Complete knitting skills - Debbie Tomkies

Freeze-frame step-by-step pictures 25 teaching videos to view online. This innovative knitters' manual is a perfect combination of a timeless handbook enhanced with an amazing series of accompanying online tutorials. Learn techniques direct from the
book or by viewing video tutorials, moving effortlessly between the two by virtue of a simple indexing system. Follow techniques
on the move using your smartphone to access the online tutorials quickly via QR codes, or via the internet on your laptop or
netbook. It's like having a knitting expert sitting beside you! Learn key skills such as how to read patterns and charts, which
needles to choose, how to hold your yarn and choose the right yarn, cast on, bind off, essential stitches, and making up. A wide range of knitting techniques including lace, cables, textured patterns, colorwork, beaded knitting, and embellishments will be a great reference for beginner and experienced knitters alike.

Debbie Tomkies has designed for many major knitting and crochet magazines including Knit Now, Simply Knitting, Knitting, Let's Knit, Yarn Forward, and Inside Crochet. Debbie has been the agony aunt and 'How-to' technical feature writer for Knit Now magazine for over four years. She has written three books, Hand-dyed Yarn Craft Projects, Complete Knitting Skills, and 250 Knitting Stitches. Debbie is a successful tutor and teaches knitting, crochet, dyeing and textile arts to students of all ages - as such, she has a genuine understanding of the needs of knitters at all levels. She lives in Cheshire, UK. For more information, visit www.dtcrafts.co.uk.

July 13

They say that you can't stop progress, and here's the ultimate in forward-thinking books. It's a knitters handbook, plain and simple, but its lessons are backed up by online tutorials, accessed on your smartphone (or your laptop) via QR codes printed in the book. Perfect for those of us who prefer to see techniques in action and who learn by listening, rather than just reading about them or referring to pictures. Debbie teaches key skills including reading patterns, basic stitches and finishing. Follow the lessons and you'll soon be teaching others!

Spring 14

The cover of this book is not very eye catching and I have passed it by in bookshops and at shows. This is a shame because inside it is colourful and informative. This book caters to quite a 'broad church' and there are a number of really useful hints and tips for knitters of all capabilities. It helps the beginner with sections on tension, how to hold their work and reading patterns as well as actual stitch making, using clear, precise and uncluttered pictures. It is also helpful to more accomplished knitters as it describes aspects of knitting that we may not have come across before, or have believed we couldn't do, that can give our projects a more individual stamp. I found the chapter 'Joining a new yarn' particularly useful. I had been taught only to join yarn at the edge of the work, so it was new for me to find three other methods for doing so, especially for very thick yarns. I liked the chapters 'Finishing' and 'Knitting SOS' as here the author gives good workable solutions to many of the set-backs we may face with a project. The book contains a link to free online 'YouTube' tutorials. The idea of watching mini films on my computer didn't really appeal at first, but now I can see how much easier it is to master techniques by having someone show you how. The tutorials are clear and precise and use the same yarn as in the book, which lends cohesion to the whole. It would be very easy to use this book and the online tutorials in conjunction. I found this book of benefit as a user friendly resource book. I had no hesitation in recommending it to a friend who would like to take up knitting again. Salliann Cooke, New Forest Guild

June 13

This knitters handbook also has a series of accompanying online tutorials so we learn techniques direct from the book or by viewing the tutorials. We can also follow the techniques on a smart phone or through the internet so it's like having an expert close by. Many of the techniques will help machine knitters, so it's a great reference for all level skills.