Two Needles, Many Knits: The New Knitter’s Guide with Easy Patterns

This valuable debut guide from Stark tells beginners all they need to know to get started knitting. He explains the pros and cons of different materials (plant-based yarns such as cotton and linen are ideal for warm-weather garments, and people with skin sensitivities will want to avoid wool) and which needle types are best suited for particular garments (double-pointed needles are typically used to knit hats, socks, and other small articles in the round). Novices will have no problem following the step-by-step instructions for casting on, binding off, and creating knit and purl stitches. The easiest projects, particularly the “jade garter stitch washcloth” and the “ruby in-the-round cowl,” consist of repetitive rows that will help knitters build muscle memory. Such intermediate projects as the “agate seed stitch clutch” and the “opal striped children’s beanie” incorporate simple increases and decreases. Even the advanced projects are relatively easy, requiring no harder techniques than cable work. Stark’s overview of the craft is comprehensive, even if the reasoning behind some of the suggestions is opaque (it’s not clear, for instance, why he makes the unusual assertion that acrylic yarn is ill-suited to colorwork). Still, newbie knitters will find much of use. (Sept.)