Reviews

I've been hearing about this book for some time on Ravelry, an online forum for knitters, crocheters, and other fiber fans. When someone asks "What general knitting book should I buy?" 8 times out of 10, the reply includes Vogue Knitting. I've been knitting for over 20 yrs. and don't feel the need for a how-to book, but I finally succumbed to the "peer" pressure. First, let me say that this is in no way a how-to book for beginners, although it does start right at the beginning--with how to make a knit stitch and a purl stitch--the techniques extend well into the advanced level, so unless you're Elizabeth Zimmerman, you will find plenty in this book that you didn't already know. Second, the illustrations are wonderful. Techniques are shown via detailed drawings and photos. The photos of stitches are well lit and close up, so you can see them easily. Except for a few new cast-on and bind-off techniques (invented after this book was published), the basics of knitting are all here: an explanation of fibers and knitting tools, casting on, binding off, English and Continental knitting styles (would have liked to see Portuguese included), increases, decreases, joining yarns, gauge, knitting charts and symbols, knitting in the round, fixing mistakes, and finishing techniques. The more advanced techniques include Fair Isle knitting, intarsia, striping, mosaic knitting, and embellishments such as embroidery and knitting with beads. The stitch dictionary alone is about 40 pages long. Each stitch is illustrated with a color photo and is nice and close up so you can really see what's going on. Similar stitches are grouped together, e.g., ribs, embossed stitches, cables, lace. The design section of the book covers sweaters only, but it does cover just about any type of sweater you could think of, including different necklines, sleeves, and so on. I would have liked sections on designing other garments, too, but I can understand their reasoning: sweaters would be the most difficult to design (you don't necessarily need a book to teach you how to design a triangular shawl), and the techniques could be applied to other designs. Still, a short section on hats, mittens, and socks would've been nice, especially given the sudden popularity of sock knitting. The index is 8 pages and reasonably detailed, far more than I'm used to seeing in knitting books. The subtitle of the book is The Ultimate Knitting Book, which is not really an exaggeration. At the very least, it's a very fine knitting reference book.

This book is excellent and I love the fact it is color. One would never think of Vogue having simple directions, but this book does. It is practical and trendy.

This book is wonderful. I am new to knitting and make quite a few mistakes. A friend of mine is a very experienced knitter and has this same book. She shared it with me, and informed me that this is a great book to have on hand, because it is so helpful. She was right, it has helped me so much already in just the short time I have had the book.(It is very easy to understand.)

When my wife said she wanted something for her birthday that would "keep her in stitches", I thought she was talking about a joke book. That's how much I know about knitting. After she cleared things up, I began my search on Amazon and came up with this one. Turned out to be a wise choice, since she has affirmed that it is the definitive reference source for knitters of all levels, complete with remarkable illustrations. These are her comments, not mine. As usual, my selection was at least, partially predicated on the many positive reviews from previous Amazon buyers. Without whom, she might have ended up with a copy of "Captain Blly's Whiz Bang".

I was a new knitter and wanted an overall reference book for stitches, techniques, yarns, pattern abbreviations, etc. This book is all that and more. I looked at many books and checked out various reviews before deciding on which book to buy. Many sources recommended this book as the one to get and now I know why - it was an excellent choice. This book has given me the confidence to try more challenging projects that I would not have even considered doing before. The text is clear and concise and the illustrations are excellent. Happy knitting!

Reviews

This great book has a wonderful selection of different types of shawls and scarves to knit. There is great variety in the lace patterns so you won't be bored. I have used it as a gift for knitting friends and everyone loves it, beginner and experienced knitters alike. The book is broken out into categories: Shetland, Faroese, Circular, Triangular, Rectangular, and Taking it One Step Beyond. The majority of the categories have five to seven different patterns in them. A couple I found really intriguing to try is the Shetland in the English tradition by Elizabeth Zimmerman, in which you knit the central panel and then add multiple lace edges without seaming; and the Faroese-style Lace by Myrna A. I. Stahman incorporating the center back gore and amazing shoulder shaping. There are so many distinct patterns to try that a knitter will find many years of knitting projects and inspiration.

I am a relatively new knitter and I just started knitting shawls. I don't have any of Knitter magazines in my library (yet!) but I purchased this book because of the interesting writing about the types of shawls and history. The designs are very beautiful, a lot of lace styles. Someday, I hope to be experienced enough to finish one of them.

What a wonderful book - the only downside is that it distracts me from my work and makes me want to knit all day! The shawls are beautiful and I'm looking forward to many happy designs!

Of all the many knitting books I own, this is the most well-used. I've had it for several years now and I still keep it near my knitting bag for when I need some inspiration. It is not for beginners but there is a lot for a beginner to learn and, by making two of the projects, I definitely improved my skills. The first thing I made was the Garter and Lace Shawl which is really quite simple until you come to the knitted on lace edge. That took a good deal of patience but, once I got the hang of it, it was fun and I've used that technique many times since. The second project I made was A Blue Wrap which is also quite easy and goes fast once you master the technique. I've used some of the lace patterns in other projects and it seems every time I open the book I get new ideas. This one is a classic.

It is a very nice book but not exactly what I had thought when I purchased it. I would have liked to have seen a written review on it before I purchased. It has too many exotic things for my taste.