π 7 Knitting Stitchionaries Every Knitter Needs
Published 4 months agoΒ β’Β 6 min read
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β Mae West
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Knitspiration
π 7 Essential Knitting Stitch Dictionaries
My first Christmas after learning to knit, I received a gift that would end up changing my life forever.
I had only been knitting for 5 months, but I was obsessed, and this book unlocked new worlds of opportunity.
Who knew there were SO MANY different stitches?
And this book only had 250 cable patterns. How many were there actually?
Of course I would come to find out that there are an infinite number of stitch patterns.
Luckily there are dozens of books which have collected them for your knitting pleasure.
Why should you invest in a stitch dictionary?
At first glance it's not obvious why a book of stitch patterns would be useful.
A section of a pattern is not inherently useful to a knitter.
As a designer, they are a great source of inspiration, and they are certainly pretty to look at.
But I think they are an incredibly valuable learning tool.
You see when I started knitting I wanted to challenge myself to try new things.
One way in which I did that was with something called a Sampler Scarf.
What is a Sampler Scarf?
This is a scarf pattern where you switch stitch patterns every few repeats.
Does it look nice?
NOPE!
The project is relatively useless as a fashion accessory (unless your Stephen West), but I learned SO MUCH!
Since you're not trying to make something look good, you have permission to experiment, make mistakes, and try out techniques you *think* are too hard.
This early experimentation set the stage for me to start my next project; New Stitch A Day.
And it can help you become a more Fearless Knitter too.
It doesn't have to be a scarf.
Any form of practicing new stitch patterns on a regular basis will help you develop a variety of skills:
Learning to read patterns and charts better
Recognizing stitch construction in your work and how stitches affect each other in different rows
Calculating pattern repeats to match a predetermined stitch count
Getting comfortable with different types of knitting, from cables to lace to slip stitch patterns, ribbing, and more
Creating a daily knitting habit that increases your confidence
The original intention for New Stitch A Day was exactly this, to encourage you to try a new pattern every day, make a swatch, and learn from your experience.
But buying a few stitch dictionaries is a great alternative to looking up stitches online.
Our Favorite Stitch Dictionaries
NOTE: I haven't included the Barbara Walker Treasuries here and there's a good reason for that. In my experience those books use a pattern format that is not like modern stitch dictionaries. They don't have pictures of every stitch and many instructions are written out instead in the abbreviated shorthand we now use. The patterns are beautiful and you'll learn a lot using those books, but if you're a newer knitter I'd start with the recommendations below.
I own A LOT of stitch dictionaries (as you might imagine).
Some are decades old and many are out of print. However, the books below are as good if not better than the older ones, with beautiful photography and plenty of stitches to explore.
Here are my top recommendations for building a knitting stitch library:
What is it?β A collection of knitting stitches originally published in Japan in 1996. Until this book was published in 2017 it was quite difficult to find Japanese stitch dictionaries.
Why you should own it?β Japanese stitches are "different," in a good way. They're meticulously charted, incredibly detailed, and absolutely gorgeous. If you want to challenge yourself, this is a great place to start.
What is it?β This book is filled with modern stranded colorwork motifs, from cool geometric patterns to rows of little sheep.
Why you should own it?β If you want to level up your fair isle or other stranded colorwork projects this book will give you some "non-traditional" ideas to work with. Also check out her followup book which came out last October.
What is it? Tired of using the Long Tail cast on for everything? Need a bind off good for ribbing? This book has a ton of new ways to start and finish your projects.
Why you should own it? Stitch patterns aren't the only thing you should practice. Knowing a lot of different cast on and bind offs means you can pull the right one out at the perfect time.
What is it? Ever heard of a center double decrease? Have you tried paired increases? This book opens up all kinds of opportunities for how you shape your knitting.
Why you should own it? Just like cast ons and bind offs, there are a lot of ways to increase or decrease in knitting. Knowing how and when to use those techniques means you can take greater control over you knitting.
What is it?β A flip calendar with a new knitting stitch every day...
Why you should own it?β This little calendar was a major inspiration for our first website New Stitch a Day. It hasn't been updated in 20 years, but a new version just came out in November!
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So there you have it! Our picks for some great knitting stitch dictionaries to add to your collection.
If we missed your favorite hit reply and share them with use so we can include them in a future round up!
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