Laying foundations

Two books to give you a solid start in knitting

Getting Started: Knitting

Jennifer Worick (Interweave Press)

AUD$27.95, ISBN 1931499942

Patons Learn to Knit

'All You Need to Know' Guidebook

ISBN 9-329269 017286 (RRP unlisted)

The breadth of information in Knitting is terrific: not just how to start, but how to finish, and what to do along the way, including a troubleshooting guide and more information strategically placed throughout. It blessedly dispenses with a lot of the patronising and annoying chit-chat that populates many beginners' books lately.

There are a few missteps (like the author's over-the-top explanation of the 'half square triangle' shawl where a simple schematic would have been ideal) and while the projects are well-selected—they're achievable and mostly very attractive—their presentation is occasionally dissapointing.

A more serious problem is that the book offers only one real cast-on: the long-tail method. Although simple to do, it is hard to grasp initally, so if the reader can't pick it up from the pictures, this otherwise extremely helpful book is useless as a single reference.

However, assuming Worick is addressing a young web-literate audience (or this book is a gift from a knitting adult who may be on hand to offer assistance), that's not a problem. Overall, this book's rare combination of enduring style and useful substance are most welcome.

Australian yarn company Patons' offering to beginner knitters, Learn to Knit, is a more streamlined but likewise well-planned affair with an emphasis on encouraging progress. The book begins with only the bare essentials and then builds on the basics by showcasing a new skill in each of 20 featured projects. Nearly every project uses the company's chunky Inca yarn in natural tones, which will result in quick, gratifying knits that are also stylish. A simple but smart offering.

—Barbara Coddington