Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway: The Encyclopedia of Knitting

by

encyclopedia of knitting giveaway

Eunice is the winner!

I’m doing a major cleanout in my office (again), so I’m uncovering some great books that are older but still super useful that I don’t need but I’m sure someone will want.

A lot of books are going to my local library, but when I see one I think you all will like I set it aside for a giveaway, and that pile is getting pretty large, too.

The Encyclopedia of Knitting by Lesley Stanfield and Melody Griffiths came out back in 2000, but the information on techniques is of course all still valid.

And this book covers a lot, including:

  • materials
  • basic skills like how to hold the yarn and needles, cast on, knit, purl and bind off
  • increases and decreases
  • reading charts and other essentials of getting started knitting from a pattern
  • finishing skills
  • hems, facings and fastenings

A lot of the book is taken up by a stitch collection that includes swatches with charted instructions for knit and purl patterns, ribs, cables, twists, lace, bobbles and leaves, stranded color knitting, intarsia color knitting and special effects like entrelace, circular knitting, tucks and pleats, loops, slip stitch colorwork, beading and embroidery.

An inspiration section offers a quick overview of how to design a garment as well as more swatches to give you ideas of how to design a sweater for yourself.

If you’d like a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, July 24. I’d love to know what you’re knitting right now. (I’m still trying to finish the last repeat of a baby blanket I’ve been working on for my cousin’s little boy.)

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

Save

Comments

  1. I’ve always got some project on the go. It would be great to win this book because I am self taught and am certain it could teach me a lot. Thank you for this chance to win it. xx

  3. Scarf, that’s pretty much all I do, lol. I’m new to knitting and could REALLY use this book!

  4. This is a great book! I’m currently tinking back 26 rows on a sweater in laceweight, because I wasn’t paying attention to the pattern. Oops.

  5. Yesterday, I just finished the last of 3 projects for a baby shower that’s this weekend so I don’t currently have anything started right now. But I think my next project will be a pair of winter hats for my dad.

  7. I am knitting a square for a love blanket fore a young teen who comes to my LYS teen group. She had been told her leukemia is back.

  9. Hello Sarah,

    If I’m not too late, I’m interested in any book you’re willing to pass along. Forced into early retirement, I’m utilizing my time crocheting basic hats/scarfs for the homeless. Yes, I’m re-learning both knitting and crocheting all over again. Thank you.

  12. Trying some very simple tube socks out of string–sounds weird but they are just a practice thing until I’m comfortable with it.

  13. I’m sitting here knitting a wool bag that I think I’m going to felt. But all this stockinette makes me want to get distracted by the internet 🙂

Have you read?

Learn a Flower Bobble Technique to Knit a Fun Shawl

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier. 

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project. 

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible. 

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge. 

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects. 

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy. 

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project. 

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Xandy Peters]