One of the most certain ways to spark a debate online is to deconstruct the Language of Knitting.
From SSK to Reverse All Shaping to even Work even, someone, somewhere, is scratching their head wondering why. So when the folks from Soho Pub sent us this new volume of something called the KNITOPEDIA, we knew exactly what we needed to do: send it along to one of you with that itchy finger!
“… Knitopedia is organized as an A to Z encyclopedia with numerous cross-references that make it easy to find information. This remarkable resource contains over 400 individual articles and is lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed, with hundreds of color photos, technical illustrations, charts and maps.”
Here’s a small sampling of the contents:
• explanations of all commonly used abbreviations
• explanations and illustrations of all important knitting techniques, such as casting on, binding off, shaping and picking up stitches
• historical and cultural background information on all ethnic knitting traditions
• articles on the design process, fit and ease and other design-related topics
• overviews of today’s knitting world (the Internet, blogs, magazines, podcasts)
• over 100 basic stitch patterns, with photos and charts
THIS. Is a really great edition to a knitting library. It has topical entries (hence the “opedia”) instead of full chapters allowing for a more diverse sampling of techniques, definitions, and even history.
Along with the text copy, there are photos and graphics that richly describe many of the processes or styles.
My favorite, since I’m on a mission, are the pages about: SLEEVES.
Many of us, without a sewing background, are without those touchstone moments that come with putting together a fabric garment from the ground up. We are without architectural reference; not only do we not understand the basics, we might not have insight into why they are shaped the way they are for different types.
This cyclopedia gives a great breakdown of the many styles and renditions and the section is representative of why having a book like this is a great idea.
SO: we’re going to send this one out to a happy knitter!
Just leave a comment below on What is the Techinique or Thing That Really Leaves You Cold! We will draw for the book, at random next Friday!
Maybe, we’ll all even learn a thing or two!
TGIF! ;)
What a great book!
Blocking leaves me cold. Maybe I should only do it in the summertime.
Picking up stitches gets me every time. Not because I hate it, becasue I don’t. But becasue I susually don’t get it right the first time despite my efforts to follow instructions.
I so enjoy the knitting process but do realize the necessity of finishing. Just not my favorite part, esp. setting in sleeves.
Steeking! It leaves me so cold that I am frozen. Methinks I must take a class to overcome the fear.
Necklines….they always look too big to me, and I’m not adept at making appropriate changes.
Sleeves, I know what I need to do to make a patternn work for the way I want to knit for my body,
I am just fuzzy about how to get the sleeves work with it.
That is a pretty cool set of sleeve diagrams. Is the whole book like that . ? .
Weaving in ends and blocking always trip me up. This book looks really cool!
Ten years in and my SSK STILL LOOKS TERRIBLE. Maybe this book will help me.
Short rows…can’t seem to count and turn the right way at the right time! I’d be embarrassed to tell you how many years I’ve been knitting.
Sleeves! Seaming set-in sleeves so that they work properly is a process that has driven me to throwing knitting across the room. Oh, the creative curses that have come from seaming sleeves.
Sewing seams when you have a pattern really makes me crazy. I want it to look neat and perfect. Help!!!!!
I have never gotten the hang of blocking. My dirty little secret is that I kind of go through the motions and just hope. Knitting I love, blocking and assembly, not so much!
Knitted-on Icord. Nothing kills me more than that. I mean, take a lovely project, make it through front and back, plus TWO sleeves, all good. Then, edge it with knitted on Icord??? Gasp. Justcan’t take it. :)
My ribbing always looks bad, also my sleeve openings are too tight.
Kitchner stitch. I can do it with diagrams and heavy use of the reverse-this-action function in my brain (I knit left to right. yes, it’s true). It’s exhausting, but so far I’ve lived to tell about it.
Any kind of finishing. I have drawers and baskets full of sweater pieces.
Kitchener stitch–can’t stand it!
Sewing pieces together. Yuk. My least favorite part……1/2 because I don’t like the process, and 1/2 because by then ‘I’m so over’ whatever it is, and anxious to get on to the next thing. I’m about the knitting, not the finishing!!
BLOCKING!
Instructions that dwindle off at the end of a pattern leave me cold, especially when it comes to buttonholes. If you’ve told me how many buttonholes to make, and you’ve told me to hit a certain row gauge, then tell me to make a buttonhole every “X” rows. I know this is often omitted in the interests of space, but having followed along so obediently up to that point, I’d like the math done for me as my reward – even though I can (and do) do it myself.
I’ve learned that I can only understand short rows if they’re written a very specific way. “Insert one short row” just does not compute for me, but if they say “K 6 st, W&T…” then I’m fine. So I guess that SHORT ROWS (all caps) still scare me, but instructions for short rows don’t. Illogical, I know :-D
Kitchner stitch. I can do it, but I have to look at a picture tutorial every time and hold my tongue just right. LOL!
I just checked this book out from the library. I love it!