The Harmony Guides: Knit & Purl: 250 Stitches to Knit (Paperback)

by Erika Knight (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I like that the new guides are cataloged by stitches . . . the originals were full of a little bit of everything."  —knitty.com

"This is the ultimate reference library for those knitters who like to explore different textures and designs."  —Yarn

Product Description

Offering clear, concise knitting instructions, this series has served as a classic reference for handcrafters for more than thirty years.
 
Featuring more than 250 classic and contemporary stitch patterns, this updated guide includes instructions for knitters of all levels. From the basic knit and purl stitch to the seed stitch to a fanciful ladder pattern, each of the featured stitches is detailed with a color photograph and handy how-to instructions. Both new and classic yarn varieties are covered, and insider tips designed to facilitate personalization are featured throughout. For projects ranging from the simple to the ornate, this extensive catalog is brimming with stitch inspiration.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596680563
• ISBN-13: 978-1596680562
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,392 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but the Originals are still better., December 18, 2007

By	Mahlers2nd "Mommy of Many Interests" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I have the original Harmony guides and when I found they were going out of print, stocked up. I take the more narrow books to Kinkos and have them put a spiral binding so that they lay flat and are easier to use (spring for laminating the front and back cover to make them more durable as well).

When I saw that the new guides were out, I bought all three. However, I have to admit to being disappointed. They are very bland in colors -- some of the pictures don't look significantly better than straight black and white photos of Barbara Walker fame. While the size and format is more "portable", the photographs are not a significant upgrade from the original versions.

I think Harmony was trying to come out with an updated set of dictionaries to be more competitive to the Vogue guides. While on the surface, these may look more competitive, the Vogue guides are superior in terms of production value and selection of stitches.

You are better off looking for the original harmony guides which are significantly cheaper and investing in the Vogue guides if you want the pretty pictures.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Original Harmony Guides are better, May 15, 2008

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

While I like the organization of the new Harmony guides based on type of stitches, the original guides have a lot more examples.
In this guide all the slip stitch patterns have been eliminated along with color variations of many of the stitches. What a shame - as I found the variations and the slip stitches really inspire me when I am thinking about modifying an existing pattern or creating my own. Also no charts when there was plenty of room to make them. The only charts are the charts that are found in the original guides.

I love stitch dictionaries and have many in my library. When I looked at this I decided that the original harmony guides are a better deal and I recommend buying those guides used when asked.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, October 16, 2008

By	Needles - See all my reviews

Skip this stitch dictionary and get one or all of the Barbara Walker Treasuries.

While this book provides some interesting stitch patterns, it doesn't stack up to other stitch dictionaries. There seems to be no organization to the various stitches, and there's no index to the book. Though there is half a page in the introduction devoted to how to read the charts, and though some of the stitch patterns tell how to interpret special symbols in the charts, the book has no charts. The color pictures are clear, but they're often too close up to give readers a good idea of how the stitch patterns would look in a garment. All the stitch patterns are worked in the same yarn, which is an understandable editorial decision, but, I think, the wrong one. Lastly, there's no descriptive text.

I give it two stars only because there are some attractive stitches I haven't seen in other stitch dictionaries before, but this book isn't nearly as good as it could have been or ought to have been.