Today I have a book review for you – The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook by Melissa Leapman.
I’ll get the basics out of the way first. It’s in print, currently retails for about AU$29-ish and the best prices seem to be from Book Depository. The full title is: The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook, An Essential Collection of 300 Designer Stitches & Techniques. The ISBN is 978-0-449-81991-6. I paid significantly more for this at a very overpriced shop, but I had to have it.
I have no financial interest in promoting this book – but I want you to crack open the piggy bank to buy it immediately. Even if you don’t read stitch dictionaries in bed instead of novels like I do, you will fall in love with this one.
The two patterns that made this a must-buy for me are pictured below – Vineyard Lattice (left) and Spring Leaves (right).
These two patterns represent some of the more difficult stitches in The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook, but they are also amongst the most unusual. The have a more organic and richly textured look than, say, Japanese lace stitches which are often the best examples of unusual stitch patterns.
Along with unique stitches that I haven’t seen before, there are also new treatments of more traditional stitches. Pictured below are Zigzag Cables (left) and Sevignac Lace (right).
The two-tone cables are very clever. By alternating colours every few stitches (as in fair isle knitting), a really bold design develops. There are a handful of two colour cables using a similar technique and they are all as good as this one.
Sevignac Lace uses the technique of removing all the wrong-side rows that would normally be purled. Instead you work pattern stitches on both sides to achieve this textured lace.
Reversible stitches are a stitch type that I love but don’t often see in stitch dictionaries. Below are Reversible Zigzag Cables (left) and Reversible Rope Cables (right)
Like the other reversible stiches in the book, these ones have two “good” sides. Reversible stitches are great for scarves ,and scarves are great for stash busting, so I know that I’ll turn to this book when I start knitting scarves for the charity KOGO this year.
Not all stitches are as complex as those I’ve shown above. There are a good number of simple “knit and purl” textures and variations on ribs.
I wouldn’t recommend The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook as your only stitch dictionary because it doesn’t contain all the old standards – but I do recommend it as part of a well-rounded knitter’s library.
