200 Knitting Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets by Betty Barnden

Published 2008

The basics of knitting are quick to master, but learning to create a stylish, professional finish usually takes much longer. This book contains over 200 professional fixes, insider tips, and secrets arranged by topic to enable any crafter to achieve a great fit and finish when knitting garments and accessories. You will also learn how to dye yarns easily in an ordinary kitchen to get the color combinations you want, and how to embellish garments with surface decoration and beads to express your own personality. unlike most other knitting books, 200 KNITTING TIPS, TECHNIQUES & TRADE SECRETS shows you how to adapt and design garments to suit your own size, shape, and preferences, and the book is packed with a wealth of informative and inspirational ideas.

Each topic, self-contained in a one- or two-page section, is fully explained and illustrated with specially commissioned step-by-step photographs and detailed artwork. For ease of use, every topic is cross-referenced to allow the reader to dip in and out for help and advice. Aimed at all knitters from beginners to the more experienced 200 KNITTING TIPS, TECHNIQUES & TRADE SECRETS contains a wealth of essential technical information and handy tips.

Custom Knits : Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques by Wendy Bernard, Kimball Hall (Photographer)

Published 2008

Along with being pleasurable and satisfying, knitting can sometimes be frustrating: the turtleneck that looked so fabulous on the model is too bulky for your body, or the cardigan you spent countless hours on just doesn’t fit right. Herein lies the beauty of Custom Knits, which teaches knitters how to use improvisational techniques to achieve spectacular results—and to unleash their inner designers.
Wendy Bernard, creator of the popular blog Knit and Tonic, provides 25 original designs for sweaters of nearly every type, plus variations, most knitted in one piece starting at the top, a method that allows you to try on as you go, alter as desired, and essentially design on the fly. “Make It Your Own” prompts in each pattern suggest easy alterations to suit your style and body type. And an in-depth reference section teaches how to alter key sweater elements, for example, change a crewneck to a V-neck, add sleeves to a vest, and much more. For the truly adventurous, the book concludes with guidelines for knitting sweaters with no pattern at all.

Bernard’s friendly writing style and photographer Kimball Hall’s lively images create an inviting book of beautiful designs and key techniques that a knitter can use to customize nearly every garment she knits from now on.

Ultimate Knitting Bible: A Complete Reference with Step-by-Step Techniques by Sharon Brant

Published 2008

This is the one-stop resource for both beginning and accomplished stitchers alike! It’s a definitive reference for all aspects of knitting, from the first stitch you cast on to the care and maintenance of your projects. Newcomers can learn every aspect of the art, including how to knit with color, make professional finishings, and adapt patterns. Experts will love its simple format, glossary and index, and find it handy for looking up old tricks and learning some valuable new ones, too. And, with more than 400 illustrations and diagrams to follow, readers will never drop a stitch. Knitters who find themselves in knots will find help in a troubleshooting section, and the more ambitious will find irresistible challenges in a chapter devoted to making their own designs.