A Passion for Knitting : Step-by-Step Illustrated Techniques, Easy Contemporary Patterns, and Essential Resources for Becoming Part of the World of Knitting

by Nancy J. Thomas, Melanie Falick, Ilana Rabinowitz

The World of Knitting Right at Your Fingertips
More than a how-to book, A Passion for Knitting goes beyond teaching the craft and introduces readers to the culture of knitting. In Part I, you'll find fully illustrated instructions for learning stitches and mastering technique, presented with unprecedented clarity. They're so simple that you really can learn without a teacher. With this book in hand -- and no prior experience -- you will be able to knit a gorgeous sweater, scarf, or throw.
Next, Part II welcomes new knitters to the worldwide knitting community, exploring the myriad benefits this popular craft has to offer. This section, unique among all other guides, invites readers to

Tap into the power of knitting as a means of reducing stress and expressing creativity
Meet the design "gurus" and other stars of the knitting world
Discover opportunities for fellowship and networking with other knitters in clubs, conventions, and unique cultural fiber tours to countries ranging from England to Peru
Use their knitting skills to meaningfully support charities
Learn about the fashion trends in knitting from Trisha Malcolm, editor in chief of Vogue Knitting

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2002

Reviews

[Zelda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a well-presented cornucopia of everything that the subtitle suggests. The patterns are pretty boring, but my main concern is the target audience. The chances of an isolated, beginning knitter finding this book before they know most of it is slim. If you learned to knit while locked in the attic with a few dozen Workbasket booklets from the seventies, this book will be a revelation. If you're at all proficient and use the Internet, you probably don't need 90% of the volume. That said, I really admired the scope of many topics and enjoyed finding it -- too late.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy J. Thomas edited Vogue Knitting and Knitter's magazines for years. Melanie Falick, who helped with this book, edited Interweave Knits and several hardcover books of collected knitting patterns. Any book with their names on it can be expected to be good. This one is, but the question is, as usual, for whom.

Serious, experienced knitters did not need a book of "step-by-step techniques" we were already using, "easy contemporary patterns" we could have worked out intuitively for ourselves, and the "resources for becoming part of the world of knitting" we'd already found in the magazines and web sites we were already searching for new and different, more challenging, more unusual patterns. I knew several knitters who gave this book a miss after flipping through it at a wool shop.

For new knitters, who were the intended audience for A Passion for Knitting, this book was gold when it was new. By now several magazines and web sites recommended in the book no longer exist. As a reference book it's still excellent; it contains all the basic techniques and patterns a new knitter needs.

Buy this one if you're a new knitter who needs all the basic information you'll use during your first year or so, all in one convenient place. Explanations are clear and patterns are, frankly, much better written than the ones in the error-ridden reference book I used. "Contemporary patterns" include some pieces (extra-chunky tank tops?!) that may look dated, but seriously, what makes basic knitting patterns fashionable is the yarn they use, and Thomas explains how to update that. You can still use the basic hat, scarf, and sweater patterns in this book to knit something that will look like "this year."

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Under The Craft of Knitting this book covers learning the basic stitches plus some extra things like increasing and decreasing. The drawings look helpful though I haven't tried to follow them. The glossary of knitting terms could use more drawings. I'm still confused by SSK (slip slip knit). I'm just beyond beginner. This book might be helpful, but the patterns included are so basic that they're boring. Except for the Easy Bright Ribbed Pullover which has such large stitches I can see it catching on everything. And the color photo depicts it in a blue-orange-pink yarn that makes it look ugly to me. Not boring, but not interesting either. I do like the good old basic sock pattern as a good place to start.
The second group of chapters falls under The World of Knitting and includes knitting for charity, collecting & storing yarn, knitting traditions, fashion trends in knitting (covering up through 2000), the healing power of knitting, knitting fellowship, knitting camps and festivals, the literature of knitting, and other things. This part was more interesting to me.
A good supplement to other learn-to-knit books. Sometimes one book has more helpful instructions or illustrations than another. When I was learning to crochet, I used 3 library books: one for written instructions, one for photos and the third for drawings.
Because this was published in 2002 some information may be outdated: charities, camps or festivals added or cancelled, the same for websites, especially right now with the Covid pandemic going on.

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completely agree with Zelda's review that this book would be a revelation for anyone locked in an attic with a stack of old Workbasket magazines, (but oh what I'd give for the opportunity to have another look at my formative years). On the other hand, as I've been tucked away with hundreds of knitting technique and design books for the past three years while mastering my craftsmanship, this book hasn't even inspired me as much as Workbasket memories and ‹‹ Femmes d'Aujourd'hui ›› have. I appreciate the encouraging tone of "A Passion for Knitting," and I can see this book taking off in the hands of someone with an active library card.