About book Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (2004)
I moved into my aunt and uncle's attic seven winters ago, graduated from college but without a job. No friends except my five-month-old cousin (who was good company, but still!). I had never lived in Minnesota before, but I had heard that the winters were long, cold, and dark. I decided to take up a hobby. Given my newfound nordic surroundings, I thought knitting was just the thing.I didn't have the money to take a class, so I checked out Stitch 'n Bitch from the library and got some yarn and needles with a coupon to Micheal's. With only this book and lonely nights, I taught myself to knit. First, Stoller explained the basic elements of knitting. She coupled her instructions with illustrations and witty captions, making them easy to understand and follow. Where more than one method existed, she included instructions for each. (That is how I, a right-handed American, ended up knitting the left-handed English way!) After the basic stitches came (brilliantly) a list of the most common knitting woopsies and how to fix them. The remainder of the book contained fun patterns with illustrations, photos, and clear-as-day instructions. The patterns included projects for pets, babies, and hipsters. I made several of the projects and still wear them.Once I taught myself to knit that solitary winter, I was hooked for life. Now I never go anywhere without something to knit, and friends and family know to expect home-stitched gifts from me. I have taught others to knit. I even went to a knit-in protest at the state capitol! Knitting has become more than a hobby; it has been a means of making friends, connecting with relatives, and expressing my (limited) creativity. It has been a terrific past-time, and I am grateful to Stoller for opening the door.
boo! goodreads ate my review. so here is the considerably abbreviated version. cute stories, inspiration, and gentle encouragement to start that hobby: 5 stars! this is really where this book excels. the book makes a good contribution to make knitting interesting and more accessible to potentially war beginners. basic and to the point instructions on the things beginners need to know: 3 stars! frankly, throughout my first year of knitting as i got through beginner confusion, i found other books to be much more helpful on this front. whilst cute illustrations of casting on, knit stitch, or purl are nice, as a beginner i was way more interested in super clear and concise pictures. youtube & teach yourself visually (which is very dull but has great instructions on how to do things) were much more helpful to me. patterns: 3 stars! i didn't do many of these patterns because they didn't interest me. most of them looked okay and some of them look downright ridiculous, but its always going to be a mixed bag when it comes to the pattern section of a book. the patterns that i did do were easy to understand and didn't have any glaring mistakes. i would highly recommend finding patterns on ravelry. i've found it to be considerably more useful for finding patterns than any other book.
Do You like book Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (2004)?
Author Debbie Stoller, tells her story of how she came from a “crafty family”, her struggle with knitting, and the history of knitting, in order to provide readers with valuable information how knitting can be done socially and individually. The book has a complete list of 72 fictional and non-fictional famous knitters, including famous rock star Madonna and supermodel and daytime show host Tyra Banks. This book contains information about different types of yarn used by knitters, such as the dif
—Adriana
This was one of those books that tried so hard to be """hip""" that it actually made me roll my eyes a few times. Some of it was genuinely funny, and some not so much. It's like the author was trying to hit me over the head with her coolness at every turn. Haha, look how well I relate to the younger generation!! I make snarky little comments about women's bodies!! So cool!! Real talk: telling "full figured" women that they will look like they've been put into a fat suit and will look like a "barrel" if they do x, y, or z with their knitting is body shaming, and kind of makes you look like a piece of shit. Don't do it. (Did I say kind of?)On a more positive note, I really did enjoy the brief history of knitting contained in the first chapter. I think that was probably my favorite part of the book, really. As an absolute beginner, I have to say that I'm going to need to look up some online tutorials before perusing the advice in this book any further. After I've mastered the basics, I'm definitely coming back and giving this a more thorough re-read.(Also, most of the patterns in here aren't really to my taste, except that skull sweater. I am totally making that thing. Someday. Hopefully.)
—Annie
I haven't followed any of the patterns yet, but I love this book without them. The author has a PhD in psychology of women and is the founder of a feminist magazine called BUST, which also happens to be very cool. Along with some of her own family history, which I thoroughly enjoyed, she gives a short history of knitting. Who knew that Egyptians knitted blue and white socks in 1000 A.D.?! I also loved the American Red Cross poster from WWI asking women to "Knit Your Bit" because "Our Boys Need Sox" and apparently they did so right alongside injured soldiers who knit for their comrades to continue their service while recovering in the hospital (which might be useful information for PTSD research). Plus there is lots of info about fiber, tools, organization, stitches, casting, binding, technique, diagrams, fun word play and even knitting rhymes. Most importantly, this book makes me want to knit, which I suppose is the point.
—Joline Pruitt
