400 Knitting Stitches

When I was a child, growing up in Iowa, I used to read the dictionary in the bathroom. Yes, it was the quietest room in the house, but it also seemed to be a waste of time to just sit there and do nothing. So, when my attention wasn’t required, I read the dictionary, learning words and definitions of thousands of words. I’ve often wondered if that’s one of the reasons I eventually went into the publishing field.

Fast forward a few decades  (all right, more than a few). I’m now an adult and live in New York. And though I no longer tend to read in the bathroom, I still have a love of dictionaries. Now, however, stitch dictionaries are what capture my attention. I love looking at the stitches and envisioning new designs using them. Imagine my excitement when I was contacted by Potter Craft and told there was a new stitch dictionary about to hit the shelves!

400 Knitting Stitches: A Complete Dictionary of Essential Stitch Patterns was originally published in French in 2005. An English-translated version was published in 2007 by Australian publisher Murdoch Books. This is the first U.S. version of the book.

The book begins with knitting basics, so beginners should not be intimidated by the idea of 400 stitches. Although it is doubtful that any stitch book can truly be called “complete,” this one does include a wide variety of stitches.  Unlike some stitch dictionaries, most of the ones included in 400 Stitches are easy to visualize in a project that would be worn or used. The stitch patterns themselves are divided into the following categories: knit-purl, crossed stitches and cables, slipped stitches, lacy stitches, double stitches, twisted stitches, cast-off stitches, and fancy stitches. The book ends with a clear and concise explanation of the symbols used in the charts.

The charts. Every stitch pattern in 400 Knitting Stitches is accompanied by a chart. This includes the most basic patterns, such as stockinette, garter, and moss. Though it might seem ridiculous to include charts for such patterns, it can be an effective way to introduce new knitters to chart reading. Because they are already familiar with these patterns, the connection between the stitch and how it appears in a chart can be made easily.

In some stitch dictionaries, it is extremely difficult to get a visual “feel” for the pattern from the photographs. That is not the case in 400 Stitches. Each pattern is shown with a photograph that is large enough and detailed enough for the knitter to be able to get a good idea of how the pattern would work in a project.

Potter Craft books can generally be counted on as being designed well (except for that lying flat when opened thing). Unfortunately, the design of 400 Stitches is the book’s biggest problem. That, along with the use of metric measurements and punctuation style, makes one think that this version is primarily the Australian version with a new cover. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does help explain why the design might not be up to what one might expect from a Potter Craft book. The book is designed to get lots of information in a limited space, and unfortunately, it doesn’t always work to the benefit of the knitter.

Most stitch dictionaries are written like patterns: each row’s instructions appear on a separate line. That is not the case in 400 Stitches. The instructions are run in, with row numbers in bold. This can make it more difficult to keep your place while knitting the pattern. This is not helped by the fact that the book’s gutter is very small, and the text often runs deep into that area.

Of course, there are charts for every pattern, but they are not without their own problems. Most are so small, they are extremely difficult read. But, the most annoying factor is that, despite large areas of white space next to them, many of the charts on the lefthand (verso) pages are set so far to the right that they fall into the gutter area. In fact, it is possible to miss the charts on some of the lefthand pages, as they are so small and so far right of the page. In most cases, these are patterns in which the need for a chart is debatable, but if one is included, it should be usable.

Despite these factors, 400 Knitting Stitches can be a valuable addition to a knitting library. Unlike some other dictionaries, this book’s size (approximately 7 X 9 inches) makes it fit easily on a shelf or, better yet, into a knitting bag. It also includes a variety of stitch patterns, not just a specific type of pattern. This means that you can buy 1 book, rather than multiples, to get a variety of pattern types. As stated earlier in this post, the photographs are well done and show off the patterns well. It would have been nice, however, if the knitter’s needs were taken into consideration more than they appear to have been. And sometimes, less really is more.