Knitting Stitches: Over 300 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns

by Mary Webb

A comprehensive stitch-resource for knitters of all ages and levels of experience. Knitting is the new yoga. Schools hold "knit nights," while needle-clacking cowboys trade stitch secrets on Prairie Home Companion. In Boston, knitting superstar Stephanie Pearl-McPhee arrives to a frenzied crowd at a yarn store. Headlines like "Catherine Zeta-Jones Is Knitting Mad!" herald a newfound celebrity passion for the hobby. The latest statistics from the Craft Yarn Council of America show that 38 million knitters and crocheters participate in this relaxing pastime. Knitting Stitches is a small-format, portable guide to more than 300 stitch patterns. From the most basic to the more intricate, these traditional and contemporary patterns are demonstrated in clear, colorful illustrations with concise step-by-step instructions. With the stitches grouped by kind cable, bobble and the various others -- locating a specific stitch and determining its degree of difficulty is fast and easy. This is the perfect reference for discovering the pleasure of creating just the right pattern and texture for a knitting project. The book also This comprehensive and handsome guide will be welcomed in any serious knitter's knitting bag.

Genres: Nonfiction, Knitting

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have this handy dandy book here in my hands. Sadly it's just not for me. The book is organized well and has good photo's of the stitches - good light in the pictures and the yarn is light colored and shows good stitch definition. My problem with the book is that it has tiny charts - in color - with the key way up front.

So I found a stitch I wanted to make. (I was wanting to make a simple cowl with a lacey stitch pattern.) I read the simple chart. Then I flip to the front to try and decode the chart. Then I get out a slip of paper and start writing out the pattern - because I am not going to flip back and forth over and over until I can memorize the stitch. And since it's a small paperback - I would have to break the spine of the book to get it to lay flat so I could even read the chart. Ergh. I got irritated and went on-line and found a stitch I liked there - printed it out and went to town.

I think for people who love charts and can look at them and memorize them quickly this would be a much better fit. For me - not so much. I am placing this in my "get rid of" pile because I will not use it.