Recommended Book: A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker
Barbara Walker is the most creative mind of the century when it comes to inventing stitch patterns and designs.
Any of her four Knitting Pattern Treasuries are a worthwhile investment for when you are designing something on your own.
Buy A Treasury of Knitting Patterns online
Recommended Book: Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knitting and Crocheting by Barbara Breiter and Gail Diven
This is the book I used when I learned how to knit. It’s got tons of illustrations, straightforward explanations, and best practices for knitting correctly and understanding what you’re doing. A great starter text.
Buy Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knitting and Crocheting online
Recommended Book: Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard
Wendy Bernard opened my eyes when it came to sweaters. Now, no matter what your shape, you can design or modify a sweater pattern that will fit every inch of you perfectly.
I especially found the basic sweater guides in the back helpful when striking out on my own.
Recommended Book: Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick
This is a timeless book, absolutely filled with beautiful, winter-holiday-inspired knits.
The photography is gorgeous, the patterns feature some of the most beautiful and interesting yarns available, and the range of techniques introduced is much broader than your average pattern book.
Recommended Book: Harmony Guides: Knit & Purl by Erika Knight (editor)
Interweave Press has put together a gorgeous stitch-pattern book that you can use to add pattern and texture to anything you are knitting.
You’ll get really good at reading a pattern and recognizing what your stitches look like if you experiment with the stitch-patterns in this book.
Buy Harmony Guides: Knit & Purl online
Recommended Book: Harmony Guides: Lace & Eyelets by Erika Knight (editor)
A beautifully-photographed masterpiece with 250 lace patterns to incorporate into your projects. You will learn so much and exercise your creativity when you add these lace patterns to your designs.
Buy Harmony Guides: Lace & Eyelets online
Recommended Book: Knitting Brioche by Nancy Marchant
Knitting Brioche is the definitive guide to the Brioche stitch, by Brioche-knitting inventor Nancy Marchant. I referred to this book to learn and master the Brioche stitch before making our own video guide.
Recommended Book: Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein
Nicki’s books are a great resource when you want to fancy-up a basic pattern. You can find special ribbing, edging, and pattern stitches to finish off your projects the way you like.
Buy Knitting on the Edge online
Recommended Book: Mosaic Knitting by Barbara Walker
The definitive guide to mosaic knitting, by mosaic inventor Barbara Walker. The book contains a thorough explanation of how slip-stitch knitting (knitting with one color in each row) works and why. Includes written patterns and charts for 380 mosaic designs that you can add to your own projects.
This is the book I studied from before creating our own video course on the topic.
Recommended Book: Son of Stitch ‘n Bitch by Debbie Stoller
Son of Stitch ‘N Bitch is a remarkable book in that it only contains projects that men will actually wear. Many of the projects are designed by men, and they are all man-tested and approved. Which is a really good thing, when it comes to knitting.
Buy Son of Stitch ‘n Bitch online
Recommended Book: Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet – The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller
This is a fabulous book for learning to crochet. Very clear diagrams and illustrations are accompanied by punchy, light-hearted text. I felt very clear and secure starting to crochet after working through this book, even through crochet is a lot different than knitting in some respects!
Buy Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet – The Happy Hooker online
Recommended Book: Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller
Stitch’N Bitch Nation compiles 52 really original and wearable intermediate knitting projects from designers across America.
Buy Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation online
Recommended Book: Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook by Debbie Stoller
I recommend this book to anyone just starting out knitting, because it contains a funny and thorough introduction to knitting. It also contains a variety of hip and fun beginner projects that you’ll actually want to knit, which is more than I can say for most beginner how-to books.
Buy Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook online
Recommended Book: The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
This book will teach you to become what Clara Parkes, of Knitter’s Review, calls a yarn whisperer.
After reading this book and trying one of the 40 gorgeous patterns, you’ll have a deep understanding of what yarn to choose for which project, and why.
What’s more, you’ll gain an appreciation for the varied industries that work together to provide us all with beautiful yarn.
Buy The Knitter’s Book of Yarn online
Recommended Book: The Magic Loop by Bev Galeskas
This amazing book is what started it all for me. In it, Beverly Galeskas clearly explains how to use Sarah Hauschka’s ingenious technique of knitting in the round on one long circular needle.
“Socks and more” is right! Anything you can knit in the round, you can knit on Magic Loop, with no laddering, quickly, easily, and without using DPNs. Hooray! Thanks, Bev and Sarah!
