7 Books to boost your knitting knowledge

I love to cook.

Especially Mexican food.

But I didn’t grow up knowing much about how Mexican food was made. Although my mom is mostly Mexican, she never cooked anything totally from scratch.

It wasn’t until I left Los Angeles (and all the delicious Mexican food) that I became obsessed with making it.

Now I make carnitas and barbacoa and tacos ALL THE TIME!

So what does this have to do with knitting?

Well, there are plenty of great recipes online and cooking tutorials on YouTube.

The thing is, when I wanted to learn how to make better tortillas, I bought a BOOK on making tortillas.

Did I watch videos? Yes.

However, the book has given me a quick reference I can pull out, have open in the kitchen, and learn a whole lot of stuff in one place.

Why books STILL matter

When I taught myself to knit, the kit I purchased has a little learn to knit book.

It was terrible.

At least for the complete beginner.

I immediately went to YouTube and found some videos to help get me started.

Books are not great for explaining how to move knitting needles in 3D.

That why I started making video tutorials.

But books still have their place.

I have more than a dozen stitch dictionaries for design inspiration.
I have a book that’s literally just sweater math calculations. And I have one on hat formulas.

I go back to these books again and again to solve problems.

Sure I could find a lot of the answers online, but it’s so nice to open a book, go to the index, and find what I need.

Building a Reference Library

We’ve talked about our favorite stitch dictionaries in the past, and while I think having a couple on hand is useful, they aren’t the MOST useful knitting books.

Pattern books are also great, but you should buy books for things you actually knit. There’s no point in me recommending a book on knitting shawls if you hate doing lace.

No, a knitters reference library should have books that provide useful information throughout multiple types of knitting.

These books should help define a wide variety of techniques and terms, provide useful lists project and yarn types, and give tips and tricks to boost your skills.

Our Favorite Knitting Reference Books

There are plenty of reference books for knitters, and new ones seem to come out every couple of years.

However, there are a few that have stood the test of time, and we think are worth adding to any knitting library.

Here they are in no particular order…

Except the first one…

That’s the best one.

• 

  Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book

  What is it?Vogue has taken all of the knowledge from it's decades of magazines and distilled it into one huge reference Why we like itIf you wanted one knitting book to rule them all this might be it. It's not going to go super in depth on everything, but it's going to cover pretty much everything.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  Patty Lyons Knitting Bag of Tricks

  What is it?A collection of 70 "hacks" to improve your knitting Why we like itThis book has been flying off the shelves since it was released in 2022. And for good reason. It explains a lot of knitting concepts in a fun, easy to understand way. But it also makes good on its promise, teaching you useful "hacks" to take your knitting skills to the next level.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes

  What is it?This book contains just about everything you need to know about yarn and thensome. Why we like itWhile I often talk about the importance of learning to read your work, understanding how yarn fibers and weight affect your knitting is right up there. This book will help you do that.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  The Colorwork Bible by Jesi Ostermiller

  What is it? If you're into colorwork knitting this book is basically an encyclopedia of techniques.

  Why you should own it? Colorwork is kind of its own genre of knitting. But there's a lot more to colorwork than fair isle and intarsia. This book shows you how to use almost every colorwork technique you can think of and more.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  The Knitter's Dictionary: Knitting Now-How from A to Z by Kate Atherley

  What is it?This is a nearly complete dictionary of every knitting terms there is. Why we like itEver wonder what a K1B is? Or how about a BRP? This book not only defines common knitting terms it also explains the most common abbreviations.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus

  What is it? Got a knitting problem. This book probably has the answer Why we like itI NEVER hear anyone talk about this book. It's the only one I have found like it, which identifies dozens of common knitting mistakes and shows you how to fix them.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  Finishing School: A Masterclass for Knitters by Deborah Newton

  What is it? This book has just about every knitting finishing technique ever devised and instructions of how to do them. Why we like it If you want your knits to look more professional, or learn to actually enjoy seaming, this book is for you. It has all kinds of techniques like different button holes, pocket constructions, and even how to sew in a zipper.

  Get it at Amazon
• 

  The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt

  What is it? This book is a relatively complete compendium of various knitting techniques across all types of knitting. Why we like it This book covers a lot of the same material as the Vogue Knitting book mentioned above. It also hasn't been updated in over a decade. BUT, it is a really good encyclopedia of knitting techniques that's worth checking out.

  Get it at Amazon

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Conclusion

I hope these books have offered some inspiration.