Wednesday, June 19, 2013

A Treasury Of Knitting Patterns

If there is ever a knitting stitchionary "bible"" then most people would
 point to A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker.   First published in 1968, it is still the standard of knitting stitches that people refer to (and recommend picking up a copy if you can find it for cheap.)  

This knitting stitchionary (stitch dictionary) is spearated into multiple sections:
  • Simple Knit-purl combinations
  • Ribbings
  • Color-Change Patterns
  • Slip-Stitch Patterns 
  • Twist Stitch Patterns
  • Fancy Texture Pattersn
  • Patterns Made with Yarn-Over Stitches
  • Eyelet Patterns
  • Lace
  • Cables
  • Cable-Stitch Patterns
What is the difference between YarnOvers Eyelets and Lace?

In the YO section, not every swatch has visible holes, it is really just that the technique is involved with the pattern.  In some cases, you can see the YO's but they are subtle and accents, rather than the star.  Eyelets and Lace have many things that could fit in either category.  In the Eyelet section, I would say that generally there are smaller repeats and less all-over lacy effect (like you could make it on a sweater and it would not be too risque.)  The Lace section increases the amount of see-throughness.  

Each stitch pattern is named and indexed in the front and back of the book.  I didn't count the number of stitch patterns, but there are plenty to tempt you as you try to modify an existing pattern or start your own designs.  

The greatest downside to this book is that there are no charts, unlike what I read in some of the Amazon Reviews.  It is possible that a newer eddition has charted patterns, but unlikely since the original book is already 300 pages.  

It isn't suprrising that walker publisehd some books related to each individual craft (color kitting, lace knitting) so you only need to refer to one book rather than 4.