Kat with a K: Vroom vroom vroom

February 20, 2006

Vroom vroom vroom

I think Danica is going to be my official knitting-while-watching project for the upcoming race (IRL, CART, F1) season. Would doing it in black and white with pink accents be too blatant? Hmm. And yes, I am excited about the racing season already and it doesn't start for 19 days. Oh well.

In other news, a question from a librarian friend has led me to compile (well, work on compiling) a list of "essential" knitting books - I think it will end up being my top ten. What are your top ten (or two or five or twenty)?

Posted by Kat at February 20, 2006 04:22 PM

Comments

Stanley, Wiseman, Walker, Mary Thomas.

Posted by: Lauren at February 20, 2006 06:01 PM

I think black & white with pink accents would be fun for that pattern.

Hmm...

Knitting Without Tears - Elizabeth Zimmermann
Sensational Knitted Socks - Charlene Schurch
Knitter's Companion - Vicki Square (always in my knitting bag - has the best ever description/diagram of kitchener)
Knitter's Handbook - Montse Stanley
Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (ok, so the corrections are probably longer than the book - but there are sure a lot of cool things in it)
Knitting for Anarchists - Anna Zilboorg
Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns - Ann Budd (great for charity knitting)
Knitting Vintage Socks and Knitting on the Road - Nancy Bush
Yarn Harlot (when things are getting too serious...)
Knitting from the Top - Barbara Walker
Mary Thomas's Knitting Book
Knitter's Almanac - Elizabeth Zimmermann

Posted by: Chris at February 20, 2006 06:32 PM

Glorious Knitting - Kaffe Fassett
Aran Knitting - Alice Starmore
any old treasury of stitch patterns

Posted by: Mary de B at February 21, 2006 03:08 AM

LOVE the B, W & P! Just a few "essentials" in no particular order:

Twisted Sister's Sock Workshop
Knitter's Companion
Jackie Fee's Sweater Workshop
anything (everything!) by Elizabeth Zimmerman
any good, comprehensive stitch dictionary

Posted by: Jo at February 21, 2006 07:46 AM

Hi, Kat, found you through NH SnB. What a great question!

The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns - Ann Budd
all four Treasury books - Barbara Walker
both Harlot books (and she's got a bun in the oven, so to speak)
Thomas, Stanley, Hiatt, Zimmermann

I have a ton of books and leaflets, some of them dating from the 60s. I've found that I can learn something from any book, no matter how dated. (As an Extra Added Bonus, those 60s hairdos are a scream.)

N.B. Pattern leaflets put out by manufacturers of plasticky acrylic yarn are dated. Thomas, Zimmermann et al. are classic.

Posted by: Lucia at February 21, 2006 07:55 AM

Kat, black and white with bits of pink sounds lovely, and completely appropriate!

As for essential knitting books, I find myself frequently recommending these:

Ann Budd's sweater book (can't remember exact title, alas)
Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks
Barbara Walker's stitch treasuries (all of them)
The Yarn Harlot's two (soon to be three)

Posted by: AuntyNin at February 21, 2006 09:12 AM

Knitter's Companion (with a note not to trust their instructions for the kitchener stitch)
Stitch and Bitch
Stich and Bitch Nation
The Knitting Goddess

Posted by: Ivy at February 21, 2006 11:15 AM

Kay, your Trekking is on my desk!

Posted by: Erica at February 21, 2006 06:38 PM

Anything by EZ, but especially Knitting without Tears

Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker

Those two books liberated me from needing any patterns -- I haven't used a pattern since reading those two books....... :-)

For inspiration -- Twisted Sisters (spinning and dyeing as much or more than knitting)

Posted by: Vicki in Michigan at March 1, 2006 03:51 PM