Resources

A Select List of Guild Members’ Favorite Knitting Books

Janet Goier: Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman. “A wonderful chatty book that makes you feel as though you are sitting with your wise grandma, and contains timeless tips.” Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Barbara Walker. “Knitters who like to strike out in their own direction will find plenty of inspiration in this book.” Also, Sally Melville books.
Bridget Christianson: Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Stitch Patterns, Hitomi Shida. “I love the intricate designs of her work with the play of twisted stitches and cables.” The Children’s Collection, Alice Starmore. “There are so many timeless patterns in this book and a wide variety of sizes.” Also, The Knowledgeable Knitter, Margaret Radcliffe and Reader’s Digest Knitters Handbook, Montse Stanley, “…easy to use and understand.”
Caron Carlson: Colorwork Stitches, Susie Johns. “Graphed designs for color work, all in charted form.” 6000+ Pullover Possibilities, Melissa Leapman. “Pick a collar, a sleeve, a profile and design your own sweater.”
Lara Benefield: Knits About Winter, Emily Foden. “The garments appeal to me. I could see myself wearing any of them.” The Art of Knitting Hats, Courtney Flynn. “She is a local designer and her book makes knitting colorwork hats accessible.”
Phyllis Deerinck: Knitted Flowers, Nicky Epstein. “Make embellishments out of scraps to use on purses, scarves and even to cover up glaring mistakes.” Cats in Hats, Sara Thomas. “For the great photography and the ‘awww’ factor. If you could actually get a cat on a hat, he could become an online star.” Glamourie, Alice Starmore. “After everything else Alice has contributed to knitting, she gives full rein to her imagination to celebrate her Celtic heritage and inspire us all with myth and magic.”
Jeanette Berow: Knitting Bag of Tricks, Patty Lyons. “I have found technical information that I’ve not been aware of.” The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs. (Fiction) “A nice story about a knitting store and the community it forms, plus a little romance.”
Andrea Brown: Charted Knitting Designs, Barbara Walker. “It has charts for all techniques: lace, textured fabrics, cables and even mosaics. I have used the charts to design my own patterns.” Knitting for the Road, Nancy Bush. “She has brief entertaining stories about each sock design that makes them fun to make.”
Barbara Young: (loves to read anything by Stephanie Pearl McPhee) but relies on these reference books: 6 volumes of Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Knitting Experience books by Sally Melville Ultimate Knitting Book and Ultimate Quick Reference, (Vogue)
Julie Kroeyr: Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step mthods; Find the perfect start and finish for every knitting project, Leslie Ann Bestor Increase,Decrease: 99 Step-by-Step Methods; Find the Perfect Technique for Shaping Every Knitting Project, Judith Durant Close Knit: 15 Patterns and 45 Techniques from Beginner to Advanced from Europe’s Coolest Knitter, Laerke Bagger
Shirley Remes: The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, Ann Budd. “Create your own masterpieces with this book of basic patterns in all sizes.” Knitting in the Old Way, Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson. “Designs and techniques for Ethnic sweaters from Nordic to Irish to Native American and everything in between, to make you inspired by the classics.”