I’m going to be teaching a quick intro to knitting class
tomorrow evening. It’s only an hour and a half long, so we will only be
able to cover the very basics. My main goals are to help my students understand
the fundamental mechanics of knitting and then have a list of resources for
where to continue on from there.
One of the best resources you can have in learning how to
knit is a really good book. There are thousands of knitting books, and dozens
of really good ones. As I was preparing my handout for my class, I thought I’d
share some short reviews of my very favorite introduction to knitting books.
A great beginner’s course in knitting
Kids Knitting, by Melanie Falick
ISBN: 9781885183767
Used price: $3.50-$4.00, including shipping. This is so
worth the price that I just ordered a copy while writing this handout.
What’s good about
this book: I’ve used this book so
many times while teaching others to knit, either formally or informally. It has
such simple instructions, clear, colorful diagrams, and easy but interesting
projects that it’s one of the best all-around intro to knitting books I’ve ever
read. It has beautiful color photos too, full of happy kids wearing colorful
knitwear. Unlike the other three books listed here, this is designed as a
complete introductory course in knitting. This book really walks you
through all the steps of learning how to knit, including providing successively
harder projects to practice your new skills.
What this book
doesn’t have: Any advanced projects or techniques. Or any intermediate ones
either. This really is a beginner course aimed at kids, so while it does a
great job explaining knitting in simple terms, it is a book you’ll outgrow both
in skills and in style.
Upshot: This
book will hold your hand and walk you through all the basic skills of knitting.
The simple projects are perfect introductions to knitting. And once you’ve
mastered a
ll the skills and projects in it, you can use it to share your love
of knitting with others.
Two good all-around knitting reference books
ISBN: 9780762408054
Used price: Around $5.00, including shipping
What’s good about
this book: This slim volume is a
very attractive, concise introduction to knitting. Every page is filled with
glossy photographs beautifully illustrating the text. It covers all the
essentials of knitting, from tools to yarn to stitches and construction
methods. It also has a small “stitch dictionary,” which shows you how to
combine the basic knit, purl, increase and decrease stitches into 150 different
deceptively complex-looking fabrics.
What this book
doesn’t have: It isn’t going to have all you’ll ever want to know, but it
is a great place to start without getting flooded with unnecessary details. After
you move beyond the most basic projects, you will need to supplement the
information in this book with other resources to interpret more complicated
patterns. Online videos, such as the ones on Knittinghelp.com
will help if you’re looking for supplemental information.
Upshot: If you’re
only going to buy one book on knitting, this would be a good choice. It isn’t
comprehensive enough to satisfy a serious knitter for long, but it’s a good choice for
the casual hobbyist.
The Complete Photo Guide to Knitting, by Margaret
Hubert
ISBN: 9781589235243
Used price: Around $10.50, including shipping
What’s good about
this book: This large knitting reference book has a little bit of
everything. It illustrates essential knitting skills, it has a smattering of
projects, and it has a respectable, stitch dictionary with almost 200 different
patterns. What’s best about this book is the large glossy color photos. The
knitting pattern sample swatches are printed in actual size, so you get a great
feel for how the pattern should look when you knit it up. The stitch dictionary
also has several really neat stitch patterns I haven’t seen in other books.
What this book
doesn’t have: With the stitch dictionary in this book taking up almost 2/3
of the book, the “knitting basics” chapter gets a little squished. This book
will not answer all of your knitting questions, but it gets you started.
Upshot: Like The Encyclopedia of Knitting, this book
won’t satisfy the avid knitter for long. However, it’s great stitch dictionary
makes it a good pair for Montse Stanley’s Knitter’s
Handbook.
The book that WILL
answer all your questions about knitting
ISBN: 9780895774675
Used price: About $5.50,
including shipping.
What’s good about this book:
This is one of the great tomes on knitting. Any question you have about
a knitting technique will be covered in this heavy, 318 page book. This book
focuses on the “hows” of knitting, so it has all the information you need on
different construction methods, techniques, ways to finish your projects
professionally, and more. It is extremely handy to have while reading a pattern
or working on a project with new-to-you skills
What this book doesn’t have: This isn’t an organized course on
beginning knitting. It doesn’t have projects arranged in an increasing level of
difficulty. This doesn’t have to be a big downside, though, because I’ve always
wanted to pick out my own projects and just picked them after looking at the
difficulty and skills required and knowing what I was capable of doing. It also
does not have a stitch dictionary, like The Encyclopedia
of Knitting mentioned above. It also isn’t the most attractive book, with
simple three-color illustrations filling most of the pages, and dated color
plates featuring fashions from 1993.
Upshot: If I were to teach a multi-week class on knitting to
adults, this would be the required textbook. And if my students were to show a
great interest in continuing on to design their own projects, I’d recommend
they get a stand-alone stitch dictionary. But as a knitting reference book,
this one can’t be beat.
Thank you for the book recommendations! However, I have to finish my crochet projects before I attempt to learn how to knit. I wish I could be there for the knitting class. Have fun!
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