Knitting and crochet patterns are great for when you are learning to knit, or when you don't want to take the time to figure out how to do something yourself, but sometimes it's fun (or downright necessary) to at least be able to alter published patterns and sometimes even to strike out on your own and develop a pattern from scratch.
Russian-born knitter and crocheter Lena Maikon aims to help crafters develop the confidence to go their own way with her book Knitter's Lib: Learn to Knit, Crochet, and Free Yourself from Pattern Dependency. While I don't think it's completely successful in that last lofty goal, this book can help knitters to become more confident in trying things out and seeing what works.
Crafting Lessons
Maikon begins her book with the basics of crochet (starting there because she says it's easier) and knitting, then moves on to tips and tricks and the specific techniques that are needed to complete the 20 patterns in the book.
Some of the information in these sections isn't exactly clear. For example, she treats intarsia and stranded knitting as if they are the same thing. The pictures in the book are clearly of stranded knitting, while the text talks about using the method to make pictures in your knitting, which is what intarsia is, but it requires a different technique.
In the cable section she implies that all cables have even numbers of stitches on each side, but that isn't always the case. And she says that braids and multiple-column cables are "really hard," but they're based on exactly the same concepts as more basic cables.
She doesn't teach any ways of increasing in knitting (other than casting on more stitches) because "it's just plain hard." But once you've done a ,a href="http://knitting.about.com/od/learntoknit/ss/knit_front_back.htm">knit in the front and back or make one a couple of times, it's not difficult at all.
Further, I think saying things are hard is the wrong attitude to take in a book where you're trying to encourage more fearless crafting (or in any craft book, for that matter, because you don't want to discourage people before they even start!).
There's a lot of crochet in this book, and a lot of techniques that could be accomplished in another way (binding off, sewing seams, picking up stitches) that are performed with a crochet hook. That's great for knitters already comfortable with both crafts (and Maikon makes the case for why knitters should take up hooks) but may turn off hook-averse knitters because she doesn't explain other ways to do these things.
The Patterns
Knitter's Lib includes 20 patterns, 10 knit and 10 crochet. This book was published in 2005, so you'll see a lot of novelty yarns because they were so popular then.
The knit patterns include an earflap hat, a cowl embellished with Scottie dog intarsia, a faux fur scarf, an elongated stitch tank top, a sleeveless sweater with cables running down the front, a cape worked with several different yarns and elongated stitches, a muff again decorated with Scotties, a knit bag with diamonds worked in relief, a long knit skirt and cropped pants.
Maikon is clearly a fan of elongated stitches, as they show up in many of the patterns. She also likes a pretty loose, what she calls urban style that doesn't require a lot of shaping (probably thanks to her aversion to increasing).
Many of the knit patterns also include elements of crochet, but since this book is all about liberating yourself from the dictates of patterns, you could probably find another way to accomplish these tasks or leave off that embellishment.
The patterns are lengthy and include a lot more description than you usually find in patterns. Maikon says that's so knitters will understand why they're doing what they're doing, which is supposed to help free you from doing what the pattern says.
Bottom Line
I'm not sure this book would actually make someone more confident to strike out on their own. If you want to use the same techniques used in the book to create your own garments, perhaps it would be helpful. But there's no discussion of things like how to design for your personal measurements, why different yarns and needle sizes create different sorts of fabric and how to use that to your advantage, and other things you'd need to know if you were creating your own garments from scratch.
One thing it does teach knitters is that you don't have to go about knitting in the conventional way. If you don't like the way you've seen a technique done, try something else. You don't ever have to use a yarn needle if you don't want to and you can always rip out and try again.
These are all important lessons, and if this book can at least help you learn that, it's worth it.
Publication date: October 2005
