Sticks & String

Knitter’s Handbook

This was the first knitting book I bought (other than pattern books) and it’s still one of the ones I use the most often. The book is full of clear, concise descriptions of techniques with simple 2 colour drawings to help illustrate them. It’s also comprehensive, in the section covering methods of casting on, there are dozens of different methods with their characteristics listed and advantages and disadvantages of using them - there is even a small photo section showing what some of them look like in practise.

The book contains no patterns, although there are some garment photographs to show what many of the techniques look like in practice. Similarly, it is not a stitch pattern book, of course it has all the standard patterns such as garter, moss, stocking and so on, and a section on cables, but it’s not a reference you’d use for inspiration - it’s the one you’d go to when you want a quick how-to for a technique you don’t know or have forgotten.

As a reference I have found this book to be invaluable, it is never far from me when I’m knitting. I would recommend it as the most comprehensive reference I have found so far.