Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I need the book for idiots.....
Review: KNITTING FOR DUMMIES was written for me- or, as the cover says "A Reference for the Rest of Us." I am starting again at the beginning with the urging of my 10-year old granddaughter who wants me to teach her how to knit. I told her I would, and now I have to come through or I will be a grandmother who makes promises she can't keep. I told her I was just relearning myself, and that I would teach her as I learned. Thank goodness for the DUMMIES book.
The KFD pages are marked with little "wizard" icons like those that pop up on your computer software packages to indicate, technical stuff, knitting tips, and "remember" notation to remind you of something you should have learned a few pages back. I haven't progressed very far, but the steps I have followed have been very straightforward and relatively uncomplicated. This is a good book for a beginner like me, but just in case I'm going for the idiot book too.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow, so much positive to say!
Review: Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make - it is indeed possible to learn knitting from a book, and this one is a spectacular teacher. I shopped around for a book to learn knitting for a long time, and this one proved to be the winner. Here's why:
1. Meticulous instructions and great diagrams. Surprisingly, it's not the instructional books with the glossy pages and photographs that are the best for learning knitting. This book is mainly black-and-white and has drawings rather than photos. Nonetheless, Knitting for Dummies has the best instructions on what to do with your needles and yarn in an easy-to-follow format.
2. The information is not overwhelming. Many beginner knitting books start out by explaining everything about knitting - all the different tools, yarns, etc. How overwhelming! Knitting for Dummies teaches you to do some basic knitting first, and only later (in Chapter 4), when you're more familiar with knitting, you get to see all the variety of techniques and tools. Literally, on the third page of the book you learn to cast on! Tell me of another book that does that.
3. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Many books out there teach the basics by encouraging you to do a project, and suggest you buy expensive yarn and needles to learn. That's ridiculous, don't you think?!? If you can hardly make two stitches the same size, why would you invest dozens of dollars in a fancy yarn to make a crooked scarf? In Knitting for Dummies, you get to practice your skills and learn knitting at the same time by knitting samples of different patterns. That's right, cheap samples with whatever cheap yarn you want. Sure, there are projects to try as well, but doing them isn't the only route to learning knitting skills.
4. Knitting for Dummies is comprehensive. This book covers everything from basic knitting and purling to knitting with color, finishing items, picking up stitches for collars and pockets, cable knitting, etc. It is also full of helpful tips for even a more experienced knitter, such as nifty ways to make edges of knitting neat and avoiding super-big holes in lace patterns. The beginning of the book has a glossary of techniques and a list of abbreviations, which is very handy.
Are there any negatives? Well, I did find two typos, but they were pretty obvious. I'm not crazy about the projects (scarves, couch cushions, simple bags, hats, sweaters, and socks) but fortunately you don't have to do the projects to learn (unlike most of the other beginner knitting books out there). Knitting for Dummies isn't as pretty as some of the other books, but trust me, pretty gets frustrating very quick if the instructions aren't clear. It doesn't have a spine that allows it to lie flat, but once again, if it lays flat but is full on nonsense, you don't want it anyway.
Overall, I taught myself to knit from the book in about one month, following it from the first page to the last (except skipping all the projects). I'm glad that it covered both ways of holding needles (English and Continental styles) because the Continental style felt much more natural to me but isn't that popular in the States. I don't know how this book would work for a left-handed knitter. Knitting for Dummies is not fancy, but it works!
Rating:
Summary: A great book to teach you the basics and help you go beyond
Review: Probably one of the best books to get you started with knitting and then take you beyond the basics to learn more advanced techniques and topics: color knitting; cables and other patterns; knitting on circular and double-pointed needles; and blocking and finishing a garment. A good first pick for your knitting library.Has clear illustrations, a glossary of knitting techniques and abbreviations, and helpful tips. Like "Vogue Knitting," it's a good reference, but the advantage of this book is that it gives more info to help you get a real understanding of techniques that are new to you. Vogue Knitting is a bit drier. (Vogue Knitting's advantage is that it seems to cover a wider variety of techniques and has more info to help the knitter who wants to start designing his/her own knitwear.) Plus "Knitting for Dummies" is cheaper than Vogue Knitting. Most chapters in Knitting for Dummies include practice projects at the end to help you learn the techniques described. The sweater pattern at the end is very clear and helpful, introducing the new knitter who isn't yet used to deciphering the alphabet-soup of a typical knitting pattern to each technique used and explaining the whys and wherefores of each step. The book also includes exercises to help with sore wrists and repetitive stress injuries.
Rating: 
Summary: Apparently, this one is too smart for this "dummy"
Review: There are a lot of glowing reviews for this book. That's why I bought it to begin with. I am an experienced crafter and have successfully designed latch hook rugs for others, as well as done weaving, latch hook and other needle arts. I also have a college education and I actually read for a living, so reading comprehension is not a problem for me.
I had never knitted and wanted to learn -- ironically enough, to relax -- so I thought that buying this book would be a great way to get started. I have learned other crafts through books, and I didn't think this one would be any different.
Boy, was I wrong! After two frustrating days with "Knitting for Dummies," I am still on page 15, and I am about ready to throw it into the trashcan. You would think that a book devoted soley to teaching people how to knit would have more than three -- THREE -- poorly drawn illustrations on the knit stitch. But it doesn't. You would think that to show people how to cast on, that the author would start with the easiest method first, with plenty of clear drawings. But she doesn't. You would also think that the needle wouldn't magically jump from one hand to the other in the illustrations of casting on, even though the written instructions with them say something totally different. But I think you know by now that unfortunately, that's exactly what happens. (Check page 13, those of you who own it.) If you are a person who needs visual aids to learn something new, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy this book. Find a video. Find a real live knitter. Call your local craft store and see if they can hook you up with someone who actually knows what they are doing for heaven's sake. Ms. Allen, I'm sure, knows how to knit. But she sure doesn't know how to write a book that can teach this "dummy" how to.
Rating:
Summary: If you are a beginner this is one of two books you must have
Review: This book is a must for beginners, along with the perpetual calender which showcases 365 different easy to learn stitches. Knitting for Dummies makes every aspect of knitting understandable. The pictures are excellent! I use this book as a reference all of the time. Anything you need to know is in this book! I wouldn't be knitting today without it. I have checked out many beginners books and none of them compare to this one! Definitely buy this!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This book is wonderful - it taught me how to knit. It is straightforward, has clear pictures, and is easy to understand. I've gotten many other books since, and am happy I learned with this one. From a great author, it is unpretentious and very helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: This is a good, basic book for someone just learning to knit, but it doesn't really offer anything I could see for anyone with a few years of experience. I picked up a few tips here and there, but not enough to be worth the purchase price.
Rating:
Summary: Best Learn to Knit Book
Review: This new book by Pam Allen is one of the best books for beginning knitters I have ever seen. Like all in the "Dummies" series, it is set up clearly and has excellent diagrams and pictures. "Knitting for Dummies" will guide the knitting newbie through all those rough spots that knitters experience at first. Pam is a super designer, a superb knitting teacher, and a wonderful person; her keen sense of humor and fun peeps through, and keeps you going. The projects she includes are fun and truly easy. This is not your Grandmother's learn to knit book!
Rating:
Summary: Best Learn to Knit Book
Review: This new book by Pam Allen is one of the best books for beginning knitters I have ever seen. Like all in the "Dummies" series, it is set up clearly and has excellent diagrams and pictures. "Knitting for Dummies" will guide the knitting newbie through all those rough spots that knitters experience at first. Pam is a super designer, a superb knitting teacher, and a wonderful person; her keen sense of humor and fun peeps through, and keeps you going. The projects she includes are fun and truly easy. This is not your Grandmother's learn to knit book!
Rating:
Summary: Even I Learned to Knit
Review: Unlike crocheting, rug hooking, sewing, and quilting, KNITTING was the one thing I tried and miserably failed to learn growing up that I really wanted to. A "non-crafty" friend's recent conversion to knitting gave me the bravery to try, and after much comparison shopping I settled on this book. In less than a month, I've worked all the exercises in the first 5 chapters and have begun my first scarf. Good illustrations, very detailed explanation, lots of encouragement, and a good sense of humor have made this my favorite new hobby. Only downside, if any, is info on selecting needle size/length and yarn is not well covered before the exercises begin ... so, buy the book, spend a few bucks extra for real wool yarn, get nothing bigger than a Size 9 needle, and when you get to the Garter Ridge Scarf and you're buying your Size 8 needles, remember length matters ... 38 stitches cast on to 10-inch needles is a pretty tight squeeze. Should have gotten 12-inch needles for the scarf, but the book is definitely a keeper!
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