Best Knitting Books

Which knitting books should I be adding to my wishlist on Bookmooch. I am a beginnng knitter. I only started about a month ago.

These days, I would suggest the series The Knitting Experience from Sally Melville. Three books in the series are out so far: The Knit Stitch, The Purl Stitch and Color. The instructions and illustrations are complete and clear.

For men's patterns (aimed at men) either Knitting with Balls by Michael Del Vecchio or The Knitting Man(ual) by Kristin Spurkland.

(Touchstones are being silly per usual.)

Welcome kaykwilts!

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for patterns I think that is a matter of taste. Last Minute Knitted Gifts has a nice variety of simple projects.

If you want a good resource book for learning new techniques the Vogue Knitting goes through basic techniques for casting on and off, increasing and decreasing, stitch patterns, gauges swatches , tools, abbreviations etc. It is one I often show/lend to friends who have just started. If you are visual it has lots of pictures. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears is also a classic especially if you want to size garments to yourself or start designing.

If you enjoy learning new stitch patterns (but not attached to any specific project) I adore Barbara Walker's books of stitch patterns they are incredibly inclusive and like a box of candy for knitters.

Vicki Square's little spiral bound The Knitter's Companion book has been invaluable. I've taped/written stuff in there over the years, and I'd be lost without it.

I love the Sally Melville Books. I second the Elizabeth Zimmerman's books.

Two others to consider:
1-Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques.
2-Knitting Rules - fun and lots of great tips

I think everyone needs
1) a beginners' book to sweat the details over - and Sally's books were extremely helpful.
2) A book that has the "right" way to do things - a reference book which Finishing techniques and Sally's books were there for me.

Happy Knitting!

I'm a beginner and need some advice...
I have completed a scarf (what else?), and two baby blankets and would like to try to make something to wear...a shrug or easy sweater...but I don't know what to look for. The knitting shops around me (and there are only 2 within 40 miles) are run by lovely, but older, ladies and they don't quite give me the direction I'm looking for.
Are there books of up-to-date trendy clothing that will not be over my head? I would like to be an expert NOW, but that doesn't seem to be happening.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Linda

I can't recommend any books, but I would check out www.knitty.com, www.ravelry.com, and interweave knits magazine. Knitty is an online knitting magazine, ravelry is a very large knitting community that includes forums, patterns, pictures, and anything a knitter with an Internet access needs :)

I get almost all my patterns online :)

>7 boblinfortino::
It's been mentioned before, but Stitch 'n Bitch is good in that it lists the skills you need to complete each project, allowing you to pick depending on what you know already. It's a few years old now but the projects are still trendy.

There are some funkier books out there - Domiknitrix, Naughty Needles, Knitting Lingerie Style - which look great. One I like the look of, because it is, apparently, good for those who knit scarves (in that you don't have to increase/decrease stitches) is Knit Kimono. As a newbie I haven't gotten any of them yet, but they'll be my next step.

(If anybody has used these, I'd love to know what you made of them).

I must also second checking out knitty.com--in particular there is a sweater pattern called "Tempted" that's basically made from ribbed rectangles, very basic but very cute and seems to be a logical step up from a scarf.

I have "Stitch 'n Bitch" and "Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation", both of which have a nice smattering of patterns. Stitch 'n Bitch has some good basic stuff--sweaters and bags and the like.

I would recommend the One Skein Wonders books for new knitters, the projects are small and the investment in yarn is small. One Skein Wonders also have many gifty ideas and projects.

Anything by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Seriously. If you only want to pick one, I'd go with Knitting Without Tears.

The two books I relied on when I was learning were Knitting Workshop by the sainted EZ and Stitch 'n Bitch. The latter has several good small projects--the alien illusion scarf and kitty hat were a couple of my first projects. Domiknitrix and Knitting Lingerie Style are good books but not for beginners.

I use the Reader's Digest Knitter's Handbook as a reference, but it's sometimes frustrating to use. I think there is something wrong with the index. I can't find an entry for a 3-needle bind-off, for example.

Don't forget to check out your local library. Chances are they will have a good selection of the books and instructional videos mentioned here. You can try them out to see what you like best. Among the authors already listed, don't forget to check out Barbara Walker.

I agree about joining Ravelry.com. It's free. It's an amazing website where you can not only see thousands of things to try, but also get advice if you're having a problem.

Knitty.com is also great.

There are so many knitting books on the market, and One Skein Wonders has some wonderful projects using just one skein of yarn. And do check out the local library.

I'll give you another push towards Ravelry. People will be practically tripping over each other to answer your questions there.

You might like to subscribe to Interweave Knits magazine.

I recommend Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee's books. Mostly, they are comic observations of a knitter's life. She's also known as the Yarn Harlot and has a great blog.

Thanks for posting, if you go to YouTube there are many videos of knitting instruction which I am sure will help you to progress with your knitting and the video links will lead you to many free patterns online.

I like to knit dishcloths with cotton wool, everybody loves them so I give most of them away but it is easy to do while watching TV even so look up some patterns for those and let us know how you make out if you start one.

Can someone please recommend a good lace knitting book?

Victorian Lace Today is good, and has a number of different kinds of projects.

Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller is an excellent tutorial on the design and knitting of traditional Shetland lace. The book contains several patterns, but the focus is more on teaching traditional motifs and design principles.

If you want a pattern book, I would second Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby, or try A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen.

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I'm going to source them right now.

best knitting books i have read -

Knitty Gritty: Knitting for the Absolute Beginner
by Aneeta Patel

100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet: A collection of beautiful blooms for embellishing clothes, accessories, cushions and throws
by Lesley Stanfield