Review of Get Knitting! by Gina Macris
From Casting On to Binding Off – A Book for Beginning Knitters
Oct 24, 2009
Bookstores and craft stores are full of knitting books targeted to the beginning knitter. Some knitting books are better than others. The best, like Gina Macris' Get Knitting!: From Casting On to Binding Off (New York: Sterling, 2005), include clear written instructions couples with large photographs and easy to understand diagrams.
Casting On For Beginning Knitters
Gina Macris includes two cast on techniques for beginners just learning how to knit as well as the double-pointed needle cast on for more advanced knitters. Of the two cast on techniques Macris illustrates in Get Knitting!, those just learning how to knit may prefer the long-tail cast on because it uses only one needle as opposed to the two needles needed for the cable cast on.
There is more than one way to do the long-tail cast on. There are helpful videos at KnittingHelp.com for readers and beginning knitters who aren't comfortable with or don't fully understand Macris' method for the long-tail cast on.
The Knit Stitch and The Purl Stitch
Get Knitting! shines with its incredibly clear illustrated instructions for the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Both the knit stitch and the purl stitch are broken down into four separate steps and each step includes both a written and a visual explanation along with a helpful written sidebar.
All knitted fabrics are created with some combination of knit stitches and purl stitches. Once these two stitches are mastered by the beginning knitter a variety of effects can be created. The most common knitted fabrics are illustrated in Get Knitting! with excellent macro photography:
- Garter stitch
- Stockinette stitch
- Reverse stockinette stitch
- Seed stitch
- Moss stitch
- 1x1 ribbing
- 2x2 ribbing
Helpful Features of Gina Macris' Get Knitting!
In addition to the example photographs of common knitted fabrics and clear instructions for both knitting and purling, Get Knitting! also has additional helpful features:
- Glossary of Terms (pages 56 - 58)
- Correcting Errors (pages 50 - 53)
- Shaping and Finishing Knitted Projects (pages 44 - 49)
Recommended Reading to Learn How to Knit
In addition to Get Knitting!: From Casting On to Binding Off by Gina Macris, beginning knitters and those helping others learn how to knit may also find the following books helpful:
- Mother of Purl: Friends, Fun, and Fabulous Designs at Hollywood's Knitting Circle by Edith Eig
- Stitch 'N' Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller
- Vogue Knitting on The Go! Beginner Basics edited by Trisha Malcom
Overall Get Knitting! is recommended as an addition to the beginning knitter's library for its clear illustrated instructions as well as its ambitious and visually interesting projects for those learning how to knit.
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