Reviews

I've been hearing about this book for some time on Ravelry, an online forum for knitters, crocheters, and other fiber fans. When someone asks "What general knitting book should I buy?" 8 times out of 10, the reply includes Vogue Knitting. I've been knitting for over 20 yrs. and don't feel the need for a how-to book, but I finally succumbed to the "peer" pressure. First, let me say that this is in no way a how-to book for beginners, although it does start right at the beginning--with how to make a knit stitch and a purl stitch--the techniques extend well into the advanced level, so unless you're Elizabeth Zimmerman, you will find plenty in this book that you didn't already know. Second, the illustrations are wonderful. Techniques are shown via detailed drawings and photos. The photos of stitches are well lit and close up, so you can see them easily. Except for a few new cast-on and bind-off techniques (invented after this book was published), the basics of knitting are all here: an explanation of fibers and knitting tools, casting on, binding off, English and Continental knitting styles (would have liked to see Portuguese included), increases, decreases, joining yarns, gauge, knitting charts and symbols, knitting in the round, fixing mistakes, and finishing techniques. The more advanced techniques include Fair Isle knitting, intarsia, striping, mosaic knitting, and embellishments such as embroidery and knitting with beads. The stitch dictionary alone is about 40 pages long. Each stitch is illustrated with a color photo and is nice and close up so you can really see what's going on. Similar stitches are grouped together, e.g., ribs, embossed stitches, cables, lace. The design section of the book covers sweaters only, but it does cover just about any type of sweater you could think of, including different necklines, sleeves, and so on. I would have liked sections on designing other garments, too, but I can understand their reasoning: sweaters would be the most difficult to design (you don't necessarily need a book to teach you how to design a triangular shawl), and the techniques could be applied to other designs. Still, a short section on hats, mittens, and socks would've been nice, especially given the sudden popularity of sock knitting. The index is 8 pages and reasonably detailed, far more than I'm used to seeing in knitting books. The subtitle of the book is The Ultimate Knitting Book, which is not really an exaggeration. At the very least, it's a very fine knitting reference book.

This book is excellent and I love the fact it is color. One would never think of Vogue having simple directions, but this book does. It is practical and trendy.

This book is wonderful. I am new to knitting and make quite a few mistakes. A friend of mine is a very experienced knitter and has this same book. She shared it with me, and informed me that this is a great book to have on hand, because it is so helpful. She was right, it has helped me so much already in just the short time I have had the book.(It is very easy to understand.)

When my wife said she wanted something for her birthday that would "keep her in stitches", I thought she was talking about a joke book. That's how much I know about knitting. After she cleared things up, I began my search on Amazon and came up with this one. Turned out to be a wise choice, since she has affirmed that it is the definitive reference source for knitters of all levels, complete with remarkable illustrations. These are her comments, not mine. As usual, my selection was at least, partially predicated on the many positive reviews from previous Amazon buyers. Without whom, she might have ended up with a copy of "Captain Blly's Whiz Bang".

I was a new knitter and wanted an overall reference book for stitches, techniques, yarns, pattern abbreviations, etc. This book is all that and more. I looked at many books and checked out various reviews before deciding on which book to buy. Many sources recommended this book as the one to get and now I know why - it was an excellent choice. This book has given me the confidence to try more challenging projects that I would not have even considered doing before. The text is clear and concise and the illustrations are excellent. Happy knitting!

Reviews

What can I say, this is the best of Vogue Knitting projects featured in their magazines compiled into a wonderfully inspiring book. I want to make everything!

There's a wide variety, and there are a few patterns I liked. And of course, there were some patterns where I asked myself, "Is that a handknit Snuggie???" But if I could rate individual patterns in the book, my hands-down, least favorite pattern was the Wide Rib Shrug. Since we don't have a picture available, I would describe it as basically a tube top that goes around your shoulders instead of your breasts, and it is made with really chunky yarn. Why would anyone ever wear this? It looks like it would fall down every time you move your arms and it adds no warmth. Maybe someone wanted to get that Flashdance, off-the-shoulder feeling. Meh... maybe this pattern would be interesting to a very, very inexperienced knitter.

I have lots of Vogue and this one is right down their usual path Something for everyone

I was highly disappointed in the book. Yes, the photos were nice but I was hoping for something I hadn't seen before.

This has something for everyone - from lacy beaded shawls for a fancy night out, to warm snuggly wraps to keep you warm on a cold winter night. I would make the majority of the patterns in this book, there are only 2 or 3 that don't appeal to me. If you like shawls and/or wraps, this is a good book to add to your collection.