"Read a damn book": A brief exploration of some archaic artifacts known as knitting books

Times have certainly changed in the world of knitting. 

If you have a question about a pattern or if you are confused about an abbreviation we simply hop online and ask. For some of us, this means going onto reddit or asking their local knitting group, for others it may be to hop onto Ravelry, and then there are those who rely on the help of an ancient item...a book. 

My journey as a knitter began by picking up a book. If I remember correctly the titles was, "Teach me to Knit". In fact here is the picture below. 

I didn't identify with the girls on the cover, however I knew that I wanted to learn...so I suppose we had more things in common than just our gender. 

This was THE coolest book. Since I had no access to dial up internet...yes dial up. And since smart phones didn't exist back then, I relied on the pages of this bad boy that I picked up from a King's General Store in the middle of podunk. 

The only issue with this book was that it didn't explore the basics about fiber so here's what happened. I was probably 15 years old and I had access to a bank card (I had worked as a housekeeper and my mom helped me get a bank account) when I also discovered this brand new hobby. And better yet, my town had a local yarn shop. See where I'm going here? 

I walked around the shop and found the softest yarn. I had no idea how much yarn I needed so I bought two yarn balls (two different colors). The yarn was so slippery that I had loose holes EVERYWHERE! And by the time that I was done with my scarf (did I forget to mention that?) I had spent $120 dollars...did I learn my lesson? Why yes, yes I did. 

As I progressed in my learning I purchased various books to learn how to make different garments. For example I tested out The Sock Knitter's workshop. This was a fun book and I learned so much about turning the heel and using double pointed needles. 

Later I ventured off into making mittens. Again I found this book from my local King's general store titled "I can't believe I'm knitting mittens." And truly, I believed this title so much that I made one pair and moved on. ha! 

Although I had purchased all of these books I was still missing a good reference book. One that could help me decipher the differences in fiber. One that could help me figure out why my stockinette looked funky. I must have volleyed between various titles between, "The Stitch n' Bitch" all the way to "Cast off Bind off." Until I hit my personal favorite, "Vogue Knitting." 

Remember, I am not apologizing for turning into the FOMO skid. And I am certainly not apologizing for believing the clout because this book has been awesome. While I can still look up how what a certain stitch looks like and how to do it, this book provides other essential services. 

With its color coded sections, this giant behemoth will help you stay up to date with techniques, fibers, and tools. I'll be honest, this isn't something that I will read from front to back, but it's certainly something that I use if I have some curiosity about a fiber and how it may drape or lack drape. I may also look up how I could potentially block a certain fiber if its 100% or if it's a mixed yarn. Or if I should even bother blocking! And most recently I looked up gauging and the reason behind gauging in the round when knitting in the round and how to do it the right way (because I had an idea but I would just wing it).

Sure, this book is not cheap coming in at a hefty $42 bucks, but its definitely useful. It also makes a great coffee book. 

Had I purchased this book back when I was 15 I probably would have known NOT to purchase the yarn way back when. Turns out that silk and god knows what else was in it is incredibly slippery and it's not meant for scarfs. Especially in Idaho where it can get below 30F. 

So now it's your turn, what are your favorite books and why? And what would you recommend someone that is thinking about knitting? Or better yet, what books should we consider adding to our pile?