A-Z of Knitting

The history of knitting 4

Before you begin 10
Needles 11, Other tools and equipment 12, Tension/gauge 14, Reading patterns and charts 15

Basic stitches and techniques 16
Casting on 18, The essential stitches 26, Other basic stitches 30, Casting off 30, Joining in a new yarn 36, Selvedges 38, Shaping 39, Holding stitches 48, Picking up stitches 48, Working short rows 52, Rib stitches 55, Making buttonholes 59, Fixing mistakes 69

And then there's more 77
Aran knitting 77, Beaded knitting 88, Circular knitting 91, Knitting with multiple colours 94, Embossing 105, Entrelac knitting 108, Lace knitting 114, Loop knitting 115, Shaker knitting 118, Surface embroidery on knitting 122, Duplicate stitch 131, Smocking on knitting 133

Finishing techniques 138
Finishing ends of yarn 138, Blocking 139, Sewing up seams 140, Fringes, pompoms and tassels 145, Caring for knitted garments 148

Index 152

About Country Bumpkin

Compiled by the expert team at Country Bumpkin, renowned Australian publishers of embroidery books and magazines.

Linda Bennet

t’s a great book with a fantastic amount of knowledge, which I know I shall find very useful. I’ve been knitting for quite a while, but there are always new things to learn, so I was really thrilled to receive your book.

 

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Crochet Addict UK

I count myself as a beginner knitter so I couldn't wait to see what was inside this brilliant book. I really wasn't disappointed. It's jam packed full of information and fantastic step-by-step instructions. The book really does cover an amazing amount. At the beginning you are taking through everything you need to know before
you start. What yarn to choose, needles and other tools & equipment you will need or want. Then you are taken through everything from tension/gauge to how to read knitting patterns and charts. Now this book isn't just for beginners but it is invaluable to anyone who wants to learn anything about knitting. You are taken through how to hold the yarn and needles, casting on, essential stitches and other basic stitches. Then it's onto casting off and how to join new yarn. I love the section on selvedges (adding an edge to your knitting). I've been winging it and this book breaks it down so it's really easy to follow. The next section of the book takes you through shaping, holding stitches, picking up stitches, working short rows & rib stitches. Then it's onto making buttonholes and the most important section - fixing mistakes. This book has so much in it that it will
keep you busy for years to come. I won't learn everything in this book at once. I'm going to use it everytime I come to a pattern that I need help with. I really feel this book can help me with anything I need to learn with knitting. AMAZING!

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Karen Platt- yarnsandfabrics.co.uk

Knitting has been a lifelong craft for me and I greedily gobble up stitches and patterns. If you are just starting out, this book has all the basics but it also has advanced techniques such as fair-isle, so it could become a great resource as your skills improve. It provides clear instructions with photographs so you can see at a glance what you need to do. It covers all the basic knitting techniques from casting on, to buttonholes.