Rating: 
Summary: A must have for knitters!
Review: I have been attempting to knit for a couple of years now and kept giving up due to frustration. Reading this book and putting it into practice took all of that frustration away. It makes knitting seem simple. Then there are all the great projects in it, to put your new found talent to use. Debbie Stoller explains knitting in a way that anyone can master it, while making you laugh. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I can now actually call myself a knitter!
Rating:
Summary: Great book for first time knitter
Review: This book is a breath of fresh air! I love the hip, updated projects, and I found both instructions and patterns easy to follow. I'm brand-new to knitting, but this book has turned me into an addict--I've already made three of the projects, and plan to make more. If you are curious about knitting, this the the book to buy. I have already bought one for a Christmas gift for my sister.
Rating: 
Summary: Cool looking patterns, but not accurate
Review: When I opened this book, I loved the way the designs of the sweaters and other accessories. I was really sick of seeing out-of-style knitting books that only your grandma would wear in 1980. This book definitely has patterns that are for people more in tune with today's mod fashions. I was truly excited to get started on a few of these.However, the patterns were very inaccurate and difficult to follow. The measurements were inaccurate, and it really was hit or miss when it came to knitting a good pattern, especially since each pattern was written by a different person.
Rating: 
Summary: Title a real put-off....
Review: I read a review of this book on a knitting forum where someone mentioned that they were old enough to remember when "B****" was a derogatory term. Hunh? It still is, if you were brought up with any manners at all. As to the patterns, well, the devil and kitty hats have been out on the web as well as in magazines, and the rest of the items don't look all that special--some of the striped items look like they come from the Gap. All the color photos are in the middle, and many of the photos had the camera tilted, as well as the models being photographed in very cluttered settings, which takes away from the items. Also, the orange around the pages does nothing for the book--money would have been better spent on better layout. This book is just okay, and is not the greatest for children, unless you have already explained what "ribbed for her pleasure" means.
Rating: 
Summary: Nifty Patterns!
Review: I haven't used the instruction part of this book, but for $15, this is a great selection of patterns. Overall I like the book, but for one or two small things. Many of the smaller project patterns involve huge numbers of colors and are therefore better for using up skein ends from an existing stash than for starting from scratch. This sort of ruins them as solo beginner projects - four skeins of wool is a big investment for one hat. Some of the knitting guages are a tad fiddly. If the manufacturer's guage is three stitches per inch, and the pattern calls for 13 stitches to four inches, you're more likely to wind up with a wrong-sized sweater than you are to get lucky with your personal slightly off-beat knitting tension (my first attempt at "Skully" is exceptionally funky handknit maternity wear, but experiments with the next needle size down demonstrate that a switch would have made it embarassingly snug). Despite this problem, the sweaters alone are worth the price of admission. Paired with Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Without Tears" (to readjust the knitting math when the guages don't work out), it's just about perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Not an easy book to use
Review: I thought the information sections of the book were too cluttered and confusing. It's such a big book I thought there would be a lot of patterns. There are some but nothing I'd make...come on a bikini??? Wristbands? Falls in the catagory of too much work, not enough reward.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Knitting Book!
Review: This is THE perfect knitting book. Super easy and clear directions. This book helped me to get beyond basic knit and purl. I can now knit in color/pattern, three needle bind off (SUPER) and use circular needles! The best reading, instructions and patterns to be found.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY, diagrams and instructions that are clear!!
Review: I disagree with the reviewer who found the directions unclear. I'm a lefty who taught myself to knit last year...and I mean *literally* to knit- I couldn't purl. AND I was moving stitches from right needle to left- truly backward! I also had no hope of ever making anything but scarves because patterns are written for right handers. To make matters worse, everyone I asked gave me different advice for adjusting patterns so that they worked "left-handed". I bought this book recently and have been thrilled with it! Not only is it entertaining, but Ms. Stoller doesn't assume anything. She is really writing for the person who's starting from square ONE. No other book I've looked at ever explained WHY my stitches had to be slanting a certain way on the needle, how to tell if they were, or how to fix them if they weren't... Ms. Stoller makes it perfectly clear! I sat down and followed the diagrams and instructions step by step and found that I can indeed knit right-handed, even holding the yarn in my right hand! And that I'll knit faster this way than my old way. Amazing! I also really appreciated her explanations of yarn weights and names, and so many other simple things that I just never "got" before. Hooray! This book's clear and casual style is perfect for the way I learn- I'm excited about knitting again!
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect by any means
Review: Let me preface by saying that this book did teach me to knit. It can teach you to knit, too. But it is not perfect by any means and may not be the best book to learn from.
I often found myself frustrated by the instructions and wondering what in G-d's name to do next. Oftentimes, when I could not figure out a technique from the book, it took thinking for myself and a little common sense to get through it.
And call me a snob, but I found the patterns a little corny. I prefer a little more classic mixed in with my cool. (at age 21, I have long lost the desire to sport a backpack with a monkey on it- although it could make a cute gift)
There is plenty good in this book, and it is actually laugh-out-loud funny, and heck, I've learned everything I know from it (I've only been knitting for 2 weeks). But it could use a little more substance over style and the instructions are not as clear as they could be...
Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff
Review: This one was of the more helpful and fun books out there. Easy instructions and... not your grandma's knitting book!
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