I’m already an advanced Crocheter, but I wanted to learn how to knit also. I found Boye’s book “I Taught Myself Knitting” at my local Wal-mart craft section for under $10 and decided to give it a try. It is not just a book but includes an entire kit of materials, though excluding yarn. How could you go wrong? Or so I thought. For such a promising product, it is lacking in a few areas. Here are 6 reasons why you shouldn’t buy “I Taught Myself Knitting” by the Boye brand company.
Lazy construction
Although Boye is a leading brand in crochet and knitting supplies, they apparently didn’t transfer their quality standards to this book. The kit comes with an instruction booklet, two sets of knitting needles, stitch markers, a gauge ruler, yarn needles, a stitch counter, and needle covers. One would think that this is all you need to make any project in the beginners guide to knitting, but you would be sorely mistaken. It obviously doesn’t come with yarn, but that’s to be expected. The real problem is that, although the kit includes a size 6 and size 8 knitting needles, these sizes can only be used on about 4 of the 15 project patterns listed in the book. Why would you supply needles that you can’t use in any of the patterns in the included book? It makes no sense why they couldn’t have researched patterns better.
Out-Dated
This version of “I Taught Myself Knitting” was copyrighted in 1988. Unfortunately, they are still using this version even though it shows some of Boye’s discontinued knitting needle kits and pieces that were included in the original kit that have long since been taken out to reduce the price per unit. This seems like a lazy way of reprinting the same book, instead of just redoing those sections.
Awful 80s
Even though most people only think of Grandma-aged women knitting, it is actually a very popular hobby among women in their 20s and 30s. However, the patterns included in this book have the 80s written all over them. What beginner wants to knit for hours and hours just to produce a hideous 80s sweater that even your dog wouldn’t wear in public? The patterns are hopelessly ugly. Even the simple scarf is horribly designed and you need to buy size 10 ½ knitting needles just to do it even though it is the first project listed for beginner’s.
Lame Attempts to Salvage
Boye did however try to supplement their lack of updated patterns by adding three more patterns to the list for the recent version of the kit. It’s obvious that they didn’t change anything in the book to add these patterns because they are merely printed on the front and back inner covers. So lazy of them. The ‘trick’ is that they show the three new patterns on the front and back outside covers, making you think that you are getting more patterns like these. Instead you find that these are the only projects you’d even want to try because two are basic Afghans and the other is a basic scarf without nasty fringe. Only problem is that you don’t have the right sized needles in your kit to do these projects. Go figure.
Poorly Illustrated
And as if this weren’t enough, the major problem with the book is the diagrams. When you are learning a craft, words are just not enough; you actually need to see a picture to really understand. I already know how to crochet, which is similar to knitting, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to simply cast on a few stitches by looking at the text and illustrations provided in this book. I had to look up diagrams online just to be able to do this basic task. In most diagrams for crochet and knitting, the illustrator highlights the parts of the yarn that are being used and in which direction they will move over the fingers and stitching implement. However, this book does not do you this courtesy and assumes previous knowledge of holding and working with knitting needles to be able to follow them.
Discouraging
It isn’t just enough to know you don’t have all the materials you need to make any decent knitting projects, but that combined with the hardly understandable diagrams makes for a frustrating experience. If I were less motivated to learn the trade this book would have discouraged me from ever trying my hand at it again. So do yourself a favor and don’t buy this kit unless you just want the supplies, because the book will definitely compel you to teach yourself knitting without it.
