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181 of 186 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lily gives jewels to knitters, October 17, 2009
This review is from: Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks: Shortcuts and Techniques Every Knitter Should Know (Hardcover)
Knitters who have been around for a while know that Lily Chin is a prolific technical innovator and has a gift for expressing information exceptionally clearly. And so I am thrilled to see what I hope are the first of Lily's technique-sharing books (she has written Crochet Tips & Tricks as well).
I am a very advanced knitter; I write knitting books and teach unusual knitting techniques to hundreds of clever knitters every year, but I knew I would learn something new and valuable when I opened Lily's book. And I did. Not to give away Lily's secrets, but I want to make my point:
Page 74: A 6-inch square swatch will not behave like a 6-inch section of a garment, because the swatch weighs so little that gravity doesn't tug at it. But that same 6-inch section of a garment has the entire garment's weight pulling at it, lengthening and narrowing the gauge. What's a knitter to do? Lily has you weigh the 6-inch swatch, then use a scale (at the grocery if need be) to weigh out 3 times the swatch's weight in clothespins, brooches, or earrings. Attach these as weights to the bottom edge of the swatch, pin the swatch up by the top edge, and let it sit for a few hours. Then measure the gauge of the swatch, which now reveals how a 24-inch (sweater length) garment will really behave. Practical, ingenious, and life-saving.
page 115: I am very fond of spit-splicing, a roll-in-your-palm technique that can be used on any yarns that will felt, but what if you are using a yarn that doesn't felt? There are various methods (and Lily shares several in this section) but here's one I had never heard of nor had any idea could be done: needle-felting non-animal fibers as a splicing technique. I can't wait to try it.
This tidy fit-in-your-knitting-bag book will see you through most knitting situations, and would be a fine first reference book for new to intermediate knitters, although it has plenty of nifty technical tips for advanced knitters as well. In other words, this book will add to the education of just about any knitter.
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79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of things to make your knitting life more enjoyable, October 29, 2009
This review is from: Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks: Shortcuts and Techniques Every Knitter Should Know (Hardcover)
I had the pleasure of attending one of Lily's 2-day workshops a couple of years ago. I remember one of her tips for joining a new skein of yarn was one of those things that makes you slap your head saying "why didn't I think of that" -- yet it was well worth the price of admission (basically, when you are joining a new skein on a new row, tie the end of the new skein to the tail of the old skein and slide up so that the new skein has a nice tight "connection" to the fabric).
Lily writes that this book was basically intended to be her workshop consolidated into book form and it does not disappoint. There are so many gems in there that you will want to read it virtually cover to cover several times to "internalize" the tricks so you will have them in your head when you need them.
Lily writes in a fairly witty conversational and easy-to-read tone. She is a bit self-impressed ... but I guess that is to be expected and somewhat forgiven given her stature in the knitting world. However, if you can get past the occasional self-congratulatory pat on the back, you will find so much great information packed into this book.
There were a couple of things I would have changed:
1. The first 60 pages are basically a regurgitation of every other knitting reference in terms of enumerating types of needles (yes... we all know there are straight, circular, and double pointed needles and they come in metal, wood, and plastic varieties.
2. The binding is very "tight" and cheap. The size of the book is compact and intended to be tossed into your knitting bag as a reference. However, even with a book weight, you can't hold the book flat to keep it open while you might be attempting to master one of her tricks. I would rather they had a spiral binding like The Knitter's Companion: Expanded and Updated (The Companion series) (another great compact reference, by the way) or at least a paperback (so you could get it spiral bound yourself).
However, both of these detract little from the overall value of this book. Definitely a book you will learn something new from every time you go through it. I highly recommend it as a great addition to any knitting library.
[NCJAR]
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i wish I had this when I first started, I'm glad I have it now., December 4, 2009
This review is from: Lily Chin's Knitting Tips & Tricks: Shortcuts and Techniques Every Knitter Should Know (Hardcover)
I have a lot of knitting books, but I haven't finished a lot of projects because I am clueless about a lot of things. I had no idea you should reel out some extra yarn when you cast on in order to give you yardage to seam things! I was so delighted to be able to start a center pull skein without pulling out a big chunk using her hints. Totally worth the small expense for the book. I'd like to see more techique books by Lily.
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