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Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods (2012)

by Leslie Ann Bestor(Favorite Author)

4.33 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1603427244 (ISBN13: 9781603427241)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Storey Publishing

review 1: Took it out of library because didn't anticipate buying a book like this. Yeah..no, won't be buying it. Seen the techniques shown in other reference books that I have and free online. Nice swatches, nice pictures, but when am I going to need a book to show me only how to cast on or bind off? I did like the way it was presented (except that in order to complete the procedure, one would have to hold the knitting still in order to flip pages).
review 2: (Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Storey Publishing.)There are a lot of great things going for Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods; Find the perfect start and finish for every knitting project by Leslie Ann Bestor. This book is all about edges - it includes 33 techniques for... more casting on and 21 methods for binding off. The concept is that this book can serve as a one-stop resource for finding the perfect cast on and/or bind off for your project. The design of the book - small enough to be portable and including a spiral binding so you can lay it flat while reading and knitting - actually helps to advance that concept. The front and back inside cover include handy lists of different types of cast ons and bind offs so you can quickly find a technique to match your project. To further assist you, the cast on and bind off methods are listed in sections. For cast ons, the sections are Basic, Stretchy, Decorative, Circular, Double-Sided, Multicolor, Provisional, Tubular, and Mobius, and for bind offs, the sections are Basic, Stretchy, Decorative, and Sewn. There is also a detailed index.Each cast on or bind off method includes a list of common alternate names, a brief introduction, a picture of the front, back, and top/bottom of the method, a list of characteristics (e.g., "Firm edge that does not stretch") and a list of project types that the method is good for. Each method is then described in step-by-step photographs with brief accompanying text. Some of the methods include extra tips in a side box called Getting It Right.If you have a vague awareness of different cast on and bind off methods, I think this is the perfect guide to jog your memory and also to remind (or inform) you which projects you might want to match to a particular technique. I'm not as convinced that the average knitter could learn to master these methods from the pictures and text alone. For example, while the pictures do show step-by-step action, there are no illustrative graphics (such as arrows) which might indicate how the needles, fingers, and/or yarn got from one position to the next. Similarly, the text is rather brief because it is assumed that the pictures are "doing the talking."As a one-stop resource guide, the book doesn't quite hit the mark. However, it is a great little book that can definitely serve as a reminder about a technique you may not be very familiar with. It would be much better to have this book and supplement it with a YouTube video about a particular method than to try and do a Google search for random cast on or bind off methods that might be suited to a particular project type. In fact, the resources section in the back includes some great links to videos demonstrating some of the techniques in the book.Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars for an intermediate knitter. If you like to start and end projects on the go (especially when you may not have internet access), this book is especially great because of the portable, lay flat design. I liked it so much that I kept my review copy (instead of hosting a blog giveaway, as I usually do) so I can share it with my knitting students. less

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