Sally Melville

I'm loath to give 5 stars to anything that doesn't move me to tears (in a good way, like Middlemarch, so this is 4.5 rounded up because Ms. Melville's so delightful in person and such a great teacher. I'm a 53 year-old guy, so I'm less likely to get excited about making some of the garments illustrated (unless they were gifts), but if one worked one's way through the book one would learn an awful lot.

I've been knitting for over 4 years and still have much to learn, and there were new tips in show more this book. It's not terribly long, and the new tips stand out in stark contrast to the patterns, so I'd suggest everyone at least skim through it to see what you might pick up, even if you know the basics (and then some) already.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). show less

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to a beginner (unless you buy Melville's book on the purl stitch as well), mainly because of the emphasis on the knit stitch. I've taught a good number of people to knit, and invariably, they're itching to learn the purl stitch (and capable of handling it) after a couple of lessons. Despite the many varied patterns in Melville's book, knowing only the knit stitch is very limiting.

However, there is a lot going for this book: classic patterns, good show more photography, excellent instructions, all at an affordable price. I suggest you get this book and the second book in the series (The Purl Stitch) at the same time. The two together provide everything a beginner needs, but at the same time, they provide a good reference set for a more experienced knitter. show less

In reality, I'd give this book 5 stars for the patterns and information contained in it, but two stars for having a full book on the knit stitch. Nothing wrong with that, unless you're a total beginner. I personally believe that it is very important for the beginning knitter to learn both the knit stitch and the purl stitch 'out of the gate', so to speak. Of course there are knitters who never use anything but the knit stitch. But most of us knit *and* purl, and it's best to become equally show more comfortable with the two stitches at the same time. if you make your first entire garment using only the knit stitch, you will automatically privilege that stitch, and perhaps even dread purling.

But if I set aside my gripe about the best way to *learn* knitting, I can say that this is an amazing book, with excellent instructions and enough inventive-yet-basic patterns to be worth both the purchase price, and the space on the knitting bookshelf. show less

Like volume 1 in this series on the knit stitch, this book has nice photography, simple classic patterns and very clear instructions. Including the purl stitch opens up many more possibilities than are available in the first volume. I would recommend that beginners buy both volumes together.

I particularly like the instructions for making socks. I have many knitting books, magazines and pamphlets, and strangely, very few contain good instructions for customizing socks so they are the perfect show more size. I frequently return to Melville's instructions when making a new pair of socks. show less