Intro to Knitterature: Books for Beginners

[As an avid reader and English major, books are a big deal to me. When I started knitting, my favorite part about it was looking through patterns in books for hours (ask my sister) on end. I've made a couple lame purchases, but I did most of the shopping on my own and there are a couple cool patterns in each one. At Barnes and Noble today, I stopped by the knitting section and decided to make this post for friends and passer-bys. I hope to have a bunch of posts on this for advancing levels, but I might not. We'll see. Anyway, I'm starting with beginners and depending on the response, I'll add more etc.]

Intro to Knitterature

Before you read on, please note that I am in no way a representative of any of of the publishers of these books. I'm not getting paid for these and if I ever get free books, I would die.

Go to any knitting section at a chain bookstore and you will find a crazy amount of knitting books. From lucious lace to slinky surprises, the aisle is absolutely intimidating for a n on-knitter or beginning stitcher. I argue that every book has at least one great pattern, but I personally wouldn't buy a book with one pattern I could use for $20. I am creating this guide so you know what you are looking for.

Emily Brutalite's Top 5 Beginners' Books:
1. Stitch N Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. Though the first Stitch N Bitch was good, I argue that Stitch N Bitch Nation is better. Not only is this entire book in full color (SNB uno is not), they have better pictures of the knits which is a VERY important attribute to any book. I refer back to Nation often, because they have great, creative ideas for every need. Plus, reading about local stitch groups is inspirational.

2. Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss. The explination of knitting is fantastic in this book. It really helped me figure out the difference between "increase one" and "make one" which, before this book, did not make sense. What I love about this book is that they're baby knits, so you're in for small things that knit up fairly simply and quickly. Getting a tiny little scarf for your best friend's baby is a great first knit >D!

3. Simple Knits for Easy Living by Erika Knight. Not going to lie, the English can teach knitting like none other. Of course, I learned from my British grandmother, so I am partially biased. High resolution picture by high resolution picture, the next best way to learn to knit is in person or on video. It also gives tips on what yarn to use with which material, i.e. soft suede. The downfall is that Knight uses Rowan for all projects. To knit some of these things in Rowan, you may have to take out a small loan, sell a child, or a body part.

4. Stitchionary I by Vogue Knitting. Once you know how to knit and purl, this is a MUST HAVE. If you love to switch up a pattern or create your own, this book is your key. Other than the fact they use neon green yarn at one point, I really have no bad things to say about this book.

5. Last Minute Knit Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. Every collection needs a book filled with quick, last minute items. Last Minute offers many creative projects to work. Just keep in mind everyone is self paced when knitting. Don't feel like you should have a project done in one hour just because it's labelled time. Even our most favorite bloggers (i.e. wendyknits.net) are process knitters!

Want to venture out of my narrow view of books? Here are some criteria for a good beginner book:

1. Great description of all concepts used in the book. If the book doesn't explain how to do basic concepts (knit, purl, increase one, decrease one), it's not a good book for a beginner until he or she has a firm grasp on the basics.
2. Pictures of the finished project (bonus points if it has close-ups).
3. Patterns that you like. If you don't like more than a two or three patterns, seriously contemplate if it's worth the purchase. It's also important to think otuside of the box with each pattern as well. Could it look better with less bobbles? A different color? The great thing about knitting is the amount of creativity you CAN use!

I hope this helps when picking out books for beginners. If you have questions feel free to leave a comment on this blog or e-mail me at: springsteena [at] hotmail [dot] com.