Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks: Over 70 sanity saving hacks for better knitting

Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks was exactly what I was looking for as a beginner knitter! I am pleased to have this eye-opening, must-have knitting information all in one place in book form. I finally understand the why of knitting! I highly recommend Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks as a worthwhile addition to any beginning knitter's library!

I've taken some of Patty's classes before and I don't always remember all her tips until after I could have used them, if that makes sense- now the tips are organized, illustrated and printed out so that the next time I start a project, I can quickly flip to see if there's a tip that oh yeah- I should have remembered that! New knitters will understand their knitting and avoid bad habits while the more seasoned will understand the 'why' better. The true knitting nerds (like myself) will also find it just a pleasurable read from cover to cover, nodding in recognition of the mistakes and lessons we've hit ourselves along the way. What is really remarkable (and rare) is that Patty is able to show you how something you've done (maybe a thousand times) could be improved- but without making you feel foolish for having done it that way or damaging your knitting self confidence. A pleasure to read and a valuable resource for virtually every project.

I have been knitting for years and I still learned so much from Patty! I mean Patty Lyons, am I right?? She is terrific and friendly. This book is well worth the money. She explains the "why" in easily understood terms and encourages you in your knitting like your best friend! I plan on making my way through this book chapter by chapter and technique by technique. I also bought the work book and that is such fun and includes space for your knitting notes, swatch samples and thoughts. The Franklin Habit designed stickers in the work book are fun and cute and a great plus!

First impressions...I really love the quality of this book. The paper is smooth and heavy...the cover looks durable and the binding top notch. I love how it is a sewn binding so that the pages lay flat when you turn the pages. I can imagine being able to throw this into my knitting bag and not worry about it falling apart and getting frayed. I really appreciate how Patty has a combination of photos with illustrations which place emphasis on the action being performed. I normally have a hard time processing illustrations and prefer photos...just the way my mind comprehends things...the way the action is showcased in a different color is brilliant! Of course, the whimsical drawings by Franklin are a nice added touch as well! Patty delves into the why behind the stitches and really helped me gain an understanding of the anatomy of the stitches and how that makes the knitted fabric behave. It is almost like a fiber physics class. Instead of just telling me to do an action...but why I am doing it... it is creating a mindset for me to help solve some problems I may encounter on my own as well. Honestly I feel like a have a teacher in my knitting bag ready to guide me through any project I may have on my needles. I have been knitting for over 18 years and I have to say...I have learned so much from reading this book. I only wish I had it as a reference when I was a novice. I honestly think that if Elizabeth Zimmerman was alive today..she would be giving Patty and five star review and saying way to go Patty!

I do a lot of knitting, but am always open to suggestions for improvement. This book has lots of fun and practical tips on preventing errors, correcting errors, subtly improving technique, and so on. I found many of these knitting hacks to be very easy, with great results. A few others I thought were a bit difficult to follow, despite the detailed instructions and drawings. The buttonhole method I found especially frustrating. I followed the instructions exactly, but the buttonhole still had that small hole at the edge. The whole point of the hack was to avoid creating the hole, so I don't understand why I had trouble with it. It's not like I haven't knitted dozens of buttonholes before. Even with this criticism, I recommend the book. The author has a good sense of humor and is fun to read, and most of her tricks worked really well.

Informative book. clear instructions

Beautiful book. Unfortunately it arrived damaged with a page torn…. This is not really for complete beginners. It will not show you how to get started. More of a progression book once we already have some skills

Fantastic book. In the last few days I have learned how to do several things. I also learned that it is important to know what the yarn is doing, what I am doing with it, and understanding all of this - not just following the pattern but knowing why. And suddenly I can do a lot of things and do them in the right places. Two ways to increase - now I know which one to use if I want to ‘lean to the right ‘ or ‘lean to the left’. The diagrams are excellent, the word descriptions as well. I was a ‘ good ‘ knitter but I am now at least two levels above where I was. If you love this book as I do, consider the workbook she has just put out. I saw it today and it is keeping on the themes I mentioned above. By answering her questions through the workbook you understand why, and thus how to deal with every situation.

Contains a lot of tips on how to improve your knitting. It is not written like a text book, more like an advise from someone more knowledgeable. I refer to this book a lot while kntting.

Great book. Full of very useful information, great illustrations and a fancy stay open binding. Every knitter should have this book.