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Overall I find this book a great resource for those who might want to learn new stitches/expand their knitting repertoire. The book starts out with the knitting basics and then moves you into Knit and Purl patterns, Crossed Stitches and Cable patterns, Slipped Stitch patterns, Lace Stitch patterns, Double Stitch patterns, Twisted Stitch patterns, Cast Off Stitch patterns and Fancy Stitch patterns (in that order). It's 256 pages of a wealth of stitch pattern information. The lack of fluff filler information in this book is definitely a huge plus in my eyes. I wasn't looking for a book of techniques, I was looking for a stitch dictionary. Many books out there will say that they're full of stitch patterns, and patterns for this and that, but then they'll fill up to half of the book with filler (or fluff as I call it) information. This book definitely fits the stitch dictionary bill very well. At first I found this book a bit difficult to read; but, once I figured out the lay of the land, so to speak, it became much easier to peruse, and read. The issue with the difficulty reading I came across was simply because I don't write my knitting patterns the way the authors did for this book. I say authors, plural, because I sense some differences in places as to how some of the stitch patterns were written out. The stitch patterns mostly come with graph charts as well for those who read charts easier than they do reading patterns. Symbols and definitions are found in the back of the book as well. This portion is listed in order of Key Symbols from 1 stitch repeats to 12 stitch repeats. For me, I don't really get into the charts much unless it's a simple knit and purl pattern for our patterns here in the shops. That's just my own design/pattern writing preference since I feel it's easier for readers to follow our patterns without them the majority of the time. I write out the patterns in as simple to understand terms as possible as it is. As I mentioned earlier, the book is written so that you are moved up in difficulty through the different types of stitch patterns. This allows the reader to move through the patterns, learning new things, at their own pace. It also allows them to skip forward if they wish to a more difficult pattern and move out of their comfort zone. I like this feature very much because it allows you to move around how you wish if you will. Overall I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating. I am deducting 1 star due to the fact that the book actually does not include the commonly used Slingshot/Long Tail Cast On method for Casting On stitches. I feel that should have been a must for inclusion. The style of pattern writing I feel could have been a little clearer. Rather than listing the rows in order as in "Row 2: Repeat Row 1" etc, they will let you know up front for Rows 2, 5, 8 etc Repeat Row 1 (for example). Going on and then listing the rows out of order. This book neither includes any Bind Off stitches or methods of Casting On stitches mid pattern either. All in all I am happy with the book and it has been a good read (once I got the hang of understanding the authors' pattern writing style). From a designers point of view (I run my own design label) I do feel this is a very worthwhile book to keep as a great reference tool in my personal library.Read full review
Great resource for knitters who want to create their own patterns or to jazz up an old favorite with a new twist. I like the way the book is laid out---if you want cable stitches, lacy stitches, etc. ; each type is grouped together for convenient comparison. I used to get this book from the library, but I bought my own copy to assure it would be available to me whenever I need it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great book: very good printing quality, beautiful photos, wide range of patterns, from easy to hard - guernseys, lace, cables and many others. Contains both text description and chart for each pattern - it's very comnvinient.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Book is beautiful. So many great stitches. Some I know by heart and many I've seen fir years. There are so many new ones. Each stitch is accompanied by a very clear and good size photo. Also instruction are written (which I love to use) and represented in chart form which I just can't figure. If u knit u will be delighted with this book. I'm sure.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
…that I haven’t seen before in my 5-6 other knitting dictionaries. That’s a win!!! Plus book is well-made & sturdy for rough usage in knitting WIP bags, & the photography is nice. Instructions are concise while appearing (because I haven’t actually started any projects with them) well-written. I like paging through it & admiring stuff I will NEVER do & bookmarking the ones I hope I will.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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