Knitting Patterns for Dummies

322 Pages·2007·11.45 MB·english

by  Kristi Porter

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K n i t t i n g
Pa t t e r n s
FOR
DUMmIES‰
by Kristi Porter
www.ebook777.com
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K n i t t i n g
Pa t t e r n s
FOR
DUMmIES‰
by Kristi Porter
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Knitting Patterns For Dummies®
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of
the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through
payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
978-750-8400, fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department,
Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The
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OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2007934455
ISBN: 978-0-470-04556-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
Kristi Porteris an author, designer, technical editor, and teacher. In addition to authoring
Knitting for Dogs,her work has been featured in the Knitgrrl series, the Big Girl Knits series,
NoSheep For You, and Knit Wit.She is a frequent contributor to Knitty.comand has been a
part of that online magazine since its start in 2002.
Kristi doesn’t remember learning to knit as a child, but she captured the basics and an
enthusiasm for the craft from her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother. She began her first
projects as a designer anda knitter, realizing only later that not everyone designed their own
patterns. Though her first attempts were boxy and oversized (thank goodness it was the ’80s!),
once she grasped the importance of gauge, she was on her way to creating wearable designs.
She began approaching the craft in a serious way in the late ’90s and learned how to read and
write patterns in order to share her designs with others.
As a knitting instructor, Kristi teaches students at all levels and ages. Getting feedback about
what knitters want to knit, what they enjoy, and what they find difficult has given her a
strong sense of what knitters need to know. She delights in helping her students create their
own patterns to suit their own needs and senses of fashion.
Kristi makes her home with her husband and two daughters in La Jolla, California.
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Author’s Acknowledgments
Creating a book is inevitably the work of many hands, and I am truly grateful to those who
helped bring Knitting Patterns For Dummiesinto being. I am struck, in writing these acknowl-
edgments, by how lucky I am to be doing a job that I love and to be surrounded by others
who clearly love what they do.
I am grateful to my husband, Leo Bleicher, and my daughters, Zoe and Ella, for their support
and encouragement.
Thanks to the helpful folks at Wiley: Lindsay Lefevere for getting the project started,
Georgette Beatty for keeping things going, copy editor Jessica Smith, technical editor
MandyMoore, and everyone in Composition Services who helped bring this book to print.
Thanks also to the great people at Kreber for the photos of all the projects.
Special thanks to Cameron Taylor-Brown and the kind people at Schaefer Yarns, Cascade
Yarns, Rowan, Westminster Fibers, Crystal Palace, Colinette, Unique Kolors, Curious Creek
Fibers, and Berroco for providing yarn for these projects, as well as Moving Mud for the
closures used in the photographs. Their support of this project is much appreciated.
To my wonderful group of knitters who made undertaking this book conceivable . . . and pos-
sible. It’s a delight to be able to thank them here, not only for their nimble fingers, but for
their feedback on the patterns at all phases: Lacy Province, Donna Warnell, Joan Kass,
Wannietta Prescod, Lisa McAllister, Laurie Weiss, Beth Wood, Irene Wetsman, Dawn Talbot,
Linda Sellers, and Mary-Kay Tilden.
And to Suzanne Pineau of Knitting in La Jolla, who has been unfailingly generous with her
time, her counsel, her yarn, her knowledge, and, most of all, her unflagging enthusiasm.
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at
www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Composition Services
Project Editor: Georgette Beatty Project Coordinator:Patrick Redmond
Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Sandman Lefevere Layout and Graphics:Karl Brandt, Laura Campbell,
Carrie A. Foster, Brooke Graczyk, Denny Hager,
Copy Editor: Jessica Smith
Stephanie D. Jumper, Julie Trippetti,
Technical Editor: Mandy Moore Christine Williams
Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Special Art: Photographs, Kreber/Mark Madden;
Editorial Assistants:Erin Calligan Mooney, Joe Niesen, ArtDirection, Kreber/LeeAnn Kolka;
Leeann Harney Set Stylist, Kreber/Suzanne King
Cover Photo: Photographs, Kreber/Mark Madden; Anniversary Logo Design:Richard Pacifico
ArtDirection, Kreber/LeeAnn Kolka; Proofreaders: Broccoli Information Management,
Set Stylist, Kreber/Suzanne King Susan Moritz, Dwight Ramsey
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Indexer: Slivoskey Indexing Services
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction.................................................................................1
Part I: The Nuts and Bolts (or Sticks and String) of Knitting..........7
Chapter 1:The Right Stuff: Knitting Supplies...........................................................................................9
Chapter 2:Gauge Your Success................................................................................................................21
Chapter 3:Do You Measure Up? Size Matters.........................................................................................31
Chapter 4:Break the Code: Reading Patterns........................................................................................37
Part II: A Primer on Stitches and Color ........................................47
Chapter 5:The Simplest Stitches.............................................................................................................49
Chapter 6:Stitches that Look Tricky but Aren’t.....................................................................................55
Chapter 7:Colorful Stitches......................................................................................................................75
Part III: Patterns with Rectangles and Related Shapes .................95
Chapter 8:Rectangles to Wear..................................................................................................................97
Chapter 9:Rectangles for the Home......................................................................................................121
Chapter 10:Almost Rectangles...............................................................................................................135
Part IV: Patterns with Circles, Triangles, and More.....................161
Chapter 11:Knitting in Circles................................................................................................................163
Chapter 12:Shaping Triangles................................................................................................................183
Chapter 13:Putting Together Rectangles and Triangles.....................................................................201
Chapter 14:Knitting Beyond Geometry Class......................................................................................229
Part V: The Part of Tens............................................................255
Chapter 15:Ten Things You Can Knit with that Aren’t Yarn or Needles...........................................257
Chapter 16:Almost Ten Things You Can Do with Your Swatches......................................................259
Chapter 17:Ten Ways to MacGyver Your Knitting...............................................................................261
Chapter 18:Ten Smart Ways to Care for Your Knits............................................................................265
Appendix: Basic Knitting Skills.................................................271
Index.......................................................................................287