cover image The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits

The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits

Julie Carles, Jordana Jacobs. Potter Craft, $30 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-609-60880-7

This stylish and straightforward guide to knitting comes just in time for chilly autumn nights. Geared toward novices and ""rusty"" knitters alike, the book covers the basics (how to cast on, how to purl) before going on to offer klutz-proof sweater patterns as well as simple stand-bys such as hats, scarves and throws. Co-owners of a Manhattan yarn studio, Carles and Jacobs sprinkle the book with encouragement and tales of knitting success. Every few pages, a little bubble cautions the reader on potential pitfalls (think Pop-Up Knitting); ""some advice may seem obvious,"" these chipper ladies write, ""but in the end, they will save you from knitting a sweater that would fit the Jolly Green Giant or, worse, one with armhole shaping only in the back!"" Each pattern is illustrated from different angles in well-styled photographs, and personal anecdotes introduce each pattern, resulting in an instructive book that's also an unusually engaging read. Color photographs and illustrations throughout.