Skill Set: Beginning Knitting By Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne

There’s never been a how-to-knit book like this. It’s little. Smart. Encouraging. In 9 short lessons, with dozens of clear illustrations, we teach everything a new knitter needs to know, and nothing they don’t.

This is it. Skill Set gives you the keys to the kingdom.

The 9 Lessons

Everything a new knitter needs to know, short and sweet. These lessons draw on decades of knitting experience by Kay and Ann.

Lesson 1   Supplies, Casting On, Knit Stitch, Binding Off

Lesson 2   Purl Stitch, Combining Knits and Purls

Lesson 3   Basic Shaping: Increases and Decreases

Lesson 4   Knitting in the Round

Lesson 5   Basic Lace and Cables

Lesson 6   Basic Colorwork: Stripes, Stranding Intarsia

Lesson 7   Finishing: Weaving in Ends, Seaming, Blocking

Lesson 8   Patterns, Yarn, and Gear

Lesson 9   Fixing Mistakes

We emphasize practice in each lesson, so there are swatches to make for each technique. There’s just one pattern, for a simple hat, that lets a new knitter try out the techniques.

Early Reaction: It’s a Hit!

Recently, we sent advance copies to 241 knitters so that they could teach a friend or family member to knit. The feedback has been phenomenal.

It’s short. 

“What a lovely book. Simple but so effective! Not too much information, but not too little either. I wish that I had had a book like this when I was learning to knit.”

Nine concise lessons.

“Great! Sweet and to the point. I have a couple other beginner knitting books and they are so packed with information that they make it almost overwhelming. Also, I love how you give the beginner confidence to explore many more advanced techniques, as well as small swatches to practice these techniques as you go. I think the name Skill Set explains this perfectly!”