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The Principles Of Knitting: Methods And Techniques Of Hand Knitting (2012)

by June Hemmons Hiatt(Favorite Author)

4.49 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1416535179 (ISBN13: 9781416535171)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Touchstone

review 1: There's always something called the bible of (fill in the blank here). This is the knitting bible. One of the big bonuses for me is the inclusion of technical explanations for common procedures. I like extra information that might explain why something is done a certain way, or, what happens if you do it differently.I've also have yet to search for something here that I wasn't able to find.
review 2: It's no exageration to say this book is a life-changer. As a self-taught left-handed knitter, I struggled for years to translate patterns into 180-degree reversals for lefty knitting. Finally I put down my needles, until now... As a new retiree, I needed to acquire hobbies that can last me the next 20-30 years, and knitting again was high on the list. Hiatt makes... more a convincing case that lefties can knit the same way as righties, as knitting is fundamentally ambidextrous. She is correct!!! One of the brilliant strokes of this book is Hiatt's presentation of several different ways to hold the needles and form the stitches --- she encourages the reader to try out several, because everyones' hands are unique. So I tried, and practiced --- and now I can do it righty!! In fact, her mantra throughout the book, no matter the subject, might be "There are several different ways to do this; see what works for you."Another brilliant stroke is Hiatt's careful attention to terminology: right, left, inside, outside, nearside, farside: each has a single specific meaning and is always used in the same way, and terms are never interchanged. This sounds trivial until you realize that many authors use "right" to mean the side of the garment that is worn on the outside, as well as the part toward the knitter's right hand. This causes no end of distress for people like me who depend on verbal directions. "Hold the yarn to the right side" will give completely different results, depending on the meaning of "right"!After exhaustively presenting the fundamentals, with thorough discussions of whys and wherefores, Hiatt proceeds through an encyclopedic review of knitting knowledge --- from source and structure of various fibers used to form yarn, through every conceivable technique of specialty knitting, to care of knitted garments. She also gets into pattern design, calculating how much yarn will be needed, and thorough discussions of determining gauge. This is a book that will always be nearby when I'm knitting, and it is a great read even when not knitting. less

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