Idiot's Guides: Knitting (for non-idiots) Review

                                          




Idiot’s Guides: Knitting by Megan Goodacre is a how-to book with plenty of pictures and illustrations that lead one step-by-step into the intriguing craft of changing yarn into objects using two needles. The author starts with the very basics and gradually leads one into the more complex concepts, like reading patterns and knitting intricate stitches. A wide variety of subjects related to performing this craft is presented, including blocking, adding or decreasing stitches, picking up dropped stitches, choosing the appropriate yarn and which hands are used as the dominant one are included. The book closes with a nice variety of patterns and a very brief glossary.

This wonderful teaching manual aids any novice who wants to try to learn the wonderful handicraft of knitting. It has a nice collection of photographs that detail the yarn and needle positioning and clear explanations that help one learn how to start creating with simple tools and produce something fairly quickly. I tried to teach myself this ancient craft quite a few years ago but tended to get lost when faced with patterns and this book helped me pick up my decidedly rusty skills. I am afraid it can’t do anything about my propensity for tangling my yarn but the pictures really helped me figure out how to position my needles and how to cope with the left-handed issue. It was very helpful to have the yarn colored in red in some of the pictures so I could see what had been done in order o achieve a particular stitch. It will take a while before I tackle anything major but I definitely feel that I can create a washcloth or scarf using the author’s meticulous instruction and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to knit (although I don’t really appreciate the designation as an idiot, lol).
© Night Owl Reviews

I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
 
Idiot's Guides: Knitting (Amazon link)
 


Fair warning, I started trying to make the hubby a scarf (way overdue from the one I crocheted last year but that he thought was too wide...) using the stitches I am learning...ahem, NOW I know not to use the stockinette stitch exclusively because the edges curl!  So, it may not be as pretty as I envisioned...but at least it will be warm!