Book: The Sock Knitter’s Handbook

by kath_red on 07/01/2013

in Books

Book reviewed by Megan Enright: Megan is wife to a tolerant and encouraging husband and mother to four children ranging in age from 18 years down to 5 years. She spends her days keeping company with her 5 year old daughter and her evenings cheering on the sidelines as her older sons deal with homework, sport and other teenage issues. In her quieter moments, she likes to knit, embroider, sew and cook. She’d like to have the time and talent to crochet and quilt….maybe one day. She can be found at Notebook from home blog.

The Sock Knitter’s Handbook: Expert Advice, Tips, and Tricks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott. Martingale & Co (March 19, 2012).

If you are a knitter that always has a sock project cast on to your circular needles then “The Sock Knitter’s Handbook” would be a great little book to have at the ready for any troubleshooting along the way. Alternatively, if you are a novice knitter but always wanted to give sock knitting a go this book would be a terrific place to start building your knowledge base.

This great little book has been written as a reference book, a book of “expert advice, tips and tricks”. Basic knitting knowledge is assumed by the authors but anything beyond that, related to sock knitting, is covered in this book. The beginning of the book is devoted to the construction of a sock and how changing the design of various key elements of socks, i.e. cuffs, gussets, heels, can add aesthetic appeal and greater comfort. And really, for me that is what hand knitted socks are all about — they just feel so nice to wear! All the love and care that goes into knitting a pair of socks translates to making your feet feel extra good when you slide those socks on.

The photos in this book were something that stood out for me. As a regular knitter, I have looked at a lot of knitting books and not all those books have provided good photos of stitch patterns or knitting techniques. This handbook has been well thought out and it is very clear that Charlene and Beth are two women with a wealth of sock knitting experience between them. When reading it you feel as though they are there beside you patiently showing you the new techniques that will produce gorgeous socks.

There are tips and hints on how to fix things when they go wrong, a well resourced stitch dictionary and even a chart outlining foot measurements and shoe sizes and how they relate to sock size and construction. In short everything you need to know before you attempt your next pair of socks.

With this reference book now in my possession I feel that much more confident with my beginner sock knitting endeavours. There are plenty of feet to knit for in my family, think I’ll start with the smallest one – and work up!

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

1 Suzanne January 7, 2013 at 10:23 am

Thanks for the review!

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