beginner pattern books

[mermaidmama]

Hi,
I was wondering.... what are some good knitting pattern books for beginners? Thanks!

[iowaorganic]

I would save your money and just check out ravelry.com there are thousands of patterns- some free- some not- but you are sure to find what you want on there!

[punkysquirrel]

Yes, I second the ravelry website for tons of free patterns!

If you don't mind buying books then I suggest the following:
First Knits by:Kate Haxwell. This book only uses the knit and purl stitch to make some really cute stuff.

Getting Started Knitting by:Jennifer Worick

Basic Knitting Skills by: Leigh Ann Berry

And if all else fails, go to your local craft store and get the kids beginning knitting books. (That is what I did at first and so did my sister! And we are in our 20s.)
I Can Knit.

Hope that helps.

[doubledutch]

i also really love the stitch-n-bitch books, mostly for reference. i'm not sure i've made anything from the patterns, honestly, but i love being able to look up techniques in there as i feel this is the book with the easiest-to-understand instructions and illustrations. they're very popular books, so should be easy to find used!

[MeepyCat]

I recommend Ravelry too - I've never met a pattern book I actually wanted more than one pattern from. I do like some knitting books anyway, particularly "Knitting Without Tears" by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

[BeanyMama]

I was going to suggest Ravelry as well! It's really all you need at any skill level, methinks!

Plus you can share you work with us

[ollyoxenfree]

I'll second Knitting Without Tears by Zimmerman, if you are looking for a helpful reference. I also like Knit Fix as another resource book.

I have lots of pattern books, more for inspiration than anything else. It's tough to recommend books, because it depends on your style and aesthetic preferences, as well as the things you like to knit.

One helpful thing I discovered is to check on the Knitty or Ravelry discussion boards or Amazon for reviews of books, as well as on the author's or publisher's sites for specific books BEFORE I buy. I'm looking for the corrections for patterns. Much easier to be warned about a problem before I start, rather than knitting away happily for a week or 2, only to find an error in the pattern.

[punkysquirrel]

The library is a good place to check out books too before you buy them. Or even if you just borrow them from the library--it's a great place to find tons of knitting books of all skill levels.

[zech13_9_goforgold]

I second the library and whatever Ravelry.

[granolagina]

I haven't come across many books that offer patterns for beginners. Most books I have seen start off with an easy scarf or blanket and progress quickly to hard stuff like sweaters and socks. Too scary for this beginning knitter.

I love Ravelry like many of the others here and I also had some luck using knitting books written for kids. I figured if a 10 year old can do it so can I! I love Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick.

[MizLiz]

I learned to knit from the first Stitch-n-Bitch book. I found the illustrations were really easy to follow and I still go back to it when I have any technical knitting questions...

I think that Ravelry is great once you already know the basics of knitting... I think I would have found it overwhelming when I was a very new knitter (but now I spend way too much time adding projects to my queue).

Knitty.com is also a good site for basic to very advanced patterns, and there are some good resource pages on it.