About a year ago I was cruising the interwebs, looking for methods of doing a provisional cast on, when I stumbled across mentions of an out-of-print, but soon to be reissued, book titled The Principles of Knitting.
Despite that the re-issue wasn't due to be out until the following November, I pre-ordered it.
And then… printing was delayed. And delayed again. It wasn't until Valentine's Day that I finally got it in my hot little hands.
Now, there are a hell of a lot of knitting books out there, especially now as knitting is enjoying another revival in hipness. One could drain one's bank account and fill one's bookshelves with multiple books touting one or two styles of knitting, or being the ultimate reference for one or another step in the knitting process. Indeed, when I went to Amazon for the above link, Amazon generated a list of other books which included Circular Knitting Workshop: Essential Techniques to Master Knitting in the Round, Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods; Find the perfect start and finish for every knitting project, and Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters, the combined prices of which ($46.75) exceeds by almost $20 that of the The Principles of Knitting, and the subject matters of which thoroughly covered in that single volume.
To wit: Principles covers about four dozen methods of casting on and discusses why one method would be more suitable for a project than another. The same thorough treatment is given to binding off, including multiple methods for grafting.
The Principles of Knitting is far more than a "how to" book; instead, it is a volume devoted to the why does.
It can also be exhausting in its detail: for example, there is an entire chapter on swatching and determining gauge, first setting out the two "traditional methods" generally used in commercial patterns (knitting a square of approximately 4 inches, then pinning flat and counting the number of rows/stitches per two inches; or alternatively knitting a set number of rows and stitches then measuring the result), then listing the deficiencies in those methods (small variances in the measurements; fractional stitches or rows; not allowing for shrinkage or stretching). The chapter then proceeds to outline methods to avoid those errors, taking into account the "five variables" to gauge: the hands — how each individual knits and handles yarn; the needles — each brand, material and style of needle can produce a slightly different gauge even though the needles are the same size; the knitting method — working flat or in the round, continental or English; the yarn — the fiber, twist, ply, and finish affect the gauge of the same weight of yarn; and the pattern — lacy, solid, cabled, intarsia, or carried color all change gauge.
It all sounds terribly frightening — but Principles details how to take these considerations into account to calculate an accurate gauge and, from there, how to determine how much yardage a project will take — and even estimate how long it will take.
There are techniques for knitting selvage edges; descriptions of long-stitch patterns, twined knitting, double-fabric knitting, felting and fulling, garment design — so much information that one couldn't find on the internet because one wouldn't know to ask the question!
Anyone who knits will find Principles of Knitting to be invaluable. If you’re beginner, it will give you a good foundation of knowledge; if you're an experienced knitter, it will help you understand why some things work out just right, and others… not so much. It gives good explanations for lefties; examines stitches that I've never encountered.
Buy this book. Its money well spent ($45 full price; $27 at Amazon).
The Principles of Knitting; June Hemmons Hyatt.