A Treasury of Knitting Patterns

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Summary: An inspiration for all knitters
Review: Barbara Walker first turned me on to knitting in her invaluable primer for beginners, "America's Knitting Book", now sadly out of print. Once you get past casting on and the basic knit and purl stitches, it's fun to start designing your own projects, and the "Treasury" makes this simple. It was the "Treasury" that turned me into a dyed-in-the-wool "knitwit". It's mind-blowing to think that so many hundreds of patterns are varieties of just two fundamental stitches, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Let your imagination loose; there's no limit on what you can make. The "Treasury" is organized into basic pattern groups, starting with simple knit-purl combinations, and advancing through ribbing, color-change patterns, slip stitch, twist stitch, and many more, all the way through lace and cable stitch patterns. The directions are very clear and concise, and the photographs are excellent. Walker doesn't give instructions for making different garments in this book, but she does explain how the patterns can be adapted to making just about anything.

One of the best (for this reviewer) chapters was the one on cable stitch knitting; here Walker tells how to design and make your own original fisherman's sweater, using any number of different cable stitch patterns. It sounded like so much fun that I decided to try it, and it came out so great that I promptly made another one, this time casting on from top to bottom and knitting the sweater sideways, so all the cables run horizontal. Talk about an original! This book really lets your creative genius loose. Use it, enjoy it, and have a lot of fun.

Rating:
Summary: If I could only keep 20 books, this would be one of them
Review: For any knitter who wants to explore using her own choice of stitches, this book is an absolute must. I've used my copy so much that the spine broke. Ended up getting it spiral bound at the copy shop which has worked great.

Bottom line -- thank the knitting goddess that this is back in print and get a copy if you don't have one!

Rating:
Summary: Great! Tremendously useful and inspiring
Review: For anyone who knits and wants to go beyond "blind following", these are the books to start with. You can begin to design by substituting an exciting stitch pattern for a plain one.

I've used this (and her second treasury) many times in the planning of socks, scarves, and shawls. It's an indispensible resource and is the best stitch treasury I've seen.

What makes the B. Walker treasuries so good? First, there is ample "white space" on each page. The stitch patterns are not crammed together, competing for space. Second, there are clear black-and-white pictures of each stitch pattern. (I find that color distracts me from texture, so the black and white is a definite plus) Third, the patterns are logically grouped and arranged. Fourth, Walker uses traditional names - or gives the pattern a name if the true name is not known. She also gives credit where it's due for a stitch pattern. She also gives some basic editorial comments (e.g., "This would be ideal for a scarf" or "Lovely for lacy little girl's dresses") that add charm and a human touch to the books.

I like looking at them even when I'm not seriously planning a project. It is truly amazing what one can do with a few simple manipulations of a strand of yarn.

Now that Schoolhouse Press is reprinting these, I expect they will stay in print. (They know what knitters want)

Rating:
Summary: a useful and historical treasure
Review: I wrote a review for Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and would like to add more of my comments about this scholarly knitting trilogy. Previously, I had commented that only professional knitters really needed to own these books, but I am beginning to rethink that position. I was attempting to teach myself "linen stitch" which is a simple slip stitch pattern recommended for knitting with chenille to keep it from biasing and "worming" (loops of yarn coming out all over the place). I attempted to follow the directions in "Knitting with Novelty Yarns". After wrestling all evening and failing, I went to bed with a headache. In the morning it occurred to me that I could look up the pattern in Barbara Walker's Treasuries. I found it (under a totally different name) and discovered that a crucial "P1" had been left out of the directions! Probably a typo, but still! I now have more respect for the Treasuries and for the unbelievable amount of scholarly work and patience that went into compiling all those patterns. Just the proof-reading alone for accuracy must have taken years! I think that if you are at an intermediate level and are interested in learning new techniques and stitch patterns, you really should own Walker's Treasuries. There is nothing available like them - they are the knitter's Encyclopedia. The only reason I gave four stars instead of five is that, unfortunately, the photographs that accompany the patterns are small, poorly done black-and-white, very difficult to see anything, very dated. What a shame that the books could not be reprinted with updated photos - but what a job that would be!

Rating:
Summary: Great resource for knitters
Review: I've used the Treasury for years and absolutely love it. I often design my own sweaters and other knitted works, and I start with the Treasury of Knitting Patterns to look for stitch patterns. Browsing through it is an inspiration. It's easy to dream up all kinds of new combinations of patterns with this book. It's also a perfect place to look for stitches for afghans. No knitter should be without it.

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Summary: ESSENTIAL knitting resource!
Review: This book is an absolute treasure for the knitter. It is clearly written, well illustrated, contains interesting historical notes, and is easy to follow. The first sweater I made using some of these patterns won a blue ribbon! (I used the prize money towards buying her First Treasury of Knitting Stitches) She gave me the courage to design my own knits. Get this book before it goes out of print again!

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Summary: For All Knitters
Review: This book is exactly what it says it is: an enormous collection of knitting stitch patterns. It does not contain projects or patterns for garments, but has all the cables, laces, and other texture patterns that you might ever need. Each is presented with a clear photo and accurate instructions.
If you design your own patterns, you will find that this reference gives you all the stitches you need. If you have a favorite sweater pattern that you would like to make many times, this book will allow you to do so without ending up with a drawerful of identical garments. If you like to follow patterns exactly, you may still value the glossary and the clarity of the instructions (often a commercial knitting pattern will not describe its pattern stitch very clearly -- you can often pull this book off the shelf and find it written out better). And if you are lucky enough to have old handwritten knitting patterns that say things like "make this in moss stitch" you will now be able to use them.
Essentially, if you want a collection of knitting stitches, then you should have this book. People who dislike the black and white photos might prefer The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches, which has more beginner information and color pictures. Walker's book, however, has the largest number anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: One-stop knitting
Review: This book is one of two you should own if you knit (the other being the Second Treasury). I own a number of knitting books, including Mary Phillips' and Elizabeth Zimmerman's, and Walker is quite simply the best one-stop source for clear, concise, and complete knitting information, stitch patterns, and inspiration. Walker covers basic knitting tips, simple stitches, cables, Aran designs, multi-color knitting, and lace patterns from simple to complex.

Any knitter (beginner or advanced) who has designing ambitions needs this book. I agree with the reader from Oceanside; this book (and Vols II and III) should never be allowed to go out of print.

Rating:
Summary: One-stop knitting
Review: This book is one of two you should own if you knit (the other being the Second Treasury). I own a number of knitting books, including Mary Phillips' and Elizabeth Zimmerman's, and Walker is quite simply the best one-stop source for clear, concise, and complete knitting information, stitch patterns, and inspiration. Walker covers basic knitting tips, simple stitches, cables, Aran designs, multi-color knitting, and lace patterns from simple to complex.

Any knitter (beginner or advanced) who has designing ambitions needs this book. I agree with the reader from Oceanside; this book (and Vols II and III) should never be allowed to go out of print.