There are a lot of great knitting reference books out there but a lot of them aren’t very portable. Vogue Knitting aimed for a comprehensive guide to knitting that you can still stick in your knitting bag and take with you on the go with their Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Quick Reference.
The book crams a lot into 184 pages, including:
- Basic techniques, such as holding yarn and needles, casting on, knitting, purling, increases, decreases, binding off, cables, stranded knitting, intarsia, stripes, mosaic, lace and correcting mistakes.
- Advanced techniques like entrelac, modular knitting, center-out shapes, brioche and double knitting.
- Understanding instructions including gauge, schematics, counting rows, abbreviations and symbols
- Correcting errors like twisted, dropped and incomplete stitches, lifelines, mending and darning.
- Finishing, which includes blocking, grafting, picking up stitches, hemming, cleaning and storage of knits.
- Embellishments like embroidery, beads and sequins
- Tables and Tools such as needle and hook sizes, conversions and yarn weights.
Even the back flap of the book is useful, as it includes a stitch gauge and needle gauge you can take with you anywhere you take your knitting.
Techniques include written descriptions, how-to drawings and photographs of finished swatches. The pictures are a little small but not so small that they aren’t useful, and small illustrations help them include more information in a smaller space.
This book covers just about everything you might need to know when you’re away from a computer or a more thorough knitting reference book. If you find yourself often wishing you had a handy guide to remembering how to do Kitchener stitch or the right way to pick up stitches or you just want to learn on the go this is a great guide to have.
Flip through the book with me on Instagram.
About the book: 184 pages, paperback with flaps. Published October 2019, Sixth & Spring Books. Suggested retail $22.95.
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