Book Review – 750 Knitting Stitches: The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible

A perfect gift for creative crafters, 750 Knitting Stitches is both a stitch guide and a how-to knit primer, all in one volume. You get all the information needed to get started, including how to choose yarn and needles, read patterns, work basic stitches, how to check gauge, increase and decrease, join pieces and finish projects and care for your knitted items.

The comprehensive pattern library includes 750 knitting stitches, from simple to ornate, including knit and purl patterns, basic and complex cables, Fair Isles and intarsia designs, and rib and edging patterns. Each is fully explained with instructions and accompanied by a full-color photo of a sample knitted swatch. All swatches are worked in updated yarns, beautifully photographed and accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions.

Based on The Harmony Guides, which have been a longstanding and valued reference for handcrafters for more than thirty years, with over half a million worldwide sales, this edition is updated with eye-catching photography and innovative new stitches, but also never forgetting the heritage of the guides.

With 750 Knitting Stiches you can knit, purl, cable and yarn over your way through 750 stitches to create any number of beautiful pieces. This really will be the only stitch guide and reference title needed on any knitter’s bookshelves.

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag.

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets.

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets.

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash.

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic.

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts.

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around?

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy.

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]

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