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Ceil
Permanent Resident
USA
1563 Posts |
 Posted - 09/06/2008 : 12:07:42 PM
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I think it's time to invest in a book of knitting stitch patterns. What do you recommend?
Ceil
Time is never a factor when joy is involved. |
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lella
Permanent Resident
9697 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2008 : 1:55:55 PM
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Barbara Walker's Books are what I've used for a long time but I did buy a new one recently for the cable stitches, Vogue Knitting's Stitchionary Volume II. I've made an afghan and sweaters from the Walker pattern books.
Pics at Flickr
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Calamintha
Permanent Resident
USA
2886 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2008 : 2:02:10 PM
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| The Barbara Walker Stitch Treasuries, volume one & two. Really I own several stitch dictionaries and they are my absolute favorites. The ones I really wouldn't want to be without. |
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queen of the east
Seriously Hooked
Canada
877 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2008 : 4:10:40 PM
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Ditto the Barbara Walker Stitch Treasuries. Invaluable, truly.
Ann in Montreal |
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Gelliott
Seriously Hooked
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2008 : 8:38:08 PM
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I really like the Walker books, but I also highly recommend "The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches," put out by Reader's Digest. It has a color photo of each stitch and rates its difficulty and drape. It is a hardback (about $27) an I find the single volume a bit easier to navigate than the BW books (more condensed--over 900 knit and crochet stitches). I go to BW's books when I need something more unusual, and her selection of mosaic patterns is awesome.
Gelliott |
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Ceil
Permanent Resident
USA
1563 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 9:52:43 PM
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Thanks for these resources!
Do the Walker books have much in the way of cables? Sounds like there might not be?
Ceil
Time is never a factor when joy is involved. |
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Calamintha
Permanent Resident
USA
2886 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2008 : 10:13:13 PM
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| Lots and lots of cables in the Walker books. If cables are your thing you might want to consider vol. 3 also as I think there are quite a few cable patterns in that one also. |
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knitz2
Permanent Resident
USA
1800 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2008 : 05:59:12 AM
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Re: the Walker Treasury series ... if you like to work from charts, don't waste your time/money on any of them except Vol 3, but Vol 3 does have a cable section.
Keep knitting, this too shall pass. |
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Kade1301
Permanent Resident
France
1426 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2008 : 07:33:37 AM
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I "like to work from charts", but I still wouldn't want to be without Treasury 1 and 2. The books are so good that the quality outweighs the no-charts disadvantage, and I can always chart any stitches I can't cope with from the written instructions alone (which so far has only happened for circular knitting).
Vol. 1 and 2 each have about 30 pages of cables (2 to 3 patterns per page), Vol. 2 also has 20 cable-stitch patterns (all-over patterns). Vol. 3 has 40 pages of cables, 20 pages of closed-ring designs in cabling (including a peace symbol) and 16 pages of cable-stitch patterns. As the charts need space, there's normally only 1, sometimes 2 patterns per page in the third volume. The most interesting thing in the fourth Treasury is the three-strand cable knitted with two cable needles - but you'll have to decide whether you want to pay 30 dollars for one stitch pattern (of course there's others in the book, but really, I could do without them).
By the way, I haven't counted the twisted stitch patterns, and the cables hidden in other sections (like ribbing).
Hope the info helps! Klara
http://www.lahottee.info |
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2totangle
Permanent Resident
1212 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2008 : 08:22:03 AM
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Another vote for Walker. I initially bought Volumes 1 and 2 of the Vogue Stitchionary series, which have the advantage of nice color photos. However, once I got the Walker books I realized how many recent books rely on her stitch patterns and how many knitting patterns incorporate them. Now I spot Walker stitch patterns everywhere, usually without attribution.
To make up for the lack of color photos in the books, you can just go to the Walker Treasury Project (http://thewalkertreasury.wordpress.com/) to check out pretty pictures of swatches. I received some unexpected birthday checks, so I splurged on all four books at once and got a 10% discount from Schoolhouse Press (http://schoolhousepress.com/stitchpatts.htm).
Suzanne
A few pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2totangle/ |
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yarnlover
Permanent Resident
1729 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2008 : 07:16:25 AM
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quote:
if you like to work from charts, don't waste your time/money on any of them
I only have volume 2 - snatched it up at our local library sale for $3 - and have been using it for lace. I'm knitting lace scarves by choosing lace patterns that I like and that I think go well together. I've been creating my own charts from the written instructions and find it easy to do. So, I wouldn't agree 100% with the statement above - it depends on whether or not you are willing to do the work of chart creation. I haven't knit any cables though, so can't offer an opinion on that.
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Calamintha
Permanent Resident
USA
2886 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2008 : 07:50:03 AM
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| Have to agree. I also prefer charts but would never consider giving up my Walker Treasuries that don't have them. As mentioned it's easy to make your own charts. There are even some software programs like Stitch & Motif Maker that you can use if you want to do them on the computer. The Walker books really are unique among stitch dictionaries. Even the b & w photos show the stitches off better in some respects than a color photo would in my opinion. |
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aradiva
New Pal
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2008 : 11:59:24 PM
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| I got the Walker Treasuries as a set a couple of weeks ago and I think they're fantastic, and have hardly even begun to explore them yet. This is in marked contrast to my reaction to the Harmony Guide to Lace and Eyelets that I got over the summer. I had heard good things about the Harmony Guides, but I was very disappointed with it when it showed up. There does not appear to be *any* sort of organization, the stitches are just randomly tossed throughout the book, as far as I can tell. The color photos are pretty, of course. But the stitches are not charted, and there is no commentary to help one decide which stitches to choose as there is in the Walker books. |
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sockjoan
Warming Up
Australia
50 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 12:45:50 AM
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| I also like the 3 Barbara Walker treasuries best. I prefer to work from charts, so I use the system she describes in Vol. 3 to chart any stitch I want to use from the earlier two volumes. I bought the first Harmony Guide more than 20 years ago, & was frustrated by the lack of an index, so a young friend with a computer helped me make one. No reference book should be without a comprehensive index! - And once you've learnt to draw stitch charts, you can change stitch patterns if necessary to make them fit, for instance, the number of stitches you need in your pattern repeat. |
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Jane
SustaYning Member
USA
4292 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 02:18:57 AM
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One more vote for Barbara Walker -- I treasure my Treasuries, with or without the charts. They're my basic references, even though I have a small collection of good stitch dictionaries.
Jane
Betty needs a vacation: Support KR
Blog: Not Plain Jane
Photos: My Flickr Album
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jel50@sbcglobal.net
Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 04:35:58 AM
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| I have both the Barbara Walker's and the Harmony Guides, and several other reference books. The Walker books are the first ones to get for yourself - and you will use them for years and years. There are many other stitch guides you can add to your library if you want them - I'm trying not to buy more books, and so far, between the Walker books and the internet I have found enough to keep even me satisfied. |
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DebbiOH
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 06:42:12 AM
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I'm another Barbara Walker girl.
~Debbi~NW Ohio
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cmerril44@peoplepc.com
New Pal
1 Posts |
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akirkman
New Pal
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 07:31:13 AM
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| The Barbara Walker books, of course, the ORIGINAL Harmony books, not the pathetic renditions that were put out last year, and Sharon Miller's Heirloom Knitting. |
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Calamintha
Permanent Resident
USA
2886 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 07:37:57 AM
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| In fairness to the Harmony Guides I have say also that the originals were a good value for the money. Not as good as the Walker books but not bad and much less expensive. However, the republication by Interweave is nowhere near good as the original version and much costlier. |
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bookrep
New Pal
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 6:41:55 PM
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The original editions of the Harmony Guides are much better than the Interweave reprints, IMHO.
200 Ripple Stitches (Krause Publications, ISBN 089689276X) is another favorite of mine. I use it over and over. |
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Topic |
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A book of stitches
