cover image Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook

Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook

Debbie Stoller. Workman Publishing, $23.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-7611-3258-5

""The percentage of women under forty-five who knit or crochet has doubled since 1996,"" says Stoller (The BUST Guide to the New Girl Order), co-founder of the Stitch 'n Bitch circle in New York, and this slightly offensive, sassy guide--which could easily have been subtitled 'The Bad Girls' Guide to Knitting'--will undoubtedly appeal to this new generation of knitters. Starting with the basics, Stoller explains how to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off, all the steps needed to make a simple Ribbed-for-Her-Pleasure Scarf or a pair of Pippi Kneestockings. Easy-to-decipher diagrams and droll section headings (""Knit Happens,""""Oops, I Knit It Again"") ease readers through these first steps and will give most the confidence to tackle larger projects--like Cricket's Technicolor Cozy or Meema's Felted Marsupial Tote--designed by Stitch 'n Bitchers in Stoller's group and other knitters she admires. What makes this guide exceptional, however, is its chapter on the""Wonderful World of Knitters,"" which details how to start your own Stitch 'n Bitch circle and plug into the virtual knitting communities on the Web. Informative, colorful and full of attitude, this book is the perfect primer for 20- and 30-somethings looking to take on this hip""new"" hobby.