Knitting

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Giveaway: A to Z of Knitting

by 44 Comments

a to z of knitting giveaway

Congratulations to Ella!

A few weeks ago I gave away a good collection of learn-to-knit booklets that I reviewed all at once with some other books over at About.

This week I’ve got another one for you. A to Z of Knitting is a reference book for knitters of all skill levels, covering everything from the basics of how to cast on, knit, purl and bind off to various ways to shape, embellish, add color and texture to and fix mistakes in our knitting.

It even has a bit of the history of knitting, an overview of types of yarn, needles and other supplies, and tutorials on everything from aran and beaded knitting to working in the round, Fair Isle, loop knitting, surface embroidery and much more.

Even better, the book has a lot of pictures and a spiral binding that makes it easy to look at the book and keep your place while you are working through a technique.

One copy (and I actually have a hardcover despite the photo above saying paperback) of this book is going to someone who comments on this post before the end of the day Sunday, November 1. (I cannot believe it’s almost November, but that’s another story.)

I’d love to know if there’s something in knitting you’d like to learn but haven’t tried yet, or something you were daunted by that didn’t turn out to be so bad once you tried it. Mine was probably double knitting, which I put off learning for a long time but actually isn’t that difficult if you’re paying attention to what you’re doing.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. I still need to really learn steeling and putting in zippers. This prize is awesome, thank you so much for offering it.

  3. Double knitting, entrelac and steeking are the all techniques I keep putting off, but I know I’ll get there in the end!

  5. Oddly, the thing I keep putting off is the long tail cast on. It’s easy, I”m sure, but it seems daunting. I’ve done lots of other castons, but each time I try it I get confused and put it aside. *embarrassed smile*

  8. I would like to improve surface embroidery and putting in a zip. Thank you for the giveaway chance.

  10. I would have to say making cables was pretty intimidating for me, but once I was able to learn not so difficult. I just love the results.

  11. The next thing on my list include short rows I haven’t done then yet! This book would be a great reference. Thanks for the chance to win.

  16. i need to learn how to use double point needles. I always use 2 sets of circular needles when I need double point needles. The thing I am most afraid of with double point needles is that there are no stoppers at the ends of needles to keep the stitches for falling off the needles. One of these days I will try to knit a baby hat on double point needles. I like to knit complicated lace patterns but double point needles scares me.

  17. I need to work on mitered squares that end up the same size even when I use the same yarn and needles. ( Probably the glass of wine I sip when I make some of the squares!)

  20. I would love to learn Brioche and double knitting, I just have to build up the nerve to try it. I was a little bit afraid to try DPN’s, but have learned they aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. They are a little bit hard to start with, but once you get going they are not hard at all. I love learning new techniques!

  22. There is a problem I stumbled on the other day.
    How to knit a border at the bottom of a sweater that doesn’t curl up. I mean another border than knit one, purl one.

  23. I just got the hang of using circular needles – next I would like to try cable knits, then fair isle!

  24. With this book, I hope I can overcome my reluctance to try entrelac knitting and making socks with 2 dpn.

  26. I want to try knitting a sweater and fair isle. Already bought a yarn lazy Susan for doing fair isle but haven’t attempted it yet. I think my next project is a vest, a step towards the sweater, lol.

  27. Fair isle knitting was something I put off, but then when I tried it I was pleased at how easy it was. Now I just need to practice it enough to make it look really good.

  28. I tried lacy knitting, but because of the yarn & how it knits up, I had a hard time seeing the pattern come together. I got lost several times at the beginning & finally gave up after a dozen starts. I will have to change to a different yarn & try again.

  29. I am learning how to knit via youtube and blogs and would love this book, I was amazed at how many things there are to learn in knitting, I love DPNs. Amazed at how many diff stitches there are out there or so many ways to bind on…..love it all

  39. Cables were a big hurdle for me. I was afraid I’d never get the hang of them, but when it clicked I never looked back. Now I love cable knitting!

  40. Beginner to advance, would be good to see if there is anything I have not tried and if there are better ways of explaining different technics to help teach others to knit!

  41. I’ve just started learning to knit, and just (yesterday) learned how to wrangle circulars. Maybe this would help with dp needles! I really want to make an army of socks and gloves. 😀 And how to do cables! Reading through some of the comments… I have a lot to learn yet haha.

  42. For some reason, socks are challenging and I’ve attempted to start a few times without success.

  43. I’m currently trying to learn brioche. I think it’s more the combination of yarn and needles I chose that’s hindering my progress than the stitch pattern

Have you read?

Christmas Stocking Knitting Patterns for Your Pets

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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