The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges

I bought this book because several (more than 3) of my favorite knitting teachers gave it heavy recommendations, saying that this is a valuable permanent reference book they still use. It is a slim spiral bound volume that delivers the promised information & no more or less. There are basic simple garments, with all of the pertinent figures and directions for tailoring to taste or fit. This is a guide to personalizing patterns, so they never become outdated or inappropriate for fit.

This is an incredible book for basic vanilla patterns to build upon. As a beginner knitter, this is straightforward and explains so much about construction etc. it will be a great reference when I’m no longer a novice.

I"m a senior woman. My interest in knitting started as a small child when my own grandmother taught me to knit. I did a lot of knitting in my thirtiies and forties, then life got busy, so I laid down my needles. Now that I"m a Grandmother myself, I was looking for a general book of techniques. (Already have lots of patterns) This book has lots of techniques and I'm sure I'll refer to it when I"m looking to start my next project. (Since my Grandma is no longer around to anmswer my questions). Recommended!

This book delivers what the title promises. There are patterns for making basic garments in a range of gauges and sizes. This is not a book full of different, new, or funky patterns. They are very basic, allowing you to use the yarn and needles that you desire. So, if you wish you could just find a basic hat, mitten, glove, scarf, vest, or sweater pattern, this book is for you. If you are looking for something with a lot of new designs, you will be disappointed. I give the book 4 stars, because I feel that it is a bit pricey for the size of the book. But, other than that, it is a good addition to your knitting library.

Will re-order and give us a gift

I learned to become a prolific sock knitter from Ann Budd's book Getting Started Knitting Socks so I expected her Book of Patterns to be just as easy for me to follow. I consider myself an intermediate knitter having knit three lovely sweaters prior to getting this book so I thought I could use her sweater techniques for a future sweater and pick up some knowledge on scarves, hats, etc. too.I have never used the stitch charts that are used so extensively in this book i.e. each square indicates a specific stitch to be made based on a stitch legend that is provided. Maybe this is easy for some to follow, but not for me. I will go back to Elizabeth Zimmerman's books which give more of an overall design guide which is what I expected from this book rather than stitch by stitch instruction.As a comparison, I looked at her instructions on knitting socks in this book. It has pages of stitch counts based on the size of your foot and the stitch gauge along with complicated step-by-step instructions which is not like her sock knitting book that I referenced above which gives guidelines based on the measurement of your foot. The sweater section is even more complicated with pages showing stitch count and gauge based on sizes from child to large adult. Much of the book is taken up with these individual sizing/stitch count/gauge pages.I like that the book is spiral bound and has nice photos and I like the pocket in the back. Probably a good book for some, but it doesn't work with the way I knit.

Ever try to find a mitten pattern? Just a plain old mitten pattern? One without funky cuffs, intarsia patterns? It was this quest that led me to this book. On a cold January, I wanted to knit myself a pair of thick woollen mittens, with extra long cuffs and shorter than normal thumbs (my thumbs are unusually short for my hands, so finding gloves or mittens with a proper thumb size is hard).This book not only has basic mitten patterns -- it also has gloves, hats, tams, socks, and some basic sweaters (she now has a Handy Book of Sweater Patterns I bought as soon as I found it). At first, the charts seem daunting, but it's actually quite easy to use. Just knit a swatch using the yarn and needles you want to use for the project, then count your stitches per inch. That's the number on one side of the chart. The upper section of the chart is for the various sizes -- and she includes a wide variety of sizes to suit many needs. For example, the basic hats include sizes from premature infants to adult men's hats. Just follow the chart section for your gauge and the size, and you end up with something that's exactly what you expected.I made two pairs of mittens, one for myself and one for my husband. I've made a preemie hat and a newborn hat so far, and plan to do an adult hat.Each section also has a variety of ideas on how to personalize the item and make it to your tastes. For example, the hats include a variety of edge styles and hat toppers, with instructions on how to add these to your pattern.For beginners to advanced knitters, this book is a must-have for foolproof basics.

An interesting idea to have this range of multi sizes. The basic designs are very basic but I look forward to experimenting with different stitches and colours to make the basic shapes individual. Being spiral bound is excellent and I’m going to use a highlighter tape to keep checking the numbers for the size I choose.

It does give guides on how to do different sizes, but very few modelsUnfortunately

The great beauty of this series of books is that you can buy any yarn you like, work at any tension / gauge you like and these patterns will adapt to you and your yarn. Your projects will always fit. What a relief.The patterns are flexible so you can draw in details from other patterns or traditions and end up with a very satisfying outcome.Since using these books I rarely have to tear out projects. I can crack wonderful work out quickly. When I travel I can buy unsual yarns. No problem. I can learn new techniques (I learned how to knit over my neck in Portugal - the woman in the sitting in front of her house thought it was hilarious that a 6 foot man would ask her to show her how....and neither of us spoke the other's language). This book really opened up the knitting world for me.

I’ve owned one since 10+ years back. It’s very useful and always my go-to knitting book. Recently I ordered one for my sister, hopefully she will enjoy it too.

acquistare libri di Ann Budd è una certezza, sono ottimi, anche se so poco di inglese, sono in grado di eseguire i patterns proposti