i want to put a knitting handbook on my x-mas wishlist and i need a recommendation. i want something that illustrates how to do techniques such as yarnovers, cableknit etc. a friend in my knitting circle has the "stich 'n bitch:the knitters handbook" and loves it. i also was looking at "vogue knitting: the ultimate knitting handbook" on amazon, but i just don't know which one is best.
i'm a beginner on the brink of becoming an intermediate knitter so i need something that goes a little bit further past the basics.
I have Stich n' Bitch and really like it. (I'm a beginner, though.) For more intermediate stuff, you may want to try the sequel: "stich n' bitch nation." It has more advanced techniques and patterns. HTH!
Overall, the Vogue book has a more comprehensive set of techniques. IMO, Stitch and Bitch wore out it's welcome once I passed beyond beginner. The techniques are very basic, and the patterns are too trendy. The Vogue book will probably contain a ton of stitches and techniques that you won't use early on in your knitting career, but it is an encyclopedia of knitting info that is useful for life.
My favorite book is Nancie Wisemans "The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques." It might not be what you are looking for since it focuses pretty exclusively on finishing.
I don't own any of them YET, but the books by Elizabeth Zimmerman are considered knitting classics.
I know this sounds crazy, but Knitting for Dummies is really really good. Everyone likes something different & thinks their book is great, so I went to the library & spent about 2 hours looking through books to see what I thought would be most helpful for what I was looking for. I do have Stitch N bitch - the first book & I like it "ok", but I learn better from seeing a technique than reading about it or looking at illustrations, so I end up at my LYS or on the internet looking for videos anyway.
And I have Knitting for Anarchists on my wish list, but I'm a rebel & am having issues with people wanting to teach me "their way" instead of showing me stitches based on how I knit. I'm in a really screwed up place in my learning right now.
HTH
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