Knitting Rules

Both a celebration of the craft and a sourcebook for practical information, Knitting Rules! is a collection of useful advice and emotional support for the avid knitter. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee unravels the mysteries of tangled yarn, confusing patterns, and stubbornly unfinished projects. Daring to question long-standing rules and encouraging crafters to knit in the way that works best for them, this illuminating, liberating, and hilarious look at the world of knitting is full of surprises and delightfully inspiring ideas.

Both a celebration of the craft and a sourcebook for practical information, Knitting Rules! is a collection of useful advice and emotional support for the avid knitter. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee unravels the mysteries of tangled yarn, confusing patterns, and stubbornly unfinished projects. Daring to question long-standing rules and encouraging crafters to knit in the way that works best for them, this illuminating, liberating, and hilarious look at the world of knitting is full of surprises and delightfully inspiring ideas.

“Thiessen has done her research, and talked to people who truly have insight into the process of making both yarn and clothing.” —Modern Daily Knitting Like the “slow food” movement, Slow Knitting encourages knitters to step back, pare down, and celebrate the craftsmanship of their work. In five chapters centered around the tenets of slow knitting—sourcing carefully, making thoughtfully, thinking environmentally, experimenting fearlessly, and exploring openly—Hannah Thiessen challenges knitters of all skill levels to view their practice in a new way. Each chapter contains explorations of fiber types; profiles of well-known yarn types, makers, and yarn suppliers; and garment patterns inspired by the featured fibers. With contributions from knitting superstars Norah Gaughan, Bristol Ivy, and many others, Slow Knitting proposes an approach to knitting that is both minimalist and all-encompassing, and emphasizes what makes knitting a meditation, a passion, and a unique necessity. “Promotes the concept of ‘slow knitting’ which discards the pressure to produce prolifically and instead, revolves around the idea that thoughtfully produced yarn will result in better projects for you-the crafter.” —MarthaStewart.com

The tangled life of the knitter is the subject of inspired nuttiness in 300 tongue-in-cheek meditations from the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. At Knit’s End captures the wickedly funny musings of someone who doesn’t believe it’s possible to knit too much and who willingly sacrifices sleep, family, work, and sanity in order to keep doing it. Covering everything from the deadly “second sock syndrome” to a pile of yarn so big it can hide a washing machine, this hilarious collection will have knitters in stitches!

Hungry for new knitting techniques? Try knitting brioche! Knitting Brioche is the first and only knitting book devoted exclusively to brioche stitch, a knitting technique that creates a double-sided fabric. This complete guide will take you from your first brioche stitches to your first (or hundredth) project, and even to designing with brioche stitch, if you desire. Whether you're new to brioche knitting or experienced at "brioching," author Nancy Marchant provides the information and inspiration you need. Inside Knitting Brioche, you'll find: • Detailed instructions and step-by-step photos that will guide you through all of the techniques you'll need for brioche knitting. • A stitch dictionary including 60 beautiful stitch patterns with many multicolor options. • 25 patterns for garments and accessories, all made with brioche stitches, some combined with other design elements including cables, lace, intarsia and more! Grab your needles and yarn and take a bite out of brioche knitting.

Explains the basic principles and techniques of the single-strand knitting style, describes and charts all-new patterns, and provides guidance in the design and making of various clothing items for women, men, and children.

Comprehensive in scope and elegant in presentation, this classic Victorian-era volume was the first complete how-to guide to knitting. Originally published by Butterick, the company that later produced Vogue Knitting, it constitutes a fantastic historical document as well as an easy-to-follow guide for knitters at all levels of experience. In addition to basic knitting instructions and a dictionary of stitches, the book offers illustrated patterns for dozens of projects, including sweaters, scarves, hats, and other items for women, men, and children. Starting with a chapter of general directions, the guide presents examples of fancy stitches, including edging designs for mittens and socks, borders for scarves and shawls, and knitted edgings and insertions. Ladies' apparel and accessories include hoods, capes, shawls, jackets, fascinators, leggings, and many other projects. Menswear includes sweaters, belts, scarves, ties, and more. In addition to children's clothing and toys, the book also features patterns for counterpanes, spreads, doilies, mats, and other household articles.

Knitting instruction and relationship therapy all in one—with lots of laughs along the way. For as long as women have been knitting, they’ve been knitting garments for men—only to have men hide their lovingly created pieces in drawers and closets. Men aren’t being intentionally cruel; they’re just not comfortable in knitwear made with bright colors, itchy yarn, or flashy designs. So what’s a knitter to do? Understand the male psyche, says knitting instructor Bruce Weinstein. In Knits Men Want he presents ten hilarious essays, each based on a rule that helps women knit for men successfully. “Men Are Babies” explains why guys need to wear soft fabrics. “Men Hate Fittings” describes how to create a sweater based on one that’s in his wardrobe. Following each essay is a timeless master pattern, from socks, hats, and scarves to an array of sweaters, all in a range of sizes and most written for multiple gauges. With this book in hand, women finally have the secret to knitting garments that men will appreciate and actually wear.