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I'm kind of obsessed with knitting stitch dictionaries. They're a great reminder that, although most of us stick to pretty basic knit and purl combos most of the time, there really is an infinite variety of things that can be done with those two basic stitches.

One of knit and crochet design pro Melissa Leapman's early jobs was making up stitch patterns for commercial sweater design, so it makes sense that she'd want to share some of those patterns and many more in her own stitch dictionary, called The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook: An Essential Collection of 300 Designer Stitches & Techniques.

About the Book

• Pages: 288
• Format: paperback
• Illustrations: full-color photographs of swatches, black and white or color charts as needed
• Knitting instructions: a techniques section at the back covers increases, decreases, special ways to work into stitches and texture techniques like loop stitch and smocking
• Publisher: Potter Craft
• Publication date: November 2013

Getting Ready for Stitching

This book has a great introduction all about what stitch dictionaries are and how to use them. Leapman offers great tips for adding a stitch pattern to an existing design as well as designing your own projects using the stitch patterns.

Particularly helpful is the section on increasing and decreasing within a stitch pattern, because I think that's something that keeps people from designing their own projects using a stitch pattern, or they just don't know how to proceed when they get to a part where they need to add or subtract stitches.

The Patterns

The 300-plus (honestly I didn't count them) stitch patterns are arranged by theme:

• textured knit and purl patterns
• lace and openwork patterns
• cables and crossed stitch patterns
• slip stitch patterns
• novelty stitch patterns

Within each section the patterns are arranged from easiest to more difficult. Handy icons show which patterns and the simplest and which ones are reversible. Others have pictures of both the front and the back so you can decide if you want to use a non-reversible pattern on a project where the back will show.

There are some patterns here you will recognize but also a lot of interesting twists and different takes on patterns that you're sure to enjoy if you're already a fan of stitch pattern books.

Swatches of each pattern are shown in decent sized color photos, and the instructions for each pattern are given in both written and chart form, so you can use this book no matter which method you prefer (and if you need to learn how to read charts this is a great way to do it).

Bottom Line

If you're new to the fun of pattern stitch books, this is a great place to start. It's a fun, inspiring collection that will make you want to get out your needles and play with a few new ideas and just might get you interested in designing projects for yourself as well.

If you already have a few stitch dictionaries on your shelf, you may not feel like another one is strictly essential, but just like you need another ball of yarn in your stash for creative inspiration, you just might need this book on your shelf as well.

Publisher's website