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34 of 34 found the following review helpful:
Great pattern reference book...... Feb 09, 2005
By Dianne Foster
"Di"
Donna Kooler has done it again. Like her Encyclopedia of Crochet, the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF KNITTING is a must-have resource for your knitting-crocheting library. EN is divided into three major sections: 1/ history and other basic information; 2/ a few dozen knitting projects (scarves, pullover, hat or two, beautiful pullover shawl in kaleidoscopic pattern, a toy or two, dog jackets, socks); 3/ `Knitting Pattern Gallery'.
The Knitting Pattern Gallery shows pages and pages of various pattern swatches with instructions on how to make each of them. I find making a swatch a really good thing to do before I become immersed (and embroiled) in a larger project. Some of these patterns are quite complicated and definitely beyond the skills at hand of the new knitter. Others are doable. If you are working on a complex pattern and want a little guidance, Kooler's books are handy to have nearby. I refer to them all the time. Sometimes you just need to see a stitch up close to determine whether or not you can tackle it. ***** for patterns; **** for projects
30 of 35 found the following review helpful:
A fun Knitter's Encyclopedia with great projects! Feb 21, 2004
By Sheri Smith
What I especially like about this knitting book is that it shows a variety of techniques from basics to entrelac, from beading to fair isle, from felting/fulling to beautiful lace work... along with a nice stitch dictionary. 22 projects by well known knitters included in the large sized, substantial book. Definitely worth the retail price! And it'd make a great gift for yourself... or for any knitter--beginning to experienced.
I'll be knitting the a few of the patterns from it very soon: the fulled baby mary janes, the fulled hat, and the fulled sheep with my handspun yarns.Buy it! You won't regret it.
That's my humble experienced knitter's opinion and I'm stickin' to it!
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 A wonderful reference book Nov 29, 2005
By M. Nordyke
"Latin Junkie"
I don't know if I would recommend this book hands down for a beginning knitter, but the patterns included are good. I especially like the "Illumination Lace Scarf" and the "Reversible Wrap." Being 21 and in college, some of the apparel patterns are a little dated for me, but I didn't buy this book solely for them.
The list of tips, instructions, and the stitch gallery are pretty exhaustive, though you might be able to find more complete books dedicated solely to one of the aforementioned topics. Nevertheless, Kooler's inclusion of all these things, and her coverage of each one, makes this a really good reference book to have on your shelf.
I definitely recommend this book as something every single knitter should have in their stash of patterns and reference books.
If you need instructions on how to learn to knit, I recommend the first "Stitch 'N Bitch" by Debbie Stoller or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. Kooler's covers a bit more advanced techniques but is a great review - just may not be what you're looking for if you're jumping into knitting for the first time. This book is more than worth what you'll pay for it.
18 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Every Knitter Should Have This Book!!! Feb 28, 2004
By V. Hannaford
"vhanna262"
Last year, I purchased Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crocheting, and fell in love with the beautiful design, clear instructions, neat projects, and stitch library. I started knitting again recently, and when I found out there was an Encyclopdia of Knitting coming out, I got it without looking at a single page or reading a review, and I'm not disappointed. Like the crochet version, the design is very nice and clear. It's not too big (240 pages); it's colorful and nice to handle. There is a history of knitting, and from there it goes into instruction, techniques, projects, and a stitch library. Some of the projects that have caught my eye are the "Take it from the Top Pullover", "Elegant Beaded Scarf", "Sweet Baby of Mine" (easy and pretty cotton baby blanket), and especially, "Kaleidoscope", a gorgeous wrap done in Entrelac squares and Noro's Silk Garden yarn. I think "Kaleidoscope" will be my introduction to Entrelac. I also want to get into knitting with beads and colorwork, and the book has nice instructions and projects for those techniques. This book has something for knitters of all levels--I straddle somewhere betweeen advanced beginner and intermediate. I already know that it will be one of my favorite knitting books and assist me in improving my knitting skills and knowledge for years to come.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Good for reference May 16, 2007
By KnittingMom8
I bought this book as more of a reference book than anything else. And, it's definitely that. It covers just about everything, and the selection of stitch patterns in the last section is very nice. The patterns are okay. The two that I'd probably make would be the baby blanket and the hat.
The reason that I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I feel that some of the descriptions of techniques are hard to understand. I would consider myself an intermediate to advanced beginner, but even the things that I already knew how to do seemed confusing to me when explained in this book. Also, except for 1-2 patterns, the rest are all intermediated to advanced--though the sweater knit in tubes and then cut has peaked my curiosity!
So, for reference and stitch patterns, it's fine, but I wouldn't try to learn to knit from it. I learned to knit from an older lady, and then picked up Teach Me Visually Knitting to learn some of the things I didn't know. That is a great book to learn knitting from. In my opinion, if you get the Visual Knitting book, the Encyclopedia of Knitting, and The Knitting Answer Book, you should have all the bases covered!
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