Knitch Magazine

Title:

Author: Claire Crompton

Date Published: October 2010

Review Date: November 10, 2010

Who is this book for?

Stitch Library is the fifth book in the knitter’s bible series. Like its predecessors, this book is simple, straightforward, and filled with sound advice. The book is aimed at all levels of knitters, but is especially helpful for independent minded knitters who want to know how to tinker with commercial patterns to better suit their individual preferences. Creative knitters will learn to adapt the textured, cabled, embossed, or openwork stitches into their own designs, and to explore edgings, borders and color work. Nine ingenious projects show how to turn practice pieces into chic accessories and home décor accent pieces. These exercises can launch readers on a path to designing their own projects. Stitch Library will unleash a knitter’s creative potential by showing first the marvelous variety of stitches available and how to knit them. It goes a step further, however, by suggesting ways to substitute different stitches or add color into a design.

What Yarn Does it Feature?

Claire Crompton is a British designer and author; consequently she uses yarns commonly available in England and Canada. American knitters who want to recreate the projects exactly as shown have access to these lovely yarns through US distributors. As many have learned through sad experience, however, colors and yarns come and go quickly from the market. Therefore, every knitter needs to know how to substitute yarns. Stitch Library includes a helpful guide on how to calculate yardage for substitutions. Remember to refer to the yarn descriptions on the project pages as the author recommends, for you must consider the recommended gauge, fiber content and weight of the yarn as well as yardage requirements when making substitutions.

What's Inside

Like most stitch dictionaries, Stitch Library is organized from simple to more complex stitches. It starts with easy knit and purl stitch combinations, moving to embossed or Gansey patterns, then to textured and rib stitches. A well-defined color photograph illustrates each stitch. The instructions are written in the usual row by row format, and in the increasingly popular chart format, too. Knitters who have never knitted from a chart can practice on these simple combination stitches. The page layout is uncluttered, readable and consistent. Different colored edge borders separate sections of the stitch dictionary, so you can easily flip from one section to another. To make flipping through the book even easier, each border is labeled by section. This book is made for browsing.

Cable stitches, twist stitches, and embossed fabrics lead to the section on lace stitches, eyelets, drop stitch patterns and edgings. When encountering these more complex patterns, knitters will appreciate the simplicity of the chart and symbols over long and sometimes confusing written instructions. Solid color slip stitch patterns are presented, and then color is introduced using slip stitches and color stitches. Purposefully, color stitches are shown in black and white or a neutral green, leaving readers to imagine and create individual color combinations.

In the projects chapter, readers can learn how to put stitches together in pleasing combinations to create unique accessories and accent pieces for their homes. Adaptations to the models can be made by substituting or rearranging stitch combinations, or adding color. Knitters can start by recreating the featured pattern and make several different iterations by interchanging stitch patterns. After completing just a few of these projects, beginners will feel comfortable making substitutions of their own. Helpful notes from the author guide knitters through the mystery of making changes.

Using It

Readers can use the Stitch Library as a learning tool to explore new stitches or techniques and as a stitch dictionary to create their own designs. Stitch Library is also an excellent reference guide for deciphering confusing pattern directions. For those times when pattern instructions are difficult to decipher, every knitter should have backup stitch guide with photographs, instructions and charts for common stitch patterns. Confusion over patterns calling for cat’s eye, bud stitch, moss stitch or basket weave stitch is eliminated when users can look up the instructions for these stitches in Stitch Library. Knitters can also use Stitch Library somewhat like a field guide to knitting stitches. By learning to identify knitting stitches on sight, clever knitters can take note of patterns that please them and adapt what they see to their personal use.

Best Advice

Claire Compton nudges budding designers along a path to creating their own designs by suggesting changes to each of the projects in Stitch Library. She guides knitters through these changes with simple variations that are guaranteed a high percentage of success. Knitters who are timid about straying from pattern directions can learn the elements of design by making these minor adjustments. With initial success, all the tools needed for more innovation are in this handy volume.

This book is especially valuable for beginning knitters. Without overwhelming a beginner with complex content and hundreds of stitches that vary only slightly, Stitch Library introduces knitters to the elements of design. It is a good technical reference and a guide to understanding how stitches are used to build designs. Every knitter should have at least one stitch dictionary, and this guide will inspire and encourage knitters to go beyond the printed pattern.

Overall Recommendation

Claire Compton’s Stitch Library rates #8.