Books Books Books

Back in January, I ordered some books from Amazon. A couple of weeks ago they’re finally all here. Look at this!

I love, love, loooove these books. Lately I’ve been more into techniques than just patterns. Which is why I got these books. Just in case the picture is not very clear, the books are:

• Knitter’s Handbook by Montse Stanley
• The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd
• Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
• Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman
• Scarf Style by Pam Allen
• Yarn Harlot: Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl McPhee aka the Yarn Harlot

I’ve only flipped through them briefly, but here are my initial thoughts:

• Knitter’s Handbook — Looks like a handy reference book to have around. I’ve already found myself reaching for it from time to time to look something up. The chapter on Cast Ons and Bind Offs are comprehensive!

• Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns — I’m glad I got this book before starting my first cardigan. It has lots of helpful instructions and tips about making a sweater/jumper/cardigan, and you can choose your own yarn/gauge, edging, sleeve construction, neck shape, waist shaping, etc. It reminds me of that Perfect Sweater Search that’s happening at Mason-Dixon Knitting!

• Knitting Vintage Socks — Who knew that there are so many different ways to construct a sock! I sure didn’t. Looking through this book makes me want to knit socks that I probably wouldn’t wear, just to learn and get the feel of how it’s constructed. All of the socks in this book are cuff-down socks. Hmm, is the toe-up sock a new invention?

• Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques — Lots of helpful explanations of various techniques in this book, probably all you need to know to complete a garment (button holes, zipper, edgings, etc). I love how it tells you the benefits and drawbacks of each techniques, so that you can select a technique that’s most suitable to your project.

• Scarf Style — Last year I was following the Stitch Ya Neck Out swap/knitalong with great interest, all the while kicking myself for not having the book. Now that I have this book, I can see why this book was so popular. Scarves used to be thought of as just simple things for beginners to learn to knit. But the scarves in this book are anything but boring! Not only do they look great, they show that simple techniques can produce brilliant results. And there are plenty of more challenging techniques too for the more adventurous. There are so many scarves in this book that I’m planning to make already!

• Yarn Harlot: Secret Life of a Knitter — What can I say… It’s the Yarn Harlot! Reading this book is like reading her delightful blog. And just like her first book, reading this book is like ‘home’ to me, knowing that there are others like her who understand my knitting obsession. I chuckle everytime she writes about “brothers and sisters in yarn” in the book.