Customer Reviews

Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I work at a yarn store, and I take this book to work with me every day. There's rarely a day goes by that I don't have the chance to use it. Aside from the humorous anecdotes and essays (like the story of the lady in 'gauge denial' who makes a sweater that's more like a tent), the book contains extremely helpful tips for eyeballing measurements, making ballpark guesses as to how much yarn will be needed for a scarf, blanket, or shawl, making simple hats and socks, among other things.

Actually, let me say a couple of words about the author's "sock recipe". Before I read this book, many of the regulars where I work were urging me to start making socks so I could help them when they had trouble. I'd looked at sock patterns and felt very intimidated. But the way that the Yarn Harlot explains the process is so clear and so simple that it took away all of my fear. She helped me to visualize what I would be doing, and because of that, I now have a wonderful pair of finished socks! Everyone admires them and are stunned that they're my first pair, and that I made them without a pattern.

I would recommend this book to any knitter of any skill level. Even if you own no other knitting books, you should own this one.

Knitting does rule and this book rocks! What I love about Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is she allows me to combine my two favorite addictions, books and knitting. As a confirmed knitaholic and bookaholic, this book is exactly the kind of reading Im constantly looking for. I not only get to read about my favorite past-time and (this important for all you bloggers out there) I can put it on my bookshelf where I can pull it out and enjoy it again and again.

I've got nothing against blogs but there is nothing like a wonderful book, a book you read once, then go back and read again. "Knitting Rules" is full of great knitting tips, fun callouts and interesting facts. This is a book that will have turned down pages, comments in the margins and a rolled up cover. This is a book that will show how much it is loved.

I recommend "Knitting Rules" not only for your personal library but as a great gift for a person who is a new knitter or someone you are try to incite to the knit side. For those people who say knitting is too complicated,takes too long and is boring, they need to spend a little time the Yarn Harlot.

this book is a little more technical than Steph's first two, but a must-have for any fan of her humorous celebrations of the Knitterly Lifestyle. she includes invaluable size charts, tips, tricks, and "recipes" that make are incredibly handy and make for a well-rounded set of "tools" every knitter should know. she writes in a friendly, humorous, and accessable tone that i have come to love. the only reason i give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that, like i said, it's a bit more technical, and i prefered the personal stories and scenarios from the first books. however, if you're a Knitter-with-a-capital-K, you'll love this book!

i consider this book a splurge, or a great gift to get a knitting friend - especially a beginner. it answers some of the OTHER questions you may have about knitting that aren't technical, such as...

"how much yarn is TOO much yarn in your stash?"

(answer, thank goodness, is... really, you can NEVER have too much).

i am a long-term crocheter who has just entered the knitting world - as someone with an embarrassingly large stash of yarn and related books, reading this book definitely made me aware that i am not alone in my disease, and that, well, it's perfectly okay.

i also enjoy her irreverent approach to knitting (at times, tho when it comes to gauge, the chapter on how important is is, let's just say she drove that point home in her funny, funny way), especially being one who has always modified my patterns a bit and tend to find my own way to go about things (i crochet left-handed, for instance). this woman is hysterical! absolutely funny, i think i spent half an evening reading parts of it aloud and laughing with my mother as i fumbled my way through my first dishcloth while she breezed her way through yet another 4-DPN sock.

regardless - for anyone who isn't a beginning knitter, it's not a completely necessary item for your library (unless you've got the disease which makes almost any knitting book a necessary item in your library).

whether you've got the disease or not, not only will you love her running commentary on the knitting lifestyle, you'll love the cute style of the book itself, too - great layout, cute illustrations, and enough creative suggestions that you'll feel okay if you're not a by-the-book kind of person, either. just...

DO THE DARN SWATCHES, no matter what!

Wow!! I love it!!It has all of the usual fun of reading a Yarn Harlot book (she seriously ROCKS), as well as lots of practical advice too. Everything from how to tell what kind of fiber your yarn is made of, to three different ways to construct a scarf, also a veritable ode to sock construction....I could go on and on, but you get the idea. This is a great book!!!

Oh, I was so satisfied with my flat knitting and big needles. I had no interest in knitting socks or fine gauge items. But the Yarn Harlot beguiled me with her seductive descriptions of the joys of hand-knit socks, so I have rushed out and purchased miniscule needles and fine gauge yarn and struggled with the sorrows of starting my first sock six times before finally making a go of it. I hate to rip out, but she freed me to feel like I can. Now, I am hooked...not because I've got a sock done yet, mind you...but because it truly is satisfying to watch these fine pieces emerge from my needles. Now I am looking for opportunities to knit in the round (sweater bodies, sleeves...) because of the Yarn Harlot's siren call. This is a fun, breezy read, and will light a fire under your knitting self to break out into new types of projects and not to fear mistakes and to try new things. I liked this book a lot! It is practical and useful, and empowered me to believe I could do anything.

as so many reviewers mentioned this is very much a book about knitting culture, but does include lots of tips and insight - about gauge, standard sizing, using various tools, and blocking just to mention a few topics the author touches on.

unfortunately, even though there is a lot of useful information in the book, it's not organized in a way i find easy to use. reading this book is more like having a conversation with someone who LOVES to knit and will pour their hearts and very knowledgeable brains out for you without hesitation. so although there are a lot of helpful charts and some illustrations, sometimes the detailed information is within paragraphs where the author is relating one of her many anecdotes. again, a very good book, but it is a bit frustrating for a beginner like me who needs projects laid out in a different way. just a small word of warning amidst the many, many, praises this book rightfully receives

There's nothing I like better than truly helpful lists and hints unless it is those same lists and hints dished up with a generous sense of humor. Stephanie had me laughing and reading out loud to my daughter-in-law and constantly exclaiming: "look at this!" while we drove to the yarn store for more supplies. So if you want a handy dandy list of typical head sizes or typical foot lengths (the kind of valuable info provided) topped off with WHO wears WHAT hats and WHY, you will love this book. The basics are addressed here, along with some fine points and finer observations that will have you consulting this book again and again. And if you want to relax and really enjoy your knitting - or your stash or your knitting thoughts (guilt-free) - get this book just to read for fun. It works either way.

I liked how she takes the seriousness out of knitting and makes it sound fun, easy and addicting--which it is. The book is full of practical tips, things to watch out for and excuses for things that don't turn out the way we meant them. It is easy reading and one learns a lot about the mystical world of knitters, their secret stashes, their obsession with texture and colors and the effects of their addiction to this hobby on friends and family, in the meantime, learn three ways to knit a sock. It's great.

This is my favorite Yarn Harlot book yet. In Knitting Rules! we actually learn the Harlot's theory and techniques for knitting. The laughs are still here in abundence but you also learn something. This is the perfect addition to any knitters library. As a fairly new Knitter the Harlot understands and explains us better than anyone else out there. Buy this book for the humor but be prepared to learn a few tricks too.