Sara's reading log

I am a book hoarder and reader. My main genre is SF, but I also love magic realism, fantasy and general fiction. Favorite authors are Iain M. Banks, Ursula K. LeGuin, Haruki Murakami, José Saramago, Isaac Asimov, Ben Aaronovitch and more. My rating system is based on five stars. I rate books based on my expectations and what a books aims to be. This means that the brilliant 'Fahrenheit 451' gets five stars because I thought it would be good, people said it was good, and it was good, but 'A Closed and Common Orbit' also gets five stars because in its series, in its style, I really enjoyed it and was not disappointed.

The Knitter's Dictionary by Kate Atherley

  • Read in: English
  • Rating: *****
  • Genre(s): Craft

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I have been knitting for over a decade now, and my mom is also a knitter. However, I am self-taught, using books and YouTube. While my mom reads patterns in Dutch, I am used to English terminology. On top of that, she knits in the English style (yarn in the right hand, throw the yarn) and I knit in the Continental Style (yarn in the left hand, pick the yarn). All this leads to it being difficult sometimes to ask my mom for help if I have trouble reading a pattern or finishing my piece.

In The Knitter’s Dictionary by Kate Atherley every little bit about knitting is explained. Not only what YO means, but also how to read a pattern, how to read a yarn label and how to substitute yarn. Of course the biggest part of the book is dedicated to explaining all those mystifying terms we knitters come across. Some are explained with a simple piece of text, but others (like the aforementioned yarnover) are explained with all their variants and an illustration.

What I love about this book is that it is very basic, but absolutely not only for new knitters. It explains a term in all kinds of settings (like the zero, in 0 repeats for a small size, or 0 decreases for a large piece). It also explains those terms you come across on knitting forums, like a yarn barf, tools, fiber types and styles (of clothing, like for a sweater). I love how Atherley also gives small tips and her personal preferences for some techniques, which makes it feel like she is helping you along with your project.

This is a good book as a companion to your knitting project, to look up any terms you might be confused by. I know I have used patterns that expect me to know exactly how to do something (like how to do a selvedge) and I have to go look up on YouTube what it even means. With this book in my (virtual) hand, I can just find all the information I need here, with some basic instructions and tips to get me started. A really good knitting reference, which gets it five out of five stars from me.

  • Read in: English
  • Rating: *****
  • Genre(s): Craft

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I have been knitting for over a decade now, and my mom is also a knitter. However, I am self-taught, using books and YouTube. While my mom reads patterns in Dutch, I am used to English terminology. On top of that, she knits in the English style (yarn in the right hand, throw the yarn) and I knit in the Continental Style (yarn in the left hand, pick the yarn). All this leads to it being difficult sometimes to ask my mom for help if I have trouble reading a pattern or finishing my piece.

In The Knitter’s Dictionary by Kate Atherley every little bit about knitting is explained. Not only what YO means, but also how to read a pattern, how to read a yarn label and how to substitute yarn. Of course the biggest part of the book is dedicated to explaining all those mystifying terms we knitters come across. Some are explained with a simple piece of text, but others (like the aforementioned yarnover) are explained with all their variants and an illustration.

What I love about this book is that it is very basic, but absolutely not only for new knitters. It explains a term in all kinds of settings (like the zero, in 0 repeats for a small size, or 0 decreases for a large piece). It also explains those terms you come across on knitting forums, like a yarn barf, tools, fiber types and styles (of clothing, like for a sweater). I love how Atherley also gives small tips and her personal preferences for some techniques, which makes it feel like she is helping you along with your project.

This is a good book as a companion to your knitting project, to look up any terms you might be confused by. I know I have used patterns that expect me to know exactly how to do something (like how to do a selvedge) and I have to go look up on YouTube what it even means. With this book in my (virtual) hand, I can just find all the information I need here, with some basic instructions and tips to get me started. A really good knitting reference, which gets it five out of five stars from me.