Customer Reviews

Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Glorious photography, extraordinarily helpful illustrations, beautiful designs accompanied by pattern instructions written with clarity and precision. And it doesn't hurt a bit that Wendy is warm and funny and as generous as they come. (If you're a fan of her blog WENDY KNITS none of this will come as a surprise.) These are new designs (none of them are replicated on her website or sold elsewhere) and they all bear the hallmark of a true master of her craft. I'm a cuff-down sock knitter but have already cast on for a pair of toe-ups a la Wendy. (The Trilobites, if you must know!) Yes, she's a friend of mine but believe me when I say friendship flies out the window when you cast on a pair of socks. Life's too short to knit a pattern you don't love and now that I have my copy of SOCKS FROM THE TOE UP in my hands, I'll be happily knitting Wendys for the foreseeable future. (BTW, Wendy obtained permission from Judy Becker to reproduce the Magic Cast-On.)

To sum up, this books works on all levels: great patterns, beautiful photography, clear instructions, a warm and engaging author, tutorials for the novice sock knitter, breathtaking patterns for the experienced. Definitely a keeper!

Knit socks? Want to? Wendy D. Johnson's book Socks from the Toe up has something for everyone from the beginning to experienced sock knitter. Starting with an extensive techniques section on parts of the sock and how to knit them from the toe up, there are 3 "vanilla" sock patterns. Following the plain socks are 20 patterns for socks from "Dead Simple Lace" to traditional Gansey patterns. None of these patterns are available in another source with the exception of the "free" pattern released in advance of the book.

The basic sock patterns are all knit in plain white yarn so you can see the techniques in detail, the photography in the book is beautiful and the line drawings are all clear. A new sock knitter could start at the beginning of the book and knit every sock using the techniques and the experienced sock knitter will find interesting and beautiful patterns while learning a little something new! The sock yarns used are all widely available, so you won't spend a lot of time trying to find the exact yarn in "that" colorway if you fall in love with the sock on the page!

I did a full blog review of this book prior to the release (http://fairieknits.com/blog/?p=300) - and have just started a second pair of socks from it! You can also visit Wendy on her blog - www.WendyKnits.net!

i love knitting toe up socks, and i'm a big fan of wendy's website and her patterns, so i was very excited to finally get this book!

the photography is beautiful and really illustrates the patterns well. plus, the book itself is high quality (the paper, the cover, etc.)

the patterns are all wonderful, and i want to knit almost all of them, but i think the best part of this book are the "vanilla" patterns because they explain in detail the different types of heels AND they have detailed pictures SHOWING the different types of heels.

i think this book would be good for anyone who loves knitting toe up socks or anyone who wants to TRY knitting toe up socks. there are some more difficult patterns of course, but there are definitely quite a few that beginning sock knitters could handle.

all in all, i am VERY pleased with this book and will happily recommend it to any of my sock knitting friends.

Wow! I'm simply blown away by this book. And to think I almost didn't buy it because I don't knit socks toe-up. I do NOW after seeing all the beautiful designs in this book. I will knit every single one many times over. The designs are multi-sized (YES!) and are made from readily available yarns. The instructions are clear and concise and photos and sketches are beautifully detailed. Usually, the most I will knit from a single book of patterns is two or three. Not so here. In addition to all this, Wendy's designs are all fresh and unique, not tired repeats of things we've all seen before. This was the best money I ever spent for a pattern book. This book belongs in the Top 10 list for must-have designs for knitters.

This is one of the most detailed and well written sock knitting books that have come out recently. The photography and illustrations are intricate and incredible. I love the fact that the basic socks were knit out of white yarn so that the reader could see, in detail, the design elements being discussed. A must have for any serious sock knitter!

Wow! This book is about as perfect as a knitting book in this category can be.

The introduction is a great resource for ways to knit socks from the toe up. The pictures and instructions are clear and easy to follow.

The sock pattern section wowed me. The socks are beautiful. There are the more basic socks for beginners and then there are lace socks, cable socks and even guernsey socks.

There are at least four pairs of socks that I can't wait to get started on.

The last section has abbreviations, definitions, resources and a chart with different gauges for sock knitting depending on the type of yarn you are knitting with. What more could a knitter ask for.

When I buy a knitting book I ask myself three questions.

Does the book contain patterns that I want to knit?

Are the patterns easy to follow?

Will the book be a good resource for me?

The answer to all three questions is a resounding 'yes'.

The book contains about twenty different sock patterns so there is something in it for everyone. The photographs and diagrams are clear and lovely and anyone who is a sock knitter would benefit by adding this book to their library.

I have never before taken the time to do a book review on Amazon before, but in this case, I have to make an exception. I interviewed Wendy for my podcast in April 2008, when she was first announcing the new book, and it's been a long year waiting for it to come out. I have to say that I was not disappointed, and it was well worth the wait.

As others have said, the book contains 20 patterns, none of which are available elsewhere except for the free preview pattern, Diagonal Lace Socks. There's something for everyone in the patterns from basic sock recipes to more challenging lace. Each of the patterns can easily be adapted to the knitter's preferred method - dpn's, 2 circular needles, or the Magic Loop technique. But more than the patterns, the first part of the book gives a wonderfully clear insight into sock construction so that no matter what your skill level, you can tackle not only these patterns but start designing your own.

Additionally, the book is quite lovely just to look at. The photography is flawless, and the details of the patterns pop and the yarns used are exceptionally drool-worthy. This book was obviously a labor of love from Wendy, and one I'll definitely be using over and over again. Now that I think about it, I'd better order an additional copy for myself so that I'll be able to keep one in pristine conditional while wearing the other one out!

I love Wendy, probably because she's just like me: a left-handed knitter in a right-handed world, loves to keep her hands busy, and has a fabulous sense of humor! I waited and waited for this pre-ordered book and it was surely worth the wait. Toe-up is so practical, so intelligent and here are all these lovely designs all together in one book, instead of Bookmarks and pieces of paper all over. I'm an advanced beginner in sock-knitting and have had several, or many, skeins of sock yarn waiting for the right book. This is the right book. If you've knit a scarf, you can knit socks. If you want to knit socks, you won't regret buying "Wendy Knits"!

I bought Wendy's book right away because I do like quite a few of the patterns and I wanted a toe-up book. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the illustration choice for the techniques section and some of the techniques aren't described very well, picot edge eyelets I'm looking at you. I have other books I will reference first when it comes to techniques. The section with heel & toe patterns is nice.

I agree with another review that it seems lazy to only have the design on the front of the sock. Some of these designs are so simple that the overall sock seems like a boring knit; stockinette is for vanilla socks and soles. I also think a lot of her socks are similar to both her previous designs and other designers patterns, there isn't a lot of truly unique stuff going on. Then again, I still really like some of the patterns.

I also ran into a problem with the yarn weight on the Serpentine socks but that is a problem entirely on it's own. Anyway- I am impressed that there are very few errata as compared to Cookia A's book which is riddled with mistakes- so kudo's to Wendy for that. And if I were to get nit-picky I might mention the symbols for ssk & k2tog could be a little more exaggerated.

Overall 4/5 stars.

Wendy is one of the most talented designers of toe-up socks and this book not only has GREAT patterns but also a very detailed and fabulous section on techniques that a new toe-up sock maker like myself will need. I have already bought/printed out almost all of her other patterns but have yet to make one only because of the lack of knowledge on how to do certain techniques. Now, I won't have to be worried about starting and finishing toe-up socks anymore. Thank you, Wendy, for a wonderful and instructive book that I am sure you worked very hard on for us all.