Books for Beginners
It seems hardly a week goes by at the moment without a news item on the uptick in interest in crafts like knitting. Over the last 18 months, so many people have found or returned to knitting – what a wonderful thing! We often get asked to suggest books suited to beginners, and today we’ve collected those recommendations together. So if you are learning to knit and looking for help, or have a loved one who is, this post is for you!
For The Absolute Beginner
We were so excited when the good folks at Modern Daily Knitting brought out Skill Set this year — it’s just the kind of knitting book we think every new knitter needs. It contains, as they say, “everything you need, and nothing you don’t” and is a great introduction to knitting It is chock full of handy diagrams and tips, and conveniently sized for your project bag. Pair it with MDK Field Guide No. 18: Beginnings, which includes six patterns by Karida Collins that beginners will actually want to knit, and you’ve got the perfect beginner knitter bundle! For a limited time, you can grab both for £25 … discount will be applied automatically at checkout!
For The Knitter Who Can Already Knit and Purl
The base scarf of Jeanette Sloan’s Patina pattern would be a great project for a new knitter, with a simple pattern and no shaping to contend with, and photo tutorials take you through every step of the embroidery! Martina Behm’s Flux Hand Warmers teach you how to work a tidy folded hem … once it’s out of the way, they’re simple and straight forward to knit. Both patterns are part of Confident Knitting.
Mastered a few of the foundations? Good news! A whole world of knitting fun opens up before you. Because, at the end of the day, once you can knit, purl, increase, decrease … well, there’s not a lot you can’t do! We think our latest book, Confident Knitting, has a lot of great patterns that a newer knitter could work through to build up their skills. Will you be able to knit every project from the word go? Maybe not. But, with the help of the photo tutorials (and the tutorials you’ll find on our YouTube channel), you could tackle the Findhorn Wrap, the Lustrous Shawl, the Patina Scarf, the Prime Blanket or the Saturnus Cushions (if you’re most comfortable knitting flat) or the Flux Hand Warmers, the Mosaic Mitts, the Moorland Socks or the Evolve Cowl (if you’re ready to knit in the round). And once you’ve experienced the lovely confidence boost that comes from learning something new, you could move on to stranded colourwork (Variance Hat, Stellar Hat). Before you know it, you’ll have massively expanded your skills repertoire … and, just as importantly, boosted your knitting self-belief.
For The Knitter Who Has Never Tried Socks
The Antirrhinum Socks by Rachel Coopey and the Hedera Helix Socks by Jim Arnall-Culliford, from A Year Of Techniques.
We looooove a knitted sock around here! Once you’ve experienced the joy of hand knit socks that fit, you’re never going to want to take them off! Our first book, A Year Of Techniques, is a great one if you’re wanting to try out some socks (but perhaps not commit to a whole book of sock patterns). It covers a top-down heel flap and turn (perhaps the most common heel construction), afterthought heels, another fabulous (and versatile technique), and Judy’s Magic Cast On, a common method for starting toe-up socks. Want even more sock fun? MDK Field Guide No. 11: Wanderlust is all about the socks, and we’ve also got popular Coop Knits Socks Yeah! Vol. 1 in stock.
For the Knitter Who is Cable or Lace Curious
Go from beginner cable to the beautiful knot cables in Lucy Hague’s Pleione Blanket from Something New To Learn About Cables. Or get confident knitting lace with the Bithynica Shawl, from Something New To Learn About Lace.
We think of our big books as smorgasbords of new techniques … there will be something for everyone in them! But we also have a series of smaller books that help take you from beginner to confident knitter in a given technique. Something New To Learn About Lace and Something New To Learn About Cables are great books, packed with tutorials, patterns and tips, perfect for knitter who has mastered a few basics and wants to try out, well, lace or cables! For more little books that explore the big world of knitting, you can also dive into our stock of Modern Daily Knitting Field Guides!
As always, if you have a question about any of the books or patterns we produce or stock — “I can knit X, would I be okay to tackle Y?” “Would this book be suitable for my friend who learned to knit recently?” etc. — we’re here to help. You can get in touch using the Contact Us form. And if you know someone who has recently fallen for knitting, why not share this list with them … let’s help more people become confident knitters!
And speaking of contact! We’ve had some issues with customers, especially those who use Hotmail for emails, not receiving order confirmations! It can help greatly if you add our email addresses (hello@actechniques.co.uk and hello@actechniques.com) to your Contacts.