Teach Yourself Visually Knitting (Teach Yourself Visually)
by Sharon Turner
List Price:
Our Price: $15.46
You Save: $9.53 (38%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Sharon TurnerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-12-19
ISBN: 0764596403
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Visual
Book Reviews of Teach Yourself Visually Knitting (Teach Yourself Visually)
Book Review: Not really for a complete beginner
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is excellent for someone who either already has limited experience knitting or who has a friend or teacher who can answer really basic (as in "stupid") questions. If you don't fit into either of these categories, there is no way you will "teach yourself visually knitting" just with this book.
There are too many gaps. For example, there is the assumption that you instinctively know which is the "right" side and which is the "wrong" side, among other basic bits of knowledge. This may or may not be important, but when the instructions say do this on the right side and that on the wrong side, you'd like to know before proceeding. Being told that the "wrong" side is the side you don't see when you're wearing it is not helpful because, right now, you're not wearing it. Being shown what the right side looks (or should look) like and what the wrong side looks like, would be. (When you are really beginning, the anatomy of a stitch is not exactly obvious. You're just following a sequence of instructions and not sure why or how it all fits in at the end).
I also didn't find the "mistakes" section as clear as I would have liked: what is a "dropped" stitch? How did it happen? What can I do to prevent it? At a critical point such as a mistake (where you're close to panicking that you've just blown the whole project!) a few more photographs in the sequence of steps would have made an already tense situation a little less tense.
Assuming that you are truly gifted and that you make it to the end of your project and now you now want to get the knitting off the needle and around your neck, you have to either make sense of the description (which is clear but intimidating) or get a magnifying glass to see exactly where the needles go in relation to the yarn in the small and distant illustration. (A macro lens for closeups would have been a nice touch throughout the book, but particularly here).
Having said this from a real beginners point of view, the book appears to be an excellent resource for somewhat more confident knitters or knitters who want to expand beyond the basics. It has a section that shows swatches created using many types of stitches that, I'm sure, will come in handy someday. There is a lot of good information that I couldn't find elsewhere (such as get ready to start a new ball of yarn when you're getting close to having 4 times the length of yarn as the width of your project.)
I gave it only 3 stars, not because it's a bad book--it's not--but because the content is not consistent with the implied level of the title and I find that misleading. This is not a book that gives you a great sense of security when you're starting out.
If you haven't ever picked up a knitting needle, I would suggest Nici McNally's DVD The Complete Beginner's Guide to Knitting (also available at Amazon). That one IS for complete beginners, you see what you have to do and what it should look like when you do it (close up and slowly), and it tells you what mistakes you're likely to make when you're starting and how to prevent or correct them. It doesn't cover too much ground but it does cover what you need to know NOW.
Summary of Teach Yourself Visually Knitting (Teach Yourself Visually)
Do you learn faster by seeing and doing than by wading through tedious instructions? Then get yourself some yarn and needles and get knitting! Teach Yourself VISUALLYKnitting shows you the basics--photo by photo and stitch by stitch. You begin with the essential knit and purl stitches and advance to bobbles, cables, lace, and fancy color work. With fun, innovative patterns from top knitting designer Sharon Turner, you'll be creating masterpieces in no time!Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review
* Each skill or techniqueis defined and described
* Detailed color photos demonstrate each step
* Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo
* Helpful tips provide additional guidance
Crafts & Hobbies Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Crafts & Hobbies Books
Collins Complete Artist's Manualby Simon Jennings
HARPER COLLINS 0 PUB; Published: 2005-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Indoor Artistby Linda Birch
Harper Collins; Published: 2004-02-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.39
Drawing on the Artist Withinby Betty Edwards
Harpercollins; Published: 1988-04-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $176.90
Carolyn Warrender's Book of Colour Scheming: How to Identify the Colours That Are Right for Your Homeby CAROLYN WARRENDER
HARPERCOLLINS ILLUSTRATED; Published: 1999; Paperback; Book
Learn to Paint Gouache Pbby Moira Huntly
Harpercollins; Published: 1995-10; Paperback; Book
Learn to Frame (Collins Learn to Paint)by Sheila Fairbrass
Collins; Published: 1990-06-04; Paperback; Book
Art of Preserved Flower Arrangementby Maureen Foster
HarperCollins Distribution Services; Published: 1984-03-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.94
Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplifiedby Cal Patch
Potter Craft; Published: 2009-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.88
Price in other shops:
Continuous Cables: An Exploration of Knitted Cabled Knots, Rings, Swirls, and Curlicuesby Melissa Leapman
Potter Craft Books; Potter Craft; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.82
Price in other shops:
How Not to Look Fatby Danica Lo
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2006-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.45
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Susan Bates Silvalume 10 Inch Knitting Needle Gift Set-3 Pairs 6, 7, 8SUSAN BATES; Susan Bates; SUSAN BATES; Kitchen; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $12.30
Knitting Stitches VISUAL Encyclopedia (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer)by Sharon Turner
Visual; Published: 2011-10-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.29
Price in other shops:
Knitting VISUAL Quick Tipsby Sharon Turner
Wiley Publishing; Visual; Published: 2007-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.54
Price in other shops:
The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Askby Margaret Radcliffe
Storey Publishing, LLC; Published: 2005-10-01; Perfect Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Clover Knit Mate Knitting Accessories SetClover; Clover; Clover; Kitchen; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops:
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Circular Knitting (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer)by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
Wiley Publishing; Visual; Published: 2011-05-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.95
Price in other shops:
The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting: Learn to Knit with more than 30 Cool, Easy Patternsby Nancy Queen, Mary Ellen O'Connell
Potter Craft; Published: 2008-08-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.68
Price in other shops:
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crochet (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer)by Cecily Keim
Visual; Published: 2011-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbookby Debbie Stoller
Workman Publishing; Workman Publishing Company; Published: 2004-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.79
Price in other shops:
Nici McNally - The Complete Beginner's Guide to KnittingNici McNally Knitting DVDs; Release date: 2005-06-01; Published: 2005; DVD
Best price: $19.94
Price in other shops: