Knitting Stitches: Over 300 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns [Hardcover]

Mary Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2006

A comprehensive stitch-resource for knitters of all ages and levels of experience.

Knitting is the new yoga. Schools hold "knit nights," while needle-clacking cowboys trade stitch secrets on Prairie Home Companion. In Boston, knitting superstar Stephanie Pearl-McPhee arrives to a frenzied crowd at a yarn store. Headlines like "Catherine Zeta-Jones Is Knitting Mad!" herald a newfound celebrity passion for the hobby. The latest statistics from the Craft Yarn Council of America show that 38 million knitters and crocheters participate in this relaxing pastime.

Knitting Stitches is a small-format, portable guide to more than 300 stitch patterns. From the most basic to the more intricate, these traditional and contemporary patterns are demonstrated in clear, colorful illustrations with concise step-by-step instructions. With the stitches grouped by kind cable, bobble and the various others -- locating a specific stitch and determining its degree of difficulty is fast and easy.

This is the perfect reference for discovering the pleasure of creating just the right pattern and texture for a knitting project. The book also includes:

• Instruction charts and how to use them
• A wide variety of yarns, each photographed
• Gallery of stitches
• Glossary of symbols and abbreviations
• Knit and purl stitches
• Cable stitches
• Lace and bobble stitches
• Twist and other stitches
• Working with more than one color.

This comprehensive and handsome guide will be welcomed in any serious knitter's knitting bag.

(20061201)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a great choice for visual knitters. (Cheryl Krementz Vogue Knitting Knit Simple )

About the Author

Mary Webb is a professional needlecraft and textiles designer. She studied embroidery, knitting and textile design at a London college, where she now teaches. Her designs have been published in a number of magazines in the UK, and she has written widely on a range of knitting and needlecraft topics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155407214X
• ISBN-13: 978-1554072149
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just a reprint . . . buy only if you can't find the original!, October 22, 2006

By 

M. Humphrey (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knitting Stitches: Over 300 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)

This book is simply a reprint of an earlier title "The New Knitting Stitch Library" (Lesley Stanfield). Even the photos are reprints from that book.

And don't get too excited about the claim of over 300 pages, either. The first HUNDRED (that's right, nearly 1/3 of the book) is basic knitting instruction. REALLY basic knitting instruction. If you are advanced enough a knitter to want/need a stitch pattern book, you already know this stuff.

Plus, the graphs reprinted in this book are smaller and harder to see than in Stanfield's original edition. Not a huge problem if you've got good eyesight, but those who wear glasses or have compromised vision will MUCH prefer the original edition.

Shame on you, Firefly, for reprinting a book and giving it a new title and "author". Intentionally deceptive.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars M. Humphrey is right!, October 26, 2006

By 

Obsessed Knitter (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knitting Stitches: Over 300 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)

I love stitch dictionaries. The description of this book by the publisher is very missleading. There is no mention that this is a reprint. I already own the original book. How disappointing. I will be giving this book to a friend or donating to my local library.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars REPRINT REPRINT REPRINT, January 26, 2008

By 

Unicornr "unicornr" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knitting Stitches: Over 300 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns (Hardcover)

Need I say more. Don't you hate when they try to push a book AS NEW material when it isn't. They want your money that's for sure.
See the earlier reviews and don't fall for the claim that this is new information. REPRINT REPRINT REPRINT
Do the publishers think knitters aren't intelligent enough to figure this out.
Copyrighting - I also think that should be a requirement on the Amazon selling page - whether or not the material has been previously published.
Too frequently, books are coming out under NEW titles only to be the exact book you already have on your bookshelf.
An example of this, two books selling "Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters" ISBN 1903975 84-0 and "All Stitched Up - The Complete Guide to Finishing Stitches for Hand Knitters" ISBN 0 7641 5552 0 by the same author Jane Crowfoot. Great information in those books, BUT it is the EXACT same book, same pictures, same text, only the title is different. \
This is what is happening here. So if you want this information from Knitting Stitches .... buy the cheaper book that is mentioned in earlier reviews, certainly not both.
Knitter's please help other knitter's with information like this to avoid spending money on duplicate books with different titles.