Ultimate Knitting Bible: A Complete Reference with Step-by-Step Techniques

by Sharon Brant

Now available in paperback, this best-selling title is THE essential guide to knitting. Whether you want to knit socks, use sequins and embroidery to embellish knitting, adapt a pattern to fit you beautifully or produce the perfect pocket, you can find out how to do it here. A comprehensive chapter on finishing your projects shows you how to get that really professional look and if you do make a mistake, just flip to the ‘Troubleshooting’ chapter to see how to fix it. Each chapter of this essential guide is devoted to one key area of knitting and provides clear and concise in-depth instructions along with step-by-step instructions for basic principles and more advanced techniques. Learn the basic knit and purl stitches, along with cast ons and cast offs, and in no time you will also be increasing and decreasing with ease. Once you’re comfortable with the basic stitches, explore structure and shaping, texture, colourwork, embellishments, finishing and learn how to design and adapt patterns. This comprehensive guide offers a useful section on crochet for knitting, a glossary of terms, clear instructions and hundreds of illustrations and diagrams showing each stage of the process. It’ll be the one resource that you will turn to time and time again. Over 20,000 copies sold worldwide.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2008

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, comprehensive guide to knitting. It's practical, with straightforward instructions and illustrations to demonstrate techniques. I really wish that I'd found this book as soon as I started learning to knit, because it answered every question I had and many I hadn't yet thought to ask. Would recommend this book to anyone new to knitting or struggling to develop the skill past a certain point.

[Debbie Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that has everything you need to know about knitting and then some. It covers things other books don't cover such as how to put in a zipper, different stripe effects, pleats, how to sew or graft pieces of knitting together using various stitch techniques, and lining a jacket.

It is a great book for beginners to like me because it covers everything from casting on to making your first stitch (the knit stich) and on. These are illustrated in nice big stitches so you can easily see what is going on. This book is organized well. It is one that I will buy to keep for myself.

[Raffaella De Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interessante

[Jo Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is almost the perfect knitting reference book, everything well illustrated with easy to use diagrams and photographs. The writing style is gentle and direct, never didactic or berating, presenting alternatives in an easy to read style. It covers all the information you need both to get started and for more complicated kitting techniques, including:

equipment
yarns including how to read a wool ball band
a variety of cast ons and offs
knit and purl stitch including variations such as continentals and left handed knitting
simple stitches such as moss and rib
edge stitches
joining in yarn
shaping, increases, decreases, sizing, corners, pleats, tucks, bias and socks
reading patterns and charts, abbreviations and terminology
texture, including cables, crossed stitches, twists, bobbles and lace knitting
colour, including stripes, intarsia, charts and fair isle
embellishments, including beading, sequins, fringing, cords, pom poms, felting, crochet and embroidery
finishing techniques, including grafting, seams, bands, hems, facings, buttonholes, buttons, zips and linings
troubleshooting, including dropped stitches, unravelling work, uneven knitting, mending, correcting colour and cables
designing and adapting patterns, including calculating stitches and rows, graphing, altering and designing
glossary and index

My only slight complaint would be the size, it's quite big and I would like a little portable version, maybe spiral bound, but I do understand that big and clear would also be a distinct advantage.

[Sue Klasing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book, especially pages 13, mixing fibers pg. 21 (also see notes in my own knitting notebook), Picot edge bind off pg. 58, Invisible bind off pg. 59, decorative increases pg. 86, Bobbles pg. 108, Sampler stitches Pgs. 116 - 117, Gathering & Flares pg. 142, Corners pg. 143, Complex intarsia panel made into a small handbag pg. 162, Cords pgs. 192 - 193, Tassels & Pom-poms Pgs 194-195, Collars & Neckbands 220 - 221, Front bands 222-223, Making decorative Buttons pg. 238, Samplers, fancy edgings pg. 292,

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be fabulous if the diagrams were more clear. Even looking at the cast on and knitting method that I already use, I found the diagram quite hard to interpret. Still, it has nice big pictures and lots of information. It's very fun to look through and get ideas or possibly some clarification.

I do think that "Knitspeak" is a better "dictionary" for deciphering patterns, but this one can be great for techniques.

[Niquole Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good resource! This is great for a new knitter or an experienced knitter they would just like to brush up on some techniques. It explains everything very clearly. Definitely a good one to keep as a reference, I've also noticed there are several other ultimate Bibles for crafting so I may have to pick some of those up as well.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful all around reference for knitting. It covers not only the basics, but also some more complex techniques. I think this would be a book that both beginners and experienced knitters would find useful.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It's my go-to whenever I need to learn a new technique.

[Martha]

troubleshooting pages are very well done