I was about to write an answer to Ali's comment on my last post when I noticed it became longer and longer. So I just thought I dedicate a whole blog post on that topic.
I love intricate knits, fitted knitted jumpers and even knitted long johns but for me knitting is and I'm afraid always will be the mindless craft. Good for long trips with not enough traveling space to weild a needle or a spindle and for any other time when my hands want occupation without bothering the mind. I was lucky to learn to knit as a little child (in school I might add) but it's basically only two stitches, everything else is icing.
For those who can learn from books, I'd like to review a few. I can learn almost everything from books and even if I didn't need to learn knitting, I learned spinning, weaving and dyeing, sewing and cooking from them. And my great vice is: collecting books.
For all the basics in my mind, there are only two books:
Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears and Debbie Stoller's Stitch'n'Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook.
Elizabeth Zimmermann. Knitting Without Tears. Fireside. 1995. repr. from her 1971 edition.
For me, Elizabeth Zimmermann (1910-1999) is still the Queen of Knitting. With her carefree way of unventing (as she called it) new techniques, her constant challenging of rules she build the foundation of modern knitting. And even if her patterns might look a bit odd nowadays, the basics and techniques are still sound. Knitting Without Tears is a workshop that leads the aspiring knitter from the basics (knit and purl stitch) to cast ons and offs, constructing garments and releases her into the great big world of knitting sweaters, socks and everything else. On the downside, when the book was printed 1971, fancy colour pictures tripled the printing costs so we are left mostly with (very good) drawings of stitches and how to make them and with b/w pictures of the knitted garments. No eye candy for the modern spoiled beholder. Only basics, techniques and knowledge to last a life time of liberated knitting. And a writing style always worth reading.
BTW, my favourite books by Elizabeth Zimmermann are her Knitter's Almanac, 12 month's worth of projects from baby afghans to last minute sweaters clad in well told stories from her really interesting life. And Knitting Around, more a biography than a knitting book. Patterns, books and imported shetland wool can be found at schoolhouse press
Debbie Stoller. Stitch'n'Bitch. The Knitter's Handbook. Workman Publishing. 2003
Another woman who started a small knitting revolution in 2003 back when knitting was still seen as some past-time for old women. And it didn't matter if aforementioned "old women" were not older than 20, as soon as you took up your needles, you were stamped as "old woman" and "housewife", read: boring. But Debbie Stoller's fresh style, hip patterns and flippant texts changed so much. Stitch'n'Bitch became a movement and many knitting groups with that name were founded all over the world.
The Knitter's Handbook was Debbie Stoller's first book and introduces the basics of knitting without sticking to garter stitch scarves. The first 50 pages are solely concerned with knitty-gritty basics of stitching and purling and casting on and off. Every step is shown in easy to understand drawings and the "Go-Go Garter Stitch Scarf" is followed by the "Ribbed-for-Her-Pleasure Scarf". After that we learn shaping with the "Kitschy Kerschief" after which there is no end in sight. Colour pictures in the middle of the book show all the projects from scarves to sweaters, bikinis and shadow knitting. the style is pleasantly disrespectful and still knit with sound techniques. A combination I always prefer.
More pictures of the projects can be found on her website.
Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Ethnic Socks & Stockings. XRX A Knitter's Magazine Book. 1995
It is for beginners with a basic grasp of how to knit and purl and it is still interesting and some of the projects are still challenging the more experienced knitter. And it definitely is a book for the history buff who wants to know how ethnic knitting is constructed and knit. For those who are more interested in the modular construction of sweaters I can only recommend her Knitting in the Old Way. The first print from 1985 is sometimes still available but in her revised second edition she changed a lot of things and added new information so I would prefer to buy the new one.
There are two new books for all things round: Margaret Radcliffe's Circular Knitting Workshop and Daniel Yuhas' Knitting from the Center Out. Both are spanking new from 2012 and both devote themselves to circular knitting.
Margaret Radcliffe. Circular Knitting Workshop. Storey. 2012.
I bought this first. Although I am adept enough to knit in the round or better because I knit nearly everything in the round I was interested in extending my knowledge. And Margaret Radcliffe didn't disappoint me. In her book she shows everything from several cat on and bind off methods, how to join in the round, many variations on hems and cuffs all in wonderful colour pictures. Her sample projects are knit in child size so that the blooming knitter won't have to spend the next year on a sweater but she provides measures and tables, conversions and discussions about other methods (knitting from the top down or bottom up, changing size and yarn etc) so that you wouldn't have to knit child sized hats and bags and sweaters and socks for the rest of your life.
You should know how to knit and purl beforehand. Everything else is shown in the book.
And as if knitting tubes and circles was this year's fav, another book was published and I couldn't let my hands off it.
Daniel Yuhas. Knitting from the Center Out. Stewart Tabori & Chang. 2012.
His approach to circular knitting is different from Radcliffe's. While Radcliffe methodically categorises stitches, bindings, hems, patterns and constructions, Daniel Yuhas throws the reader right into the soft circles. His approach is more mathematically, describing the numbers behind the circle and how to progress. His projects begin with tubes (a simple 3 stitch I-cord) and move on to cone hats after which there is nothing to stop him from knitting a sweater from the center our, knitting octopi and starfish and of course shrugs and circular shawls and blankets. He provides a picture tutorial of the basic techniques at the end of the book but still it is more for the advanced beginner. Some projects even might be a bit more difficult to grasp for experienced sock knitters. We tend to get stuck in our comfort techniques be it toe-up or cuff down and whatever heel shaping we feel is best for us so that socks knitted in the round beginning at the heel in a circle might throw some of us off. Which, btw, is the effect Cat Bordhi has on me all the time. Daniel Yuhas' book does not fit into the category 'for beginners' 100% but I was intrigued by the comparison between both books.
Both books are new, full of eye candy and written in this modern style I really love. Books for the eyes and brain as well.
For those of us who are intrigued by top down sweaters: Ann Budd has published a new book on that topic in August 2012. (A Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters) I just had time to browse through it. A review might follow sometime later.
If I had to decide which book I would take on the proverbial island and I wouldn't know how to knit, I had difficulties to decide. Zimmermann's book is covering the basics from beginning to socks and sweaters so I'd probably take hers. But Gibson-Roberts shows more different techniques to keep you occupied on those long island nights. And I'd have the time (and hopefully the patience) to glean the basics from her description of stitches in East and West. To be honest, I don't want to miss my personal library ;o)
