Pam Allen, Tracy Barr, Marly Bird, Susan Brittain, Karen Manthey, Shannon Okey, and Kristi Porter are an all-star ensemble of knitwear designers, writers, and illustrators.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Book 1: Getting Started 5

 Chapter 1: Needles, Hooks, and Other Tools 7

Selecting Knitting Needles 7

Exploring needles 8

Sizing them up 9

Accounting for needle makeup and tip type 11

Choosing a Crochet Hook 12

Surveying the anatomy of a crochet hook 12

Looking at the make and size of hooks 14

Collecting Gizmos and Gadgets 16

Stocking up on the essentials 16

Examining nice-to-have extras 20

 Chapter 2: Yearning for Yarn 25

Understanding Yarn Fundamentals 25

Fixating on fiber 26

Considering yarn weight 31

Reading Yarn Labels 33

Label talk 33

Ball, skein, or hank? 36

Choosing Yarn for a Project 38

Working with color and texture 39

Choosing natural or man-made fibers 40

Substituting yarns 40

Creating your own yarn combinations 41

 Chapter 3: Right-Sizing with Gauge 43

Why (and When) Gauge Matters 43

Knowing What Affects Gauge 45

Making a Gauge Swatch 46

Knitting a gauge swatch 47

Crocheting a gauge swatch 48

Measuring Your Gauge 49

Measuring a swatch made with a repeating pattern 50

Measuring stitches and rounds 51

Matching Your Pattern’s Gauge 52

Designing with Gauge in Mind 53

 Chapter 4: Reading Patterns 55

Understanding Knitting Patterns 55

Deciphering Knitterese: Common abbreviations and shorthand 56

Following written stitch patterns 59

Reading charted stitch patterns 61

Following Crochet Patterns 62

Knowing the sections of a crochet pattern 63

Figuring out written instructions 64

Not just a pretty picture: Stitch symbols and diagrams 71

Book 2: Knitting Basics 77

 Chapter 1: Knitting Fundamentals 79

Casting On 80

Two-strand (or long-tail) cast on 80

Cable cast on (cable co) 83

Thumb (or e-loop) cast on 83

Now You’re Knitting and Purling 85

Knitting know-how .87

Perfect purling 90

Knitting and purling, Continental-style 92

Binding (or Casting) Off 96

Standard bind-off 96

Yarn-over bind-off 97

Helpful hints for binding off 98

 Chapter 2: Basic Stitches 99

Go-To Stitches: Garter, Stockinette, and Seed Stitches 99

Garter stitch 100

Stockinette stitch 101

Seed stitch 103

Adding Stretch with Ribbed Stitches 104

1 x 1 ribbing 106

2 x 2 ribbing 106

4 x 2 and 2 x 4 ribbing 107

4 x 4 ribbing 108

Chapter 3: Techniques Every Knitter Should Know 109

Slipping Stitches 109

Making a Yarn Over 110

Between 2 knit stitches 111

Between a knit and a purl stitch 112

Between 2 purl stitches 113

Between a purl stitch and a knit stitch 113

Twisting Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop 114

Working Increases 116

Bar increase, or knit in front and back 116

Working a make 1 117

Knitting into the stitch below 119

Making a double increase 120

Increasing at several points in a single row 121

Doing Decreases 122

Knitting 2 stitches together 122

Purling 2 stitches together 123

Slip, slip, knit 124

Pass slipped stitch over 125

Making double decreases 126

 Chapter 4: Knitting in the Round 129

Going in Circles Can Be a Good Thing 129

Choosing Needles for Circular Knitting 130

Casting On for Circular Knitting 131

Joining the Round 133

Joining on a circular needle 133

Joining on double-pointed needles 133

Tidying up the first and last stitches 134

Working Common Stitches in the Round 135

Using Steeks for a Clean Break 135

Sewing in a steek 136

Crocheting a steek 136

Cutting your fabric after you steek 137

Measuring Gauge in the Round 138

 Chapter 5: Fixing Common Mistakes 139

Stopping Mistakes or Catching Them Early 139

Dealing with Dropped Stitches 140

Finding and securing a dropped stitch 141

Rescuing a dropped stitch in the row below 142

Saving a dropped stitch with a crochet hook 145

Ripping (Your Heart) Out 148

Ripping out stitch by stitch 148

Ripping out row by row 149

Book 3: Crocheting Basics 151

 Chapter 1: Focusing on Fundamental Stitches 153

Preparing to Crochet 153

Hooking with the correct hand 154

Getting a grip on the hook and yarn 154

Working a slipknot 157

Wrapping the yarn over the hook 159

Tied Up in Stitches: The Three Basics 160

The (almost) universal starter: Chain stitch 160

The utility stitch: Slip stitch 164

The old standby: Single crochet 166

Foundation Stitches: The Chain and the First Row All in One 168

Your first foundation single crochet 169

Your second foundation single crochet and beyond 170

Taking Things to the Next Level: Row Two .172

Turning your work 172

Climbing to new heights with turning chains 173

Starting the next row 174

The Anatomy of a Stitch 176

All’s Well That Ends Well: Fastening Off 177

Cutting the yarn 177

Weaving in the end 177

Troubleshooting Mistakes as You Crochet 178

You struggle to fit your hook into the stitches 178

The fabric edges are shrinking 179

The fabric edges are getting wider 180

The foundation edge is tighter than the rest of the fabric 180

The corners are curled 180

Luxurious Washcloth Projects 181

Simple Luxurious Washcloth project 181

Luxurious Washcloth with Border project 182

 Chapter 2: Expanding Your Stitch Choices 187

Doing a Double Crochet 188

First things first: Row 1 188

Turning around and beginning again: Row 2 190

Trying Your Hand at the Triple Crochet 192

Starting with Row 1 192

Moving on to Row 2 194

Diving into Double Triple Crochet 195

First things first: Row 1 195

Turning around and beginning again: Row 2 197

Hooking a Half Double Crochet 199

Starting with Row 1 199

Moving on to Row 2 201

Adding Height with Extended Stitches 202

Extended single crochet 202

Extended double crochet 205

Creating a Foundation Double Crochet 208

Running on Empty: Joining a New Ball of Yarn 211

Joining at the end of a row 212

Joining in the middle of a row 212

 Chapter 3: Increasing and Decreasing Stitches 215

Increasing Stitches .216

Increasing anywhere with single crochet 216

Increasing with double crochet at the beginning of a row 217

Increasing with double crochet in the middle or end of a row 218

Decreasing Stitches 219

Decreasing with single crochet 219

Decreasing with double crochet 221

Decreasing with a half double crochet stitch 223

Decreasing with slip stitches at the start of a row 224

Decreasing by skipping stitches 225

Decreasing by stopping and turning before you reach the end of a row 226

Simple Ripple Blanket Project 226

Materials and vital statistics 227

Directions 227

Optional directions for different sizes 230

 Chapter 4: Crocheting in Circles 231

Lord of the Center Rings 231

Joining chain stitches into a ring 232

Working stitches in the chain stitch 235

Working stitches in an adjustable ring 236

Uniting Your Ring 238

Single crochet 238

Double crochet and other stitches 239

Adding Rounds 240

The second round of single crochet 240

The second round of double crochet 241

Another Option: Spiraling Up and Up 242

Adding Another Dimension 244

Starting to add dimension 244

Deciding how to wrap up your work .246

Slouch Hat Project 246

Materials and vital statistics 247

Directions 247

 Chapter 5: Multicolored Crochet 249

Bringing Designs to Life: Joining Colors 250

Changing color at the beginning (or end) 250

Changing color midstream 251

Hitching a Ride: Carrying the Yarn 252

Carrying on the wrong side 253

Working over a carried strand 254

Carrying on the right side 254

Carrying up the side 255

Demystifying Color Codes and Charts 256

Abbreviating color names in patterns 256

Charting color change 257

Crafty Math: Understanding the Fibonacci Sequence 258

Mod Pillow Project 259

Materials and vital statistics 260

Directions 260

Finishing 262

Book 4: Expanding Your Skills 263

 Chapter 1: Knitting Stripes 265

Seeking the Story on Stripes 266

Textured Stripes, or How to Stand Out in a Crowd 267

Reverse stockinette stitch stripes 267

Garter stitch stripes 268

Knitting Colorful Stripes 269

Picking colors for your project 270

Counting rows 270

Joining colors 271

Dealing with old colors and loose ends 272

Knitting Stripes in the Round 274

Stirring Up Stripes: Combining Texture and Color 275

Varying your stitch pattern 275

Making waves 276

Striping any which way 277

Practice Striped Projects 277

Bold and Bright Scarf 278

Slouchy Hat with Pompom 279

Chapter 2: Creating Cables 283

Cable Basics 283

Twisting to the right or left 284

Reading cable charts 285

Checking gauge in a cable pattern 286

A Cornucopia of Cables 287

Standard (rope) cable 287

Open cable 289

Double cable 291

Wave cable 292

Chain cable 293

Honeycomb cable 293

Braid cable 294

Varying a cable 295

Making Twists 296

Twisting to the right 296

Twisting to the left 298

Practice Cable Projects 299

Cable Hat with Pompoms 299

Horseshoe Cable Hand Warmers 301

 Chapter 3: Crochet Stitches That Create Pattern and Texture 305

Spicing Things Up with Pattern Stitches 306

Showing the V: The V-stitch 306

Seeing Xs: The crossed double crochet stitch 306

Spreading out: The shell stitch 307

Grouping multiple like stitches: The cluster stitch 308

Getting decorative: The picot stitch 308

Working backward: The reverse single crochet stitch 310

Moving into the Third Dimension with Texture Stitches 311

Gently bumping along: The bobble stitch 311

Not a magic dragon: The puff stitch 313

Forget the butter: The popcorn stitch 313

Feeling loopy: The loop stitch 315

Switching Up Your Stitch Placement 317

Working into the top and other loops 317

Stitching up the sides 318

Working Stitches in Spaces and Other Interesting Places 319

Squeezing into spaces 319

Going around the middle with post stitches 321

Solidifying fabric with linked stitches 324

Spiking into previous rows 328

Elegant All-Season Wrap Project 330

Materials and vital statistics 330

Directions 330

Finishing 333

Comfy Cowl Project 333

Materials and vital statistics 333

Directions 334

Finishing 334

Gingham Baby Blanket Project 335

Materials and vital statistics 335

Directions 335

Finishing 337

 Chapter 4: Tunisian Crochet 339

Taking a Look at Tunisian Crochet Tools 340

Creating the Tunisian Simple Stitch 341

Starting with a foundation row 342

Continuing to the second row and beyond 343

Binding off 344

Shaping the Tunisian Simple Stitch 345

Increasing in Tunisian simple stitch 345

Decreasing in Tunisian simple stitch 346

Varying Your Tunisian Crochet 347

Tunisian knit stitch 347

Tunisian purl stitch 349

Coloring Your Tunisian Crochet .351

Crocheting with more than one color 352

Cross-stitching on top of Tunisian crochet 354

Absorbent Hand Towel Project 357

Materials and vital statistics 357

Directions 358

Finishing 359

 Chapter 5: Crocheting Motifs 361

Granny’s a Square: Cornering Your Rounds 362

The first round 362

The second round 363

The third round and beyond 363

Don’t Be Square: Motifs of Different Shapes 364

The lacy hexagon motif 364

The flat flower motif 366

The layered flower motif 368

Flower Power Project 370

Materials and vital statistics 370

Directions 371

Finishing 372

 Chapter 6: Making Lace 373

Reading Lace Charts 374

Yarn-over increase and decrease symbols 374

No-stitch symbol 375

Knitting Different Kinds of Lace 376

Eyelet patterns 378

Open lace patterns 379

Faggot lace 381

Incorporating Lace into Other Pieces 382

Lace insertions 383

Lace edgings 384

Handling Mistakes While Making Lace 384

Finding the error 384

Ripping out lace 386

Blocking Lace 386

Filet Crochet for Newbies 387

Breaking down filet crochet stitches 387

Following a chart 388

Chaining the foundation 389

Creating spaces 390

Building blocks 391

Combining spaces and blocks 392

Shaping Your Filet Crochet Design 393

Increasing spaces and blocks 393

Decreasing spaces and blocks 400

Spacing Filet Crochet with Lacets and Bars 402

Getting fancy with lacets 402

Bridging the gap with bars 403

Practice Lace Projects 404

Scarf with Faggot Lace 404

Lace Leaf Shawl 406

Butterfly Runner Project 407

Book 5: Popular Projects 411

 Chapter 1: Scarves, Wraps, and Hats 413

Box Stitch Scarf 413

Materials and vital statistics 414

Directions 415

Variation: Twins scarf 416

Variation: Two-yarns scarf 416

Longways Multiyarn Stole 418

Materials and vital statistics 418

Directions 419

Variation: Changing yarns 420

Making Fringe 420

A Scarf of a Different Color 421

Materials and vital statistics 422

Directions 422

The Most Basic Shawl Ever 423

Materials and vital statistics 424

Directions 424

Variation: Changing up your yarn 425

Variation: Making a poncho 425

Lacy Shawl 426

Materials and vital statistics 427

Directions 428

Variation: Knitting through thick and thin 429

Geometric Wrap 429

Materials and vital statistics 429

Directions 430

Variation: Why knot add beads? 431

Basic Beanies 431

Materials and vital statistics 432

Directions 433

Variation: Creating a cabled beanie 433

Red Velvet Crusher Hat 435

Materials and vital statistics 436

Directions 436

 Chapter 2: Home Decor 439

Wooly Warmer Afghan 439

Materials and vital statistics 440

Directions 441

Variation: Supersize it! 441

Variation: Trying a different yarn 441

Wavy Chevron Throw 441

Materials and vital statistics 442

Directions 443

Variation: Highlight the stitches, not the colors 445

Throw Pillows 445

Materials and vital statistics 445

Directions 446

Variation: Retro check pillow 446

Variation: Bean sprout pillow 448

Shells and Lace Pillowcase Edging 449

Materials and vital statistics 450

Directions 451

Hemp Basket 452

Materials and vital statistics 453

Building the base 453

Working your way up the sides 453

Variation: Making the basket just the right size 454

Variation: Using different sizes of hemp cord 454

 Chapter 3: Baby and Kid Projects 455

Retro Slippers for Baby 455

Materials and vital statistics 455

Directions 456

Variation: Using different yarns 457

Variation: Sizing up 457

One-Piece Baby Sweater 458

Materials and vital statistics 458

Directions 460

Baby’s Layette: Cardigan, Booties, Hat, and Blanket 462

Cardigan 462

Booties 465

Hat 466

Blanket 467

Tunisian Crochet Baby Blanket 468

Materials and vital statistics 468

Creating a couple of panels 470

Putting the panels together and adding the final touch 470

Variation: Making a bigger blankie 471

Variation: Picking a new color palette 471

Storybook Hats 471

Materials and vital statistics 471

Directions 472

Variation: Changing yarns 474

 Chapter 4: Bags for All Occasions 475

Mosaic Bags 475

Materials and vital statistics 477

Directions 478

Variation: Other mosaics 482

Variation: Keeping your bag plain and simple 490

Variation: Striping your bag 490

Felted Messenger Bag 490

Working linen stitch by slipping stitches 491

Materials and vital statistics 493

Knitting the bag 494

Creating the straps 495

Finishing your bag 495

Crocheted Tote Bag 497

Materials and vital statistics 497

Crafting the tote 498

Getting the hang of the handles 499

Variation: Felting? Fuhgeddaboudit! 499

Book 6: Sweaters 501

 Chapter 1: Anatomy of a Knitted Sweater Pattern 503

Picture This: Studying the Garment Photo 503

Assessing the Pattern at a Glance 504

How hard is “easy”? Level of difficulty 505

How big is “big”? Knitted measurements 505

Materials 506

Gauge 507

Special pattern stitches .507

Schematics and charts 508

Knitting instructions 510

Finishing 510

 Chapter 2: Knitting a Sweater, Step by Step 511

Gathering Your Materials 512

A good pattern 512

Yarn 512

Knitting needles 513

Other supplies to have handy 513

Before You Cast On 514

Step 1: Pick a size 514

Step 2: Find your gauge 515

Knitting at Last! 516

Knitting the back 517

Knitting the front 520

Putting the front and back together 522

Knitting sleeves 522

The Big Picture: Keeping Track of Where You Are 525

Women’s Easy Top-Down Raglan 526

Materials and vital statistics 527

Directions 528

Finishing 530

Chapter 3: Knitting Neckbands, Edging, Buttonholes, and More 531

Picking Up Stitches to Knit 531

Picking up stitches along a horizontal edge 532

Picking up stitches on a vertical edge 533

Picking up stitches on a diagonal or curved edge .534

Picking up: A reality check 535

Bring on the Bands 536

Bottoms up! Vertical bands 536

Horizontal picked-up bands 537

Hole in One: Buttonholes 539

All-purpose horizontal buttonhole 540

Simple vertical buttonhole 542

Round (eyelet) buttonhole 543

Button Up! 544

Plotting button placement 545

So happy together: Keeping your buttons buttoned 545

Sewing on buttons 546

 Chapter 4: Crocheting Your First Sweater 547

Choosing Stitches and Yarn for Your Sweater 548

Making the right pattern choice 548

Finding the right yarn 549

Selecting a Super Sweater Style 550

Baring your arms: Sleeveless sweaters 550

Going the classic route: Pullovers 551

Buttoning up: Cardigans 552

Getting visually interesting: Motifs and vertical rows 553

Sizing Up the Sweater Situation 554

Understanding sweater pattern sizes .554

Figuring out fit 554

Customizing your pattern .555

Shell Shock Project 557

Materials and vital statistics 557

Directions 558

 Chapter 5: Crocheting Sweater Edges and Buttonholes 563

Adding Trims: Edgings, Borders, and Collars .563

Outlining your designs with edging 564

Bordering your masterpieces with ribbing 564

Gracing your neck with a common collar 568

Holding Things Together: Buttonholes, Ties, and Drawstrings 569

Making room for buttons: Buttonholes 569

Keeping your clothes on (or just spicing them up):

Ties and drawstrings 574

Book 7: Finishing Touches 577

 Chapter 1: Blocking and Felting 579

Tying Up Loose Ends 579

Weaving ends up the sides 580

Weaving the ends horizontally 581

Weaving ends into a bound-off edge 583

Blocking Your Way into Perfect Shape 585

The essential tools 586

Wet blocking 586

Spray blocking 588

Heat blocking 588

Starch blocking 589

Shaping Three-Dimensional Designs 592

Fulling (or Felting) to Make Sturdy Fabric 592

Creating the right conditions to full knitted fabric 593

The fulling experience: How to full 596

 Chapter 2: Joining Pieces 601

Sewing Pieces Together 601

Mattress stitch 602

Sewing seams with backstitch 603

Knitting Pieces Together 605

Three-needle bind-off (head to head) 605

Grafting stitches (the Kitchener stitch) 607

Crocheting Pieces Together 612

Joining with a slip stitch seam 612

Joining with single crochet 614

Joining with a row of stitches 616

Joining motifs on the last row or round 617

Assembling a Sweater 620

Joining back to front at the shoulder 621

Attaching a sleeve to a sweater body 621

Making side and sleeve seams 622

 Chapter 3: Caring for Your Work 625

Keeping Care Instructions Handy 625

Cleaning Knitted and Crocheted Items 627

Handwashing 627

Machine washing and drying 628

Iron only if you must 628

Storing Your Work 628

Removing Those Pesky Pills 629

Index 631

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