The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting by Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O’Connell, softback published by Watson-Guptill in the USA. Available in the UK, ISBN 978-0-8230-0675-5, price 10.99 from www.thegmcgroup.com
Knitting has been revived as a fun thing to do. Cool! Nothing is cooler than the ‘Chicks with Sticks’ approach. Subtitled ‘Learn to Knit With More Than 30 Cool, Easy Patterns’. This is a neat guide for beginner’s and one that won’t put you off and have you transferring those knitting needles to an oriental hairdo!
This book works on a series of building blocks, enabling the beginner to master the necessary skills. More than thirty easy-to-knit projects will help build your confidence. The projects include hats, scarves, pillows, handbags and sweaters for men and women. There’s a gorgeous t-shirt, a lovely wrap, a cosy hat and a great man’s striped sweater.
The detailed instructions have schematic diagrams, clear colour photographs and line drawing showing the size. This is not a book that assumes you are a dummy, but that you are an intelligent person wishing to knit and create your own clothes. Instructions are given for finishing garments and even fixing mistakes. This is the book I would choose for anyone starting out.