a treasury of knitting patterns by barbara g walker

However, modern knitters expect charts, and this volume should have been updated to provide them.įinally, the photos have not been updated they are small and mostly black and white. The directions are all written in narrative form, which was common practice when this collection was first issued in the 1970s. I would have preferred a sturdy cover with coil binding, to allow for placing the pages flat on a scanner, so that patterns can be evaluated side by side for design purposes. Photographs (mostly black and white) are provided for all patterns.Ī few minor complaints - the cover is a bit flimsy for such a thick book, especially one that is intended to be actively used. The Second Treasury provides 700 stitch patterns, in the following categories: knit-purl combinations, slip-stitch patterns, slip-stitch color patterns, mosaic patterns, fancy color patterns, fancy texture patterns, twist-stitch patterns, cables, cable-stitch patterns, yarn-over patterns, eyelets, lace, lace panels and insertions, borders, and edgings. Volume 2 was the thickest, and a quick browse convinced me that this volume had the greatest concentration of stitch patterns I would actually use. On a recent trip to Powell's, I browsed the knitting section and found an entire cart filled with the latest printing of the Treasury, plus another book on mosaic knitting. Over the past year or two, I have read a number of rave reviews of Barbara Walker's 4-volume Treasury of Knitting Patterns, but I had never encountered the actual books.

I have never had a comprehensive stitch dictionary, relying instead on an ancient and tattered Vogue Knitting Book given to me many years ago by an elderly aunt, and more recent guides from Nicky Epstein and Leslie Stanfield.

A treasury of knitting patterns by barbara g walker