The Principles of Knitting

I'm so so Happy I ordered this. So full of great information

As many have mentioned before me, this is a tome. Some have said the pages are see-through but compared to my old college textbooks with glossy pages (and the headache glare that can come with it) these pages are a matte finish, very easy on the eyes and a pleasure to read. The black and white diagrams are also not an issue for me, as I am use to them from reading Mary Thomas, older Elizabeth Zimmermann and B. Walker's Treasury of Patterns books. The binding could be considered flimsy but as a retired library employee I believe this is so the book can be laid open for reference without having to break the binding.The content is nothing short of superbly thorough. Ms. Hiatt thoroughly explores not just the whats, but the hows, whys, what the method is best used for or not so good for; and when to or not to use it. Where Elizabeth Zimmerman is (self described as) pithy in her directions, Ms. Hiatt explores topics in easy-to-understand yet surgical detail. For anyone who wants to know knitting science inside and out or actively question and/or improve their methods, this book cannot be beat.

Those of us who are "dyed in the wool" knitters have been offered a treasure trove of spectacular books within the last 12 months, but this one, "The Principles of Knitting" tops my list of must-have volumes. Here's my take on June Hemmons Hiat's revised foundational volume:PROS:1. "Principles" starts at the beginning (e.g., how-tos, including knitting methods, cast-on, cast-off, selvages, and more basics) and proceeds to the most complex. She has included all the basics every knitter needs to understand.2. Many knitting writers stress the importance of starting each project with a gauge swatch, but this volume includes a series of photos of swatches made with different yarns and weights. We know (from being told so often) we should always make the swatch, but often we are so ready to get going that we skip this most important step with sometimes sorry results. Now you can see why you must do this before plunging right into your pattern.What was news to me is simple common sense that I have been woefully lacking - dress the swatch. Of course! It makes perfect sense that your swatch should reflect the same finishing that you'll apply to the finished garment. And that would explain why, sometimes, my garments do not exactly mirror my swatches.3. I've recently had a bear of a time picking up stitches to finish a hemmed neckline and hemmed armholes. My problem? Getting the picked up stitches exactly even on each side. Now I can do it with ease by picking up all stitches and decreasing as necessary - perfect! Why didn't I think of that before.4. Not everyone becomes an avid knitter, but, for those who do, the time inevitably arrives when they want to knit their own original designs. The Principles of Knitting is the definitive resource for designing your own knits without hiding the final product or having the neighborhood gather to giggle at your results. For example, consider the discussion on designing a sleeve cap (pp. 495-96 - available for you to read in the "look inside the book" section above). Here's a clear discussion on how to fit the sleeve cap so the results look professional rather than disastrous. Think about it. Shouldn't handmade knits look great (better than off-the-rack) as well as being heart-felt creations? This is the resource you need to make that happen.5. There's a ton of information in this book that I may never get around to using, but that's ok. There's so much to do differently in the techniques I already use, that I will be busy from now on - and my results will be even better. But if I ever get bored . . .CONS:1. This is a HUGE volume, so it is understandable that certain cost-cutting efforts were applied to reduce the final size and expense. However, the paper used is light-weight, and the print sometimes shows through the back of the page, making it a bit difficult to read. I consider this book an important tool, just the same as my hard-wood needles, so I would have preferred a heavier paper even if it increased the cost of the book. After all, the cost of the best tools usually pays off in the best results!2. A question: What's with the Kindle edition of this book costing 51% more than the print edition? How can that be reasonable? About the only advantage I can imagine is that you could receive instant delivery, but is that worth paying so much more?OVERALL:I pre-ordered this massive volume on September 1, 2011, and waited almost six months to read it. It was worth the wait. If I could own only two knitting books, this would be one of the two. The other? "Finishing School." With these two books, you'll have the answer to any "knotty" problem you might encounter. Knitters rejoice! This is the mother lode!

I am not only a 50+ year knitter but I love *reading about knitting* as well. The is a word heavy book and you are going to need to love to read about knitting and technique. There are photos ( almost all black and white) and charts are explained. There’s a ton of technique info which is enormously enlightening especially if you learned your cast on from your grandmother (in my case, she only knew one).I think this book could be problematic for people who get more out of images than written descriptions. There are a tremendous number of things I’ve never read elsewhere, like twined knitting. It’s the kind of book I pick up and just read; I always walk away with insight into my own knitting.Minor quibble....I really think clear color photos would have enhanced this book a lot. The black and white photos are often fuzzy; it dates the book. Also, on my scale this weighs 6# which is quite a challenge if you have compromised hands. I’m super tempted to buy this again in the Kindle format. I like it that much but it’s a book for a certain kind of learner.

This is a big, heavy, book and contains pretty much everything you could wish to know about knitting, but . .I hoped this would be the only knitting technique book that I would ever need, but I was sadly wrong.I've learned that I need to see how things are done in drawings/photos/videos when learning new knitting techniques, and there just aren't enough of these in the book for me (it would be about a metre thick if every technique in the book had diagrams and photos to fully explain it!!!).I'm pretty sure that any knitting technique or method you could ever wish to know about would be described in detail in this book, but it won't necessarily have any pictures at all to go along with it. Additionally, she uses her own terminology, so you may want to look up what a particular knitting term means, or how to do it, but as she calls it by another name, you wouldn't be able to find it in this book, even though it's pretty much certain to be there! (Read through the "How to use this book" and "Terminology" sections in the "Look inside" preview of the Kindle version to see)If you want a good, basic, knitting instruction/reference book with loads of pictures, then I'd recommend either the reasonably-priced Dorling Kindersley "The Knitting book" (Patmore & Haffenden) or the more expensive Vogue Knitting "The Ultimate knitting book". Neither of these are as comprehensive as June's book, but they are easier to browse.So, I am really pleased that I own this book, but it is definitely not the first book I'd look at when I'm stuck. It is, however, one that I trust to tell me the right way to do things, and I will not be parting with my copy!

This is a very thorough and scholarly book but it is not for anyone who is a recreational knitter. It is quite dry and not very inspirational. Not the kind of book you can read at length but maybe good to dip into if you have a specific problem.I would love some more design ideas but I suppose that is not the purpose of the book.The quality of the paper is disappointing, particularly in a book which is likely to get a lot of handling. Buy it if you are a serious knitter and of a scientific disposition.

Excellent book. Arrived in good time (not the quickest but well up there). This book is very heavy, at in excess of 700 pages, and is hardback thankfully as I guess it's going to get lots of use. It's obviously a classic and is no way going back. What I didn't appreciate is that all of the photos are in black and white, which might put some people off, but it allows you to concentrate on the essentials - the actual photos aren't great quality by and large, but there are a number of illustrations (these are generally clear but could be larger in some cases). I am really just starting to look at this book - it might be that 'go-to' book, you know where you look first (just like having a favourite cookery book - I always look at one of Nigel Slater's books first, then I look elsewhere).Chapters are:1. Learning and methods2. Constructing a fabric3. Decorative techniques4. Special fabrics5. Stitch and colour patterns6. Pattern design7. Materials8. Working a projectIt covers things that are in vogue at the moment like I-cords and short rows (this is an update of the first edition which I believe was 20 years ago, but I might be wrong there).In general, I believe this to be an excellent book. Although some of the headings have a heading in brown which breaks it up, there is still a lot of text which might put some people off. However, I think the book is great - and I do not give praise lightly. Definitely one for the enthusiastic knitter (if you are just into knitting scarves, it is probably overkill at over 700 pages, with over 30 pages for the index!)

I love this book. I've gotten it a few days ago and I've already learned new things. The author explains things as clearly as possible, and you've got pictures to go with the explanation.I consider myself an intermediate knitter and I think there is something for everyone in this book, whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced knitter. She encourages you to browse each chapter for explanations on various subjects, and I strongly recommend you do so, because the author really addresses almost everything you might think of about knitting.It is quite a heavy book so you won't be able to carry it around easily, but this just means there is a lot of information inside. Think of it as a knitting bible and you get a sense of what it's in there.the only way I can think of to make this book even better would be to add a DVD or CD-ROM to further explain some notions visually. However, as is, this book is a must-have for any knitter.

I'll be honest and say right now that I haven't "read" this book but, to be fair, it isn't the type of book you "read". Itis, in fact, the fattest, thickest book I've seen for many years and absolutely stuffed full of all the knitting methods, cast-on's/off's, stitching advice etc etc etc. It is the most amazing resource for anyone interest in knitting - I am an adventurous, creative knitter whose goal sometimes doesn't tie in neatly with my knowledge (!!) so this is ideal - a real bookshelf book that I can come back to time and time again to make sure I'm getting it right.A really really experienced knitter may not need an encyclopedic book like this (although I am firmly in the camp that believes we are always learning and should never think we have no further need to educate ourselves) but the beginner (don't be daunted by the size of this book) and the intermediate should find they are using this book for all their knitting questions.