Knitting for Dummies (Paperback)

by Pam Allen (Author), Trisha Malcolm (Author), Rich Tennant (Author), Cheryl Fall (Author) "Knitting is a relatively simple process requiring a minimal set of tools-two needles and a ball of yarn..." (more)
Key Phrases: knitting notebook, instep stitches, cardigan bands, Repeat Rows, Fair Isle, Barbara Walker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Knitting is a relatively simple process requiring a minimal set of tools – two needles and a ball of yarn. Its basic structure of interlocking loops couldn't be less complicated. Yet the possibilities for design and pattern innovation seem endless. Now is a great time to learn to knit. Never before have you had so many lovely and imaginative yarns from which to choose and so many stylish and sophisticated patterns to work with.

Sure, grandmothers knit, but so do movie stars, football players, doctors, and lawyers. They know what our grandmothers do: Knitting does more than just provide you with warm and cozy things to wear. Knitting also

Stirs your creativity

Gives you an ongoing sense of purpose

Teaches patience

Soothes the soul from the stresses of everyday life

Practice and perfect your knitting skills with Knitting For Dummies. This friendly, hands-on guide will lead you through the following topics and more:

Mastering the four elemental moves of knitting

Deciphering knitting patterns

Fixing common knitting mistakes

Getting started with simple projects

Expanding your horizons with stripes and details

Relaxing stiff shoulders and fingers

Every chapter explaining a specific knitting technique includes a Knitting Notebook of sample patterns to show you some of the different ways it can be used and a section of Practice Projects that gives step-by-step instructions for simple and attractive knitted accessories nearly al of which are features on the pages of the color insert. Most projects end with a list of project variations – ways to expand on your understanding of how to craft and design projects on your own.

From the Back Cover
"An excellent book for new knitters and those who want to know more" — Debbie Bliss, knitwear designer and author "If you think knitting is complicated, this book simplifies all.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; illustrated edition edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076455395X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553950
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,769 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

178 of 182 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for beginners but great reference book intermediates, April 25, 2002

By	Gwen Kramer "gwenhwyvar" (Tehachapi, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I skipped buying this book several times since I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter and I felt that I did not need another learn to knit book. My book shelf is already full of them since I am a book-taught knitter. It wasn't until I thumbed through it in a book store that I realized what a useful book this is.

There is little chitchat, the instructions are clear and to the point. It gives little details that I wish I had known when i began knitting. (Such as what knitting through the back means and how to keep from creating unwanted stitches in ribbing, two things that caught me up) There is a great variety of projects. The book is divided into sections, basic knitting, cables, lace, color and so one. Each section has at least two beginner projects. Bags, hats and scarves. While the bags and scarves were very nice, I found the hats a bit too wild for my taste. But since there are so many projects to choose from, this really is not a problem.

And, once the new knitter's confidence is up, there are three sweater patterns to try out as well as socks and from-the-top-down hat.

As I said before, this book covers almsot anything a knitter will need to know to get up past intermediate including short rows and intarsia. There is no coverage for such newer techniques and entrelac and intarsia-in-the-round (some say THAT is impossible but others swear by it) but as a rule, such techniques are not used much in the first year of knitting. Also, this book certainly has the younger knitter in mind with its patterns. Just something to keep in mind.

This book is a very complete knitting reference with clear instructions and good illustrations. However, when learning this or any craft from a book, I suggest buying more than one book on the subject so you can compare intructions, get a second opinion, etc. This book is a great place to start you on the road to knitting. Have fun!

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, so much positive to say!, July 30, 2004

By	digikat "digikat" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make - it is indeed possible to learn knitting from a book, and this one is a spectacular teacher. I shopped around for a book to learn knitting for a long time, and this one proved to be the winner. Here's why:

1. Meticulous instructions and great diagrams. Surprisingly, it's not the instructional books with the glossy pages and photographs that are the best for learning knitting. This book is mainly black-and-white and has drawings rather than photos. Nonetheless, Knitting for Dummies has the best instructions on what to do with your needles and yarn in an easy-to-follow format.

2. The information is not overwhelming. Many beginner knitting books start out by explaining everything about knitting - all the different tools, yarns, etc. How overwhelming! Knitting for Dummies teaches you to do some basic knitting first, and only later (in Chapter 4), when you're more familiar with knitting, you get to see all the variety of techniques and tools. Literally, on the third page of the book you learn to cast on! Tell me of another book that does that.

3. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Many books out there teach the basics by encouraging you to do a project, and suggest you buy expensive yarn and needles to learn. That's ridiculous, don't you think?!? If you can hardly make two stitches the same size, why would you invest dozens of dollars in a fancy yarn to make a crooked scarf? In Knitting for Dummies, you get to practice your skills and learn knitting at the same time by knitting samples of different patterns. That's right, cheap samples with whatever cheap yarn you want. Sure, there are projects to try as well, but doing them isn't the only route to learning knitting skills.

4. Knitting for Dummies is comprehensive. This book covers everything from basic knitting and purling to knitting with color, finishing items, picking up stitches for collars and pockets, cable knitting, etc. It is also full of helpful tips for even a more experienced knitter, such as nifty ways to make edges of knitting neat and avoiding super-big holes in lace patterns. The beginning of the book has a glossary of techniques and a list of abbreviations, which is very handy.

Are there any negatives? Well, I did find two typos, but they were pretty obvious. I'm not crazy about the projects (scarves, couch cushions, simple bags, hats, sweaters, and socks) but fortunately you don't have to do the projects to learn (unlike most of the other beginner knitting books out there). Knitting for Dummies isn't as pretty as some of the other books, but trust me, pretty gets frustrating very quick if the instructions aren't clear. It doesn't have a spine that allows it to lie flat, but once again, if it lays flat but is full on nonsense, you don't want it anyway.

Overall, I taught myself to knit from the book in about one month, following it from the first page to the last (except skipping all the projects). I'm glad that it covered both ways of holding needles (English and Continental styles) because the Continental style felt much more natural to me but isn't that popular in the States. I don't know how this book would work for a left-handed knitter. Knitting for Dummies is not fancy, but it works!

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pam Allen is my Hero!, May 28, 2002

By A Customer

If you've always wanted to learn how to knit or have taken a night course and want to learn more/better techniques (like me), you have got to buy this book. I first read about Pam in Melanie Falick's Book Knitting in America, and have come to be a great fan. She breaks down knitting from the types of yarn to the first cast on stitch to elaborate techniques in a simple, non-threatening way. She also shows how to correct mistakes (a given for the beginner!) and explains circular knitting and its applications in simple terms. It is by far the best knitting resource I have come across. I've tried Elizabeth Zimmerman (too advanced and too smug in tone) and Marie Rigghetti (too by-the-book) as well as others and have learned more from this book than any other. For anyone who has ever shed a tear over a dropped stitch or said, "I wish I could make that", this is the book for you! I can't recommend this book enough.