not used much in the first year of knitting. Also, this book certainly has the younger knitter in mind with its patterns. Just something to keep in mind. This book is a very complete knitting reference with clear instructions and good illustrations. However, when learning this or any craft from a book, I suggest buying more than one book on the subject so you can compare intructions, get a second opinion, etc. This book is a great place to start you on the road to knitting. Have fun!
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76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pam Allen is my Hero!, May 28, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Knitting for Dummies (Paperback)
If you've always wanted to learn how to knit or have taken a night course and want to learn more/better techniques (like me), you have got to buy this book. I first read about Pam in Melanie Falick's Book Knitting in America, and have come to be a great fan. She breaks down knitting from the types of yarn to the first cast on stitch to elaborate techniques in a simple, non-threatening way. She also shows how to correct mistakes (a given for the beginner!) and explains circular knitting and its applications in simple terms. It is by far the best knitting resource I have come across. I've tried Elizabeth Zimmerman (too advanced and too smug in tone) and Marie Rigghetti (too by-the-book) as well as others and have learned more from this book than any other. For anyone who has ever shed a tear over a dropped stitch or said, "I wish I could make that", this is the book for you! I can't recommend this book enough.
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233 of 264 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Apparently, this one is too smart for this "dummy", March 15, 2003
This review is from: Knitting for Dummies (Paperback)
There are a lot of glowing reviews for this book. That's why I bought it to begin with. I am an experienced crafter and have successfully designed latch hook rugs for others, as well as done weaving, latch hook and other needle arts. I also have a college education and I actually read for a living, so reading comprehension is not a problem for me. I had never knitted and wanted to learn -- ironically enough, to relax -- so I thought that buying this book would be a great way to get started. I have learned other crafts through books, and I didn't think this one would be any different. Boy, was I wrong! After two frustrating days with "Knitting for Dummies," I am still on page 15, and I am about ready to throw it into the trashcan. You would think that a book devoted soley to teaching people how to knit would have more than three -- THREE -- poorly drawn illustrations on the knit stitch. But it doesn't. You would think that to show people how to cast on, that the author would start with the easiest method first, with plenty of clear drawings. But she doesn't. You would also think that the needle wouldn't magically jump from one hand to the other in the illustrations of casting on, even though the written instructions with them say something totally different. But I think you know by now that unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. (Check page 13, those of you who own it.) If you are a person who needs visual aids to learn something new, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy this book. Find a video. Find a real live knitter. Call your local craft store and see if they can hook you up with someone who actually knows what they are doing for heaven's sake. Ms. Allen, I'm sure, knows how to knit. But she sure doesn't know how to write a book that can teach this "dummy" how to.
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