The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask

by Margaret Radcliffe

Every avid knitter has faced this deep into a project at midnight, just trying to finish one more row, and, then . . . oh no, a dropped stitch three rows back! Help! If only there was a 24-hour hotline to answer every question a knitter might encounter. Well, now there is, with The Knitting Answer Book . The expert authors, Margaret Radcliffe and Edie Eckman, leave no question unanswered, no quandry unaddressed. Each book contains detailed, illustrated answers to literally hundreds of questions, from the common to the more

• Are certain needles better for certain yarns?
• What if I dropped a stitch several rows back?
• Why do my edges tend to curl up?
• Can you use a different weight yarn than the pattern calls for?
• What can I do to keep my yarns from tangling up?
• Oops, I see my ribbing is way too tight. Now what?

Covering the whole range of situations a beginner is likely to face, along with the problems that may arise for those working more advanced patterns, this Answer Book will help knitters and crocheters of all levels. Each book is packaged in a small, take-along trim size, in a friendly-to-use Q&A format, and belongs in the bag of every knitter. Available 24/7, The Knitting Answer Book is always open, ready for yarn lovers to browse and consult to their heart’s content.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Reference, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Art, How To

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best knitting help book out there. In my opinion. But it should be your opinion, too! I worked in a local knitting store for 2 years and I sold more copies of this book than any other pattern book or magazine. I put it in the hands of every beginning knitter, especially since I taught the class, and everyone loves it. Its small and handy, and easy to read. Finding the solution to just about any knitting problem is just a book away. Unless that problem is that your dog ate your unfinished sock. Still, its a pretty good resource for everything else!

[Sweetp-1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a free copy of this book via netgalley.

I am a knitting professional and found this book to be helpful, with clear instructions and diagrams and that it covered a wide range of material catering to a range of skill levels. Lots of questions beginners ask but also some things that you only struggle with once you have been knitting awhile. I had a pretty advanced question which was answered by this book. Would definitely recommend and may look to get a hard copy for my library.

[Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really cuts to the chase, avoiding all of the unworthily confusing knitting jargon and ridiculously unnecessary acronyms that have been invented by people with way too much time on their hands. In Q & A format, it answers questions like "I just picked up my knitting after not touching it for a year and am trying to determine where the hell I was. How do I figure it out without shooting myself in the eye?" with answers such as "Just make sure you're holding it so that the yarn is on the left needle." instead of "KTOG PTOG YO blah blah", which is what most other books would advise.

My mom has purchased a copy of this book for everyone she knows who's ever touched a piece of yarn this side o' the Mississipp'. She swears by it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can see this as being a handy little resource for a knitter's library. It is very thorough, covering every topic I can think of, 🤔 from cast-ons/bind-offs, stitches/patterns, colorwork techniques, to finishings/embellishments, and more. I feel this would be especially useful for a beginning knitter. Though I have been knitting garments for 2 years, I still found a handful of helpful tips within these pages to increase my knitting skills. Some techniques that I have been hesitant to try seem much more approachable now. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to most any level of a knitter.

[skein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite knitting prodigious amounts for a dozen years, I've never yet bought a knitting book. That habit may now be altered. There are dozens of 'help for your knitting!!1' books out there, but none of them as good as this. It's clear, well-illustrated, explanatory, and - holy crap! - comprehensive. This isn't a book that tells you 'knitting through the back loops is wrong wrong wrong', but 'knitting through the back loops (tbl) leads to a twisted stitch, which may or may not be what you want. If you are ribbing, it will come out as twisted rib. If you knit tbl and purl tbl, your stitches will be extremely tight*." Et cetera.
SO USEFUL.

My only qualm is in the organization - it's laid out as a story, rather than an encyclopedia. The cast-ons are in the same general area, but there are pages of explanation in between, say, the loop cast-on and the long-tail cast-on. So finding what you need could be tricky. (Why not use divide clearly with headings? "Cast On: very firm/firm/ribbed/stretchy/very stretchy" ...)

On the other hand, gathering information in that informal way lets the author ramble a bit, & in the long term (or for the obsessive knitter who reads this cover to cover, hmmm, fortunately I don't know anyone like that), most things knitting link up in a dozen ways, and a rambling encyclopedic knowledge of knitting isn't going to hurt anyone.


*please don't rely on me for accurate information about knitting. This book is far better than me.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I need to mention that I got a preview of this book free in return for my opinion.

Secondly, I do knit, but I am horrible; loose, then tight, knots all over the place. Whenever I try to read a pattern, I spend half of my time looking up the abbreviations, then the terms, then I still have to figure out what I am supposed to do with my hands to accomplish what is on the page. This book was a total help. Everything is written in clear cut, no nonsense English. It is easy to understand. She starts at the basics, makes sure everything is explained and THEN brings in the jargon and abbreviations. Also, I really enjoy the question and answers so that you can quickly get to what went wrong and find a solution. As others have mentioned, there is also a huge reference section in case you wanted something in more detail. I also like how she continuously points out that there is more than one "right" way to knit and to figure out what works for you.

Like I said, I am not a beginner, nor would I consider myself particularly talented, but I found this book a great help. I think anyone could consider it a useful reference to help out with any sort of a knitting issue.

[Jules The Book Junkie Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knit, but I am not very good. When I try to read a pattern, I spend a lot of time looking up the abbreviations and the terms. The Knitting Answer Book is very helpful for newbies or hacks like me. Everything is written clearly and concisely. It is easy to understand.

Ms. Radcliffe thoroughly explains the basics before moving on to jargon and abbreviations. I found the question and answers section exceptionally helpful. the pictures of the problems and fixes make one's mistake obvious. I love that Ms. Radcliffe covers how to pick up dropped stitches, even several rows away from where the stitch was originally dropped. There is also an in-depth reference section for knitters looking for more detail.

The Knitting Answer Book a must for any beginner knitter, and experienced knitters might even learn something new. It teaches you everything you need to know--from terms to dropped or twisted stitches. accessible location.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 This was surprisingly soothing to read during the pandemic. So concrete and seemingly so helpful. It contained a bunch of things that I had not read elsewhere (internetish) that would seem to get me out of challenges. My only challenge with the book is how am I going to remember that there is an answer for that when I'm not sure I really have a problem. But that's just me.

[Dawn aka wolfinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to have in your knitting bag!

[Erika Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Helpful book.

[maureen kenefick · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good knitting book. it is not all inclusive. I find more topics on YouTube and the internet in general.

[Dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by people in a knitting group. Not right for me. The illustrations don’t seem that clear.

[giselle ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked this out at the library and it is sooooo helpful. Answered all of my dumb questions, provided great advice. Planning to get a copy for home!

[Rebecca Thomason · Rating 5 out of 5]

has a ton of info. I am definitely keeping this for a reference as I learn.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

borrowed from library; will purchase

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Knitting Answer Book covers everything you need to know about knitting, from choosing your yarn, to the different stitches, to knitting a gauge swatch, to considerations about fit, and to the final cast off and finishing touches.

I cannot think of a single question that isn't answered in this book. Either directly or by references to other resources - most of these easily found online.

The Knitting Answer Book is a reference book, and as such not a book to sit down and read from beginning to end - novice knitters would probably find it overwhelming, and experienced knitters would know most of it already. But it is a brilliant book to have around to look up answers as you need them. What's the best cast on for this project? How can I substitute one yarn for another? I don't like the pattern's instructions for increasing and decreasing, what can I do instead?

Even experienced knitters are likely to learn something new from skimming through this book. I know I did.

I'd consider this book a must for any beginner knitter. It'll teach you everything you need to know, and help you get over the first hurdle of learning knitting terms by keeping them all together in one easily accessible location.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a how to book, not something to read.

[2kasmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking into this book for circular knitting and embellishments. The basics are all here too. Casting off, patterns, and much more.

Let us start at the beginning. The book goes very thoroughly over the steps involved with knitting. Starting with casting on and some very well made pictures on how to do it. There are whole sections of questions and answers. I liked the clear layout and good instructions that even a beginner can follow.

I like this book for beginners, there is a great section on The Basics. This book gives good encouragement, finding your own style, tools, yarn types and sizes, solving problems, fixing mistakes, etc. It is a really good reference book to have on the knitter shelf. If you love to knit - this is it!



***This ARC copy is free from Netgalley.com for review purposes.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent update of Margaret Radcliffe's classic "The Knitting Answer Book." It is a very useful knitting reference book - knitters at all levels will find this book exceedingly helpful.

This is the go to book to learn how to fix a knitting mistake, whether it's sleeves too short, dropped stitches or an uneven gauge. This book is an essential part of any serious knitter's reference collection.

Ms. Radcliffe has an extensive listing of all the basics of knitting and what can go wrong. The resource section is quite good, and if the reader wants to learn more about a particular topic, Ms. Radcliffe lists a number of excellent resources.

I really enjoyed reading this book and even learned a couple of new tricks (after forty-eight years of knitting)!

[Cas H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The knitting answer book by Margaret Radcliffe is a pretty inclusive book of many of the most commonly asked questions for knitters. Whether you are just beginning, or are advanced, you will be able to find the answers to most of your questions. I love that she covers how to pick up dropped stitches, even rows away from where the stitch was originally dropped. Also there are pictures which can help you determine if you are knitting, or pearling the right way.
This is a great book for beginners. It is written in question and answer method, so you can go directly to your question and figure out what went wrong, or how you should proceed.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

For better or worse, I am one of those knitters that picked up the craft because something looked cool and have just been winging it since I started. Unfortunately I don't have any resources (stores or knitters) close to me so I tend to start and stop a lot. My work in progress pile is quite large.

This book is chock full of information and has answered a lot of questions; all of which should mean I can finish my various projects. I found the illustrations to be very helpful and the instructions clear. While I am definitely a knitting novice, I would recommend this as a great reference to folks of all levels; those who are learning from the ground up to those who just need a quick refresher.

I received this as an ARC to review from NetGalley.

[Conny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to have gotten this book for free from Net Galley in exchange for a review, and what an awesome book indeed. If you have ever knitted anything you know how easy it is to run into trouble and there never seems anybody around that can help. Pretty much any question or problem you have will be answered in this book, weather its a refresher on the abbreviation, or how to read a pattern, different stitches, yarn, heck there is stuff in this book I did not even know I needed to know in order to make my next project even better. This would make a great present to anybody who loves to knit. I know I will be using this book for many years to come.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primarily a reference book. Nice pool size for the actual print but even better on my kindle apps. Sometimes I find the organization of things odd but the table of contents and index generally help me always find what I need. Definitely covers all the basic and bit more. Pretty much what I expected for this price point. But still a worthy and used reference for anyone on the new to intermediate side of knitting. Have gotten my worth out of it. One downside is that they don’t use real pictures but drawing images- decently done and still able to follow but at times at real picture is so much better.

[Callina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self-taught knitter, this book is really going to come in handy as I try and decipher knitting patterns and troubleshoot when I run into problems--it's small so it's easy to grab from my knitting bag when I need to look something up, and the Q & A format is pretty helpful, although the book does presume that the reader has a certain level of knitting ability--this is not a "How To Knit" book, rather, a "How To Help You With Your Knitting" book. Definitely worth having around as a newbie.

[Cheryl Terrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't really a book to read cover to cover, but I've gone through several sections, trying to improve my skills, figure out a few things that I haven't been able to clarify online, etc. I've found that the instructions are clear, the images extremely helpful and the depth perfect for a beginner. I'm not sure how I'd feel if I were an advanced knitter, but for someone who gets bored with intro level skills very quickly or for someone who is teaching themselves to knit, I think it's great.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a question-and-answer style encyclopedia for knitters, answering questions from "What's the easiest cast on?" to "What is duplicate stitch and how do I do it?", with many answers in between. Complete with drawings (of hand movements for different stitches, etc.) and charts.

I like the question and answer format.

I've had one question already answered - why you might want to have Sl1, K2tg, PSSO in your pattern rather than K3tg (my least favorite stitch ever).

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm currently teaching myself to knit, and all the beginner's manuals that I've looked at have confounded me at one point or another. This book -- grabbed from the shelf at my local library -- stepped in to save the day. It really covers everything I need to know, and I was able to solve several problems right off the bat with this information. I'll likely be purchasing this one to keep as a resource for when I have questions.

[Fernleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super resource for any beginning or intermediate knitter, and possibly handy as a reference for a more advanced knitter. Small size makes it easy to toss in your knitting bag or basket and I've already referenced it many more times than I anticipated when I first bought it. It is broken down into logical sections like: basics, yarn, finishing, shaping and the like and also includes the major subheadings for each section in the table of contents.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit worried when I started this that it'd be one of those There Is One True Way to Knit sort of books, but it's not -- the author gives lots of options so you can pick what works best for you. I'm a fairly experienced knitter, and the majority of the book was things I already knew, but I did pick up a few tips I hadn't seen before. I'm not sure the question and answer format is the best for finding information if you're looking for a help on a specific issue, though.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of what the book covers is pretty basic, but this is a great little book to throw in your knitting bag for situations you might not have come across or for beginners and experienced knitters alike, to refresh how to so certain things. I checked this out from my local library but plan to get my own copy to keep in my knitting bag