A—Z of Knitting
(Country Bumpkin)
ISBN 0-9757094-4-5/$29.95
I've been a fan of this series for a long time, coveting the beautiful A—Z books on bullions, crewel embroidery and stumpwork despite the fact that I'm not much of an embroiderer. I've often wondered if the series would ever extend to knitting. Well, the people at Country Bumpkin have decided it was time: here it is at last. And I'm impressed—it upholds the high standards of the A—Z series.
It begins with some history, continues into explanations of the many types of yarn and needles, and then on to equipment, tools, and tension. There is a large abbreviation chart and helpful hints are scattered throughout.
A—Z of Knitting aims to please everyone: there is a conversion chart for international needle sizes and instructions for Continental and English methods, even down to their different thumb cast-ons. Included are all the usual instructions for knitting, along with methods for buttonholes, fixing mistakes, and working twists, cables, bobbles and beads, entrelac and embossing, lace, loops and embroidery (the latter being this publisher's niche).
Photographs are clear and uncluttered, as are the instructions. Everyone should have a copy in their knitting library—it's all you'll need in a primer.
—Sarah Golder