More Knitting References
Saturday November 7, 2009
I hate to get sucked into the idea that now that it's past Halloween we need to start thinking about the winter holidays, but the fact remains that a knitting reference book or two makes a great holiday gift. This week we've looked at a couple of new books that would be a good choice for any knitter on your list, but I didn't want to overlook some older books that you might want to add to your wish list:
- Barbara Walker's Treasuries of Knitting Patterns are great guides to tons of knitting stitches perfect for a budding knitwear designer.
- Knitspeak is a great little dictionary of knitting terms and instruction that will help you decipher any knitting pattern.
- Knitting in Plain English is a classic that includes in-depth explanations of just about any knitting technique you can think of.
- The Knitters Book of Yarn is an amazing book looking at the wide world of yarn and patterns that are perfect for working with different types of fiber.
- Knit Fix is a great guide to fixing all manner of knitting mistakes; it's ideal for keeping in your knitting bag should you need to know how to fix a problem no matter where you are.
Comments
I highly recommend “Knitting in Plain English”. There aren’t a lot of patterns in it but the instructions and explanations are written in clear language and are not dependent on pictures or charts to illustrate the concepts. This makes it an ideal first instruction book particularly for someone who is blind like me. After going through the book, I felt more confident and I did my first good old garter stitch scarf and graduated to an afghan that I was knitting for a boyfriend who dumped me. Too bad for him. (smile) But I had that fancy ripple afghan done so I entered it in the county fair. The independent judges (from another county) didn’t know me or that I was blind so I knew when my afghan won a prize that it had won on its own merit. I then joined a chapter of the Linus Project so I could make smaller baby blankets in different kinds of patterns. I also got a knitting kit called “I Taught Myself Knitting” by Boye. It had a book, which I got put into Braille called (you guessed it) “I taught Myself Knitting”. There were more patterns in it but mainly it’s an instruction book with 16 clearly laid out lessons and again, while I’m sure the pictures are nice, I could go through the lessons without needing to see pictures.
I can’t say enough about these books and one other, the second edition of Barbara Walker’s “Learn to Knit Afghan Book”. That book begins with clear instruction of the basics of methods of casting on, knitting, purling, binding off etc. and of course, there is information on how to finish a piece. I never did go through all 64 squares. I thought about it. But I don’t like sewing much and the idea of sewing all of those squares together to make an afghan was a little too much for me at the time. I generally make my afghans in one piece though I admit to occasionally using panels though again, you have to sew pretty well and straight and all that. I’m going to try my next project to require sewing and I’ll try my hand at the mattress stitch, one we were never taught in school. We went from running stitches to overcast, to hemming, sewing on buttons and such, then into sewing machine sewing where I made a dreadfully ugly apron and an even worse, a badly fitting and probably ugly skirt. After two years of suffering through sewing, we weren’t required to take it anymore. I took knitting. But I failed it! Everybody in my class did except one girl who had partial vision. She aced it.
I got discouraged about knitting and turned my interests in crafts to weaving, rug hooking and finally back to knitting on a “knitting rake”, a round device with pegs in it that sort of served the purpose of knitting needles or, perhaps more accurately, was closer to spool knitting. It wasn’t till my senior year in high school that I met a friend who ended up volunteering for my school by reading material to me when I was working on my senior essay (term paper). She wasn’t really supposed to play favorites but she’d invite me home sometimes or take me on an outing. One time at her house we were sitting and talking and I heard the almost ever present sound of clicking knitting needles. She challenged me that I could learn to knit and purl and do a simple project in one afternoon. I reminded her that I had disgraced myself by besmirching my record with my only F and it was in knitting. But she wanted a challenge too.
You know, it really wasn’t hard. Because I had done so many other kinds of crafts, my fingers had been well conditioned to paying attention to how fabric feels, to the tension of the work, evenness of stitches, all that. After that I was hooked.
I don’t get many of the books you review partly because of finances and partly because I have other ways of getting patterns through, among other places, a magazine written by and for blind women called Our Special. They have a handicrafts column with a lot of knitting patterns and other things in each issue, recipes and such. Plus, I know a lot of blind and visually impaired people who knit all over the world.
Thanks, Sarah, for having this wonderful site. One of my many projects (along with crafting, teaching Braille and music at a school for the blind, teaching them crafts, and writing a crafting book for blind people which is not picture or chart dependent, plus developing cirricula to teach ESL to blind people, writing music and theater stuff for my church and other projects, I keep busy. But I wanted to tell you that I enjoy your book and product reviews. I recently bought a copy of “Never to Old to Knit” for someone that I knew would appreciate the larger print, layout of the book (spiral bound) and the variety of classic patterns. She loved it and I wouldn’t have known about it other than through your site. In fact, when I went to Barnes and Noble to get it, I got the last one on the shelf! I got the first Stitch n Bitch for a friend, an avid knitter. She comes from a horrible family situation and had never had anyone give her a gift just for her, something that wasn’t charity, that was bough with her specific interest in mine. And, how did I know she’d been wanting that book but couldn’t afford to buy it?
So your site is serving multiple purposes. I taught a new visually impaired student to knit while I was recently at school getting my new guide dog. She now belongs to a knitting group but we still talk about our projects. She taught me how to crochet (I’d learned before but wasn’t very good) and I taught her how to knit. When she graduated from college last spring, she went on a trip to Washington, D.C. She sent me a gift. I thought it would be some souvenir from D.C. Well, it was. But it was put in a handmade knitted pouch. I had taught her to knit less than six months before and I was so touched and proud to have that pouch. Aren’t handmade gifts wonderful?
So keep up the good work. I find your instructions to be clear and enjoy the patterns you provide. I have knit several of the scarves and baby blanket patterns, and intend to try other things. I like to do dishcloth and washcloth patterns too because they’re generally pretty quick and easy and people can always use them. If I give them as gifts, I’ll put two or three or maybe four in different colors or matching colors or sometimes the same colors. Then I’ll put them in a basket (sometimes one I’ve woven, another skill that’s a legacy from my education at a school for the blind) and I’ll usually include some nice bath stuff or sometimes something edible.
Thanks, yyall, for reading this and thank you, Sarah for all your hard work.
Laura