Book Review: The Great Knitting Book

Title: The Great Knitting Book

Author: American School of Needlework (Jean Leinhauser, Mary Thomas, et al.)

Date: 1980

Publisher: Columbia House

ISBN: 0-930748-15-8

Length: 160 pages

Illustrations: most black-and-white with color insert

Quote: “Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced knitter, this book includes projects for you.”

This book is well named. It’s a relatively large book—eighty patterns—and it’s a great book because, even though most of those patterns were printed separately before 1980 or even 1978, most of them are still usable today.

I’ve knitted about one-quarter of these items, and yes, people are still wearing and using them. I still have plans to knit more of them than I’ve already knitted. About half of the patterns are for things (vests, golf club covers, babies’ things) that I have no immediate plans to knit, but that some reasonable person Out There might want to have knitted. There is one woman’s pullover that was a classic 1970s fashion mistake, fun to knit but unlikely to be much fun for any body to wear, and one attempt to knit a “fur” look that looks too bulky to be actually worn.

Generally, when the patterns don’t say “Must Knit Now” to me, it’s because they look too classic. This book gives precise patterns for the basic sweaters to wrap everyone in the family in any type of standard yarn, in table format: if using yarn that knits up to X number of stitches per inch, to make a standard sweater shape that’s X number of inches around, follow this set of numbers to get a standard size. If you knit these things in black, white, gray, or brown, you’ll get the kind of sweaters men are most likely to wear, if they put on a sweater at all. Men may receive hostile peer pressure for making anything like a fashion statement so many of them like things that look as if they came off a rack at Target. When knitting for themselves women often feel that life’s too short to knit things that look as if they came off a rack at Target, so why not add some fancy stitching to ensure a unique finished product? This book includes three of the classic picture-on-the-back designs, as seen in Mary Maxim catalogues, to knit onto the back of a basic jacket.

If you want a newer fashion look...well, actually what the New York woman-haters prefer to push are machine-knitted “fashions,” so although a well executed horse portrait looks fine on the back of a sweater, you’d get a more “updated” style just by knitting the basics in some extremely expensive yarn. Boring, but so is New York fashion when you realize how much of it is all about selling women the idea that they need to stop making things they enjoy wearing and just buy, buy, buy, an endless pile of things that don’t fit their bodies, are seldom fun to wear, and have been designed by a lot of males who don’t even find women attractive. For my generation, at least, the real fashion statement the majority of us chose to make, even in high school, was "New York fashion is boring."

Hand knits are supposed to become dated; there’s a tradition of knitting the year of completion into a design, and wearing your “1918” sweater, if you’re lucky enough to have one, with pride. Who made it, and how long ago, is a focal point. If you don’t want to call attention to your hand knits by knitting in the date, however, what allows (only fellow knitters) to date them is any novelty yarn you might use. Classic wools from Coats Patons or Jamieson & Smith are the new yarns most likely to get new knits mistaken for century-old ones. What’s new and different in the store this season is what other knitters will recognize as ten-year-old yarn, ten years from now...but in hand-knitting, that’s not a bad thing. If the novelty yarn of the season appeals to you, go for it.

Most of the yarns recommended in 1980 aren’t available now. (The surprising thing is that some of them are!) So, once again, here are some suggestions for those who want to knit a pattern from The Great Knitting Book today. The suggested yarns are classic and easy to find; if you want to try something more unusual, feel free, as long as you can knit it to the recommended gauge. This is an Amazon Associate web site so it’s using Amazon links. You’ve probably already noticed that, when local stores stock the same yarn, they usually offer a lower retail price than the dealers offer on Amazon.

Patterns I would knit now in Sugar'n'Cream or Peaches'n'Cream:

* “Fairisle Pullover and Hat” (the front-cover pattern)

*“V-Neck Cable Pullover,” knitting tightly

* “U-Neck Pullover” 

* “Raglan Pullover and Hat” 

* “Boot Toppers” 

* “Sport Headband” 

* “Helmet and Mittens for Toddlers” 

* “Valentine Baby Afghan” 

* “Owl Sweater”

* “Potholders”
* “Dishcloth” 

Patterns I would knit now in Red Heart Super Saver: 

* “Jacket Sweater” 

* “Men’s Cardigan” 

* “Reversible Afghan” 

* “Long Stitch Vest” has a raglan-like line that gives even that flatchested model the Earth Mother look of cartoon heroine Loweezy Smif. Think long and think hard. If you want this look, Red Heart yarn will do.

* “Cardigan Vest” 

* “Wrap Sweater” would work nicely in Red Heart. Whether you really want such dramatic drape, such deep turned-back cuffs and out-flaring sleeves, in a bulky sweater is another question.

* “Leg Warmers” will fit legs that measure 11” around, above the knee. If you know someone that size, knit these cute, easy leg warmers in cotton or acrylic.

* “Mopsies Slippers” can be made with Red Heart, Simply Soft, or other blanket-type yarns. Since they’re small and will be worn out fast in any case they can be a good way to test those new, cheap, store-brand yarns that Michaels always presents as such a wonderful bargain...for Michaels. If a pair of slippers knitted out of a cheap acrylic yarn last longer than a pair of cheap Chinese-made socks, survive washing, and don’t bleed dye all over everything else, you might consider making a blanket with that yarn too.

* All the afghans and pillows can be made with currently available blanket-type yarns like Red Heart.

Patterns for which I'd consider buying Dale Wool: 

* “Norwegian Pullover & Ski Hat” would look most Norwegian if you used Dale wool. Alternatively, it’d be affordable if you used Bernat’s big balls of “baby” yarn (you either can find less “babyish” colors, or know someone whose complexion is either pale enough or dark enough that she doesn’t look sickly in “baby” pastels).

Patterns for which I'd pick Patons Classic Wool:

* “Ski Sweater & Hat” looks cute on the skinny little model just as it is. If making this one for an actual woman, I’d avoid any color contrast effects around the hip or waist. There are a few people who look good in burnt orange, although even the model who was working with them that day wasn’t one of them. Gray, as shown in the black-and-white photo, would be more flattering to more people. Patons Classic Wool would work well in this design. Simply Soft acrylic would work, too, for someone who couldn't wear wool.

* “Fitted Vest” knitted up a treat, for me, in a brushed wool blend yarn called “Darlaine” that was sold about thirty years ago. Fitted knits can be a hard sell to people who aren’t exactly the standard shape, so work closely with the intended wearer. A pure wool like Patons Classic Wool can be shrunk to fit the wearer. Cotton tends to stretch in wear, and acrylic tends to stretch generally, so if you use either of them this vest won’t stay fitted very long, but it’s cute when new.

Patterns for which I'd pick Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool:

* “Fisherman Cardigan” could be made with Red Heart or even Simply Soft acrylic, but of the sweaters in this book it’s the one that most cries out for Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool yarn. Until you’ve worn undyed wool, you can’t believe or imagine how itchy it’s not. Wool is often blamed for skin rashes that are actually triggered by chemicals used in bleaching and dyeing wool.

* “Cable Jacket and Scarf” 

* “2 Needle Mittens and Hat” should be knitted at a relatively tight tension, so Red Heart might do. For playing in actual snow, mittens should be made of real wool, and the yarn should be packed tight around the needle in knitting. Try Fishermen's Wool—you can use dyed wool or acrylic or even cotton for the bands of rainbow color on the hat, if necessary.

(Amazon.com doesn't show the actual wool, although I've bought it in U.S. wool shops. The spinning and knitting "Philosophers," Ann and Eugene Bourgeois, produced their own pattern book that shows off the colors of Philosophers Wool. It's beautiful. It's dyed in different brilliant colors, but not as harshly processed and thus not as scratchy as other dyed wool. It's fun to knit. You or your favorite storekeeper can order it from their web site, linked below.)

Patterns for which I'd look for Philosophers Wool:

* “Men’s Cable Cardigan Vest” is a plain enough design that you might want to make it just a tiny bit fancier. Consider Philosophers Wool, which knits up to the right gauge and features very subtle shadings of blue or brown or grey. Or use cotton.

* “Knee Socks” may be thick under shoes, but make excellent house or Birkenstock socks. Sugar’n’Cream would be super-comfortable. Philosophers’ Wool would make extra-warm socks, amazingly un-itchy if you choose undyed white.

* “4 Needle Hat and Mittens” would work well in Philosophers’ Wool. For acid pastel instead of baby pastel stripes, order undyed wool and dye it with unsweetened Kool-Aid. Kids enjoy this project and it may remind some of them that Kool-Aid is not really something that needs to be inside a human body. Almost nobody is allergic to natural wool dyed with Kool-Aid.

* “Gloves for Women” are shown knitted tightly in yarns like Sugar’n’Cream or Red Heart for the “worsted” version, or in yarns that are no longer available in Wal-Marts everywhere for the “sport” version. You could use Knit-Cro-Sheen or Luster-Sheen to make the “sport weight” gloves, or, for superior insulating benefits, use Philosophers’ Wool. There is no legal requirement that gloves be knitted as tightly as mittens are. You could knit these gloves at the nice, loose, even tension that’s preferred for sweaters or blankets, using colorful cottons, beautiful Shetland wool, or whimsical Jamie Baby yarns—but they wouldn’t turn snow.

Patterns for which I'd use Lion Brand Homespun acrylic: 

* “Shoulderette Bed Jacket," with or without a strand of imitation mohair knitted with it.

* “Striped Pullover” is, in my opinion, a knitter’s Very Bad Idea. You could get a very similar effect with any of the multicolor shades of Homespun, but look again at that model. She’s not pushing back her hair to show the neckline of the sweater; she’s pushing back her hair because she’s overheated, in that bulky weater with the unshaped side-to-side open neck trying to slide down her shoulders, the baggy sleeves slipping down around her fingers, and that barrel-shaped bulky waist with little stripes going around and around for the ever-so-sexy look of a 100-gallon storage drum.

* “Chenille Hat and Scarf” could be knitted in Homespun.

Patterns for which I'd use Alafoss Lopi: 

* “Car Coat” sold promptly when I knitted it in Lion Brand Jiffy, a brushed chunky acrylic yarn. An even classier alternative would be Alafoss Lopi, which is minimally processed and therefore hypoallergenic wool.

* “Triangular Shawl” would look good in Lopi or in Homespun.

Patterns for which I'd use Patons Grace cotton: 

* “Two-Piece Dress” requires a lightweight yarn like Patons Grace. The sweater would look lovely in Grace. Most people I know wouldn’t want to bother with a knitted skirt, but if you do, I’d recommend planning around its behaving the way knitted skirts do. They stretch under their own weight, so make a just-below-knee-length skirt if you want an ankle-length skirt. (Remember that the skirt must be full enough to allow for full steps, at the ankles—even before the hemline has stretched down to the wearer’s ankles.) They must be pulled up when the wearer sits down, so make sure the skirt covers the wearer’s knees when pulled up. They will bag around the body even if the wearer is careful to pull them up when sitting down, so allow full rotation around the body to even up the baggy effects. Or you could just make a nice lightweight classic cotton sweater.

* “Turtleneck Dickey” is a sort of no-fuss scarf shaped to resemble an undershirt, but without the shirt. It’s likely to be worn next to sensitive skin. Only cotton will do, so use Patons Grace.

(Amazon doesn't show this classic yarn either. Manufacturer's link is below.)

Patterns for which I'd use Jamieson & Smith's Shetland wool: 

* “Shetland Lace Shawl” ought properly to be knitted in Shetland wool. Very few people are sensitive to undyed Shetland wool but, if knitting for one of them, you could use Jamie baby yarn for interesting multicolor and glitter effects.

* “Tube Knee Socks” could be made with Jamie Baby acrylic, but they’d work better in Shetland wool.

* “Tam” is a basic tam-o-shanter hat that could be worked in anything. Pale yellow mohair, as shown, makes anyone an instant blonde and is usually available somewhere. Since mohair is always considered a novelty or luxury yarn, a good substitute would be a fluffy Shetland wool. “Shetland Black,” the dark brownish gray wool from a “black” sheep, is undyed, so it actually feels softer than most mohair, and is more flattering to more faces than yellow. This simple hat could be considered a practice piece for students to practice increasing and decreasing. Cotton yarn is sturdy and washable enough for kids to practice with.

Patterns for which I'd use Jamie baby acrylic: 

“Christening Dress and Bonnet,” “Ripple Lace Baby Layette” (except for the afghan), “Striped Bonnet and Booties,” “Lemon Twist Bonnet and Booties,” and “Forget Me Not Bonnet and Booties” can be worked in Jamie Baby or Red Heart Baby yarns as available, at gauges of 6.5 to 7.5 stitches per inch. (Variations in gauge produce variations in size. You can plan gauge variations so that your baby knits will fit your niece in January, or overlook them and produce lovely baby things to give to your favorite charity because your nephew outgrew them over the summer.)

(Yes, Amazon had images of just one skein, but this image of three skeins links to an Amazon Store that shows all the other colors.)

Patterns for which I'd use Simply Soft acrylic: 

* “Toddler Scarf” was made at a gauge of 4 stitches per inch, using yarn that normally knitted up to 5.5 or 6 stitches per inch, because the tubular knitting technique spreads out the fabric. It’s a scarf, so gauge doesn’t matter as much as it would in socks or sweaters. However, despite the gauge of 4 stitches per inch, Simply Soft is probably preferable to Red Heart. Toddlers don’t care about fabric’s snob appeal; natural fibre has snob appeal because toddlers like it.

Patterns for which I'd use Bernat Baby Sport acrylic: 

* “Placemat and Table Runner” use sportweight yarn, which is the most popular weight with successful garment designers, but less popular with lazy impatient knitters. Color selections are often limited. Bernat Baby seemed to be the sportweight yarn most popular thee days.

Patterns for which I'd consider several different yarns and very likely use mixed scraps from my scrap bin:

* “Butterfly Stitch Vest” is for the gal who really wants to add a couple of inches around the waist...If I did make this one, I’d consider some of the current novelty yarns that are spun to knit up to 2.75 stitches per inch. I’d consider the prices on those yarns, and then I’d consider my scrap bin and ask myself whether I could compose a new novelty effect by knitting scraps together. Probably I’d go with the latter option. However you might stumble across a huge discount sale on super-bulky yarn and wonder what to do with it...an open-front vest is one possibility.

* “Quick Knit Top,” worked at 2.5 stitches per inch...again, if you get fewer than 4 stitches per inch when knitting at a comfortable tension, you’re knitting a fabric that very few people want to pull over their heads. Consider a novelty yarn. Then consider how thoughtfully the designer omits all suggestion of shaping except by switching to a tighter stitch above the armpits, which really makes the skinny model look bottom-heavy. Do you really want to knit this as a pullover vest? Wouldn’t it be better appreciated as a pillow?

* “Hat, Scarf, & Mittens” are “for women” if you knit the mittens extra-tightly, using yarn or yarns that knit up to fewer than 3 stitches per inch when not yanked tight. If you use ordinary 3-stitch yarn, you’ll get a man’s size. Use plain, smooth yarn(s) for neutral unisex accessories to wear all winter, or play with novelty yarns in giddy-girly colors.

* “T-Sweater” worked at 3 stitches to the inch...once again, won’t get much use in most of the United States. You could get interesting effects, though, by working with two strands of cotton yarn, perhaps one multicolored and one solid-colored.

* “Poncho Coat” was tremendous fun to make. I used up scraps of all the brown, beige, cream, and neutral yarns I had, mostly acrylic, to make a rather stiff, heavy tabard that stretched under its own weight when worn. In a few days my husband inherited it and, since anti-hypertensive medication made it hard for his body to stay warm, he used it as a sort of breathable sleeping bag. If I’d used two strands of the pure wool the designer used, which was much lighter with more air in between the plies of wool, I would’ve had a poncho that was very pretty until it got wet and shrank. If you want a lighter, drapier poncho of this size, I’d recommend knitting a strand of lightweight fluffy wool (Shetland is good) with a strand of cotton or acrylic. Lion Brand’s “Wool-Ease Thick’n’Quick” does the blending for you.

* “Furry Jacket” is another extremely bad idea. Super-bulky knitting looks as if it could be patched together with fun-fur fabric, but in wear, when the only thing the two fabrics have in common is that both of them are heavy and awkward...I wouldn’t make this one. Period.

* “Jute Handbag” could be knitted in jute, as shown, or in regular knitting yarn, if lined.

* “Knitter’s Pin” is a just-for-fun piece that uses any scrap you care to use.

* A “Dog Coat” is another small, cheap project that makes a good test for unknown cheap acrylic yarn.

* “Golf Club Covers” aren’t necessarily as decadent a waste of time as they might sound. They’re a safe way to practice sock-making skills, they’re quick, they’re cheap, they can incorporate “your colors” or leftover-yarn souvenirs, and most Southern men, for most of the year, would rather receive a set of golf club cover than a sweater hand-knitted in blanket-weight acrylic yarn. Golf clubs aren’t fussy about fit; the book doesn’t specify a gauge, although the yarn scraps and needles described probably yielded a gauge of 5 stitches per inch.

* “Tube Dolls” can be knitted in any size, with any yarn. In the U.S. it’s easy to find a full range of colors, including colors that can be perceived as possible human skin tones, in blanket yarn, so these dolls are made with blanket yarn and stand about as all as The Great Knitting Book. In other countries, where yarn may be sold in single plies that knitters then twist together as they go along, the same pattern could be used to make traditional dollhouse dolls, five or six inches high.
* “Gingerbread Boy,” a bigger piece of soft sculpture, could also be made with any yarn.

* “Infant Seat Hooded Wrap” can be made, as the original was made, with two strands of Simply Soft or Bernat Baby yarn, or with one strand of Homespun or a washable novelty yarn. It will be very, very warm. If the temperature inside the car is comfortable, the baby inside a very warm wrap may feel like a roast lamb. This leads to fussy babies and distracted drivers, so knitters may want to try knitting one strand of Sugar’n’Cream or two strands of Grace very loosely to get a gauge of 3.3 stitches per inch, making an airier wrap.

* “Heirloom Bedspread” can be knitted as a replica of a Victorian whitework pattern; for that purpose, Speed-Cro-Sheen, or Luster-Sheen if you must, would be ideal. Or it can be knitted with whatever scraps you want to use up...if your patches don’t fit evenly into the area you want them to cover, make a narrower section of the top in patches and surround them with plain knitting. If you must knit with non-cotton yarn in hot weather, patchwork knitting is a charming oldfashioned alternative to having to spread a whole heavy sweater or blanket across your lap.

* “Doily” is a lovely Victorian reprint. Use crochet thread and ultra-thin needles to make the traditional doily shown, or use thicker yarns and needles to make other round objects of choice. A complete traditional doily knitted in blanket-weight yarn is a shawl or tablecloth. I used La Gran Mohair on #8 needles to knit a lace beret, using the first 32 rows of the pattern.

* “Snug Snake” is an easy way to improve a building’s heat efficiency. Any scraps can be used. Red Heart is excellent for this type of project; other blanket-type yarns can be used if you want to place snakes along every door and window.

* “Pincushion” can be made with any scraps.

To buy The Great Knitting Book here, send $5 per book and $5 per package to Boxholder, P.O. Box 322, or $5 per book, $5 per package, plus $1 per online payment to the e-mail address you get from Salolianigodagewi, at the address at the very bottom of your screen. Two or even three more books of this size will fit into one $5 package. If you'd like to buy yarn or finished projects here, e-mail Saloli. (What's an Internet Portal for? We can get Dale, Jamieson & Smith, Philosophers Wool, and other imported yarn to a site where local lurkers can buy them right on Jackson Street.)