[.ca] Vogue Knitting on the Go: Bags & Backpacks (ISBN 1573890189)

Looks can be deceiving:
I love handbags and I love to knit. To me, this book looked like the perfect combination of both. Then, I started kitting the chunky tote on page 29. A half-dozen (wasted) hours later, I realized that there was no way, geometrically, that the bag shown in the photograph could be created by following the pattern. In addition, the resources list at the back of the book is all but useless. It contains merely a list of suppliers by name, but it does not categorize them as to what they supply, nor does it provide email or website information. The resource listings contain only postal addresses. In rare cases phone numbers are provided, if only for suppliers based in the UK. It's the 21st Century, for pete's sake! Who has time to send a letter through the mail to Judi & Co. in NY, requesting a catalog from which to order the black handles required for the chunky tote on pg. 29? Very few would bother, I'm afraid. And who could blame them? As a new knitter, I rely heavily on patterns in books and, perhaps naively, take for granted that they are correct. I realize that mistakes happen and that errors in proofing can occur. However, putting a good, usable book together involves more than selecting a great binding or including flashy photos on a glossy stock. It's helpful if someone actually TESTS the instructions AFTER they are written. It's called usability testing. It happens in software, why not knitwear?

from beginner to experienced:
This small book has projects for all tastes. 27 bags and backpacks to knit and have fun. Has a picture for every item. I know it can be difficult to get the right yarns and accesories if you live abroad or if you don't want to spend lots of money, but with little imagination, you can adjust this ideas and use other yarn and another kind of handles for a bag. Just check gauge and you're done!! great buy for teens or young adults who want to start knitting their own bags or for a mother or grandma who wants to spoil her children

Vogue on the go bags:
Since I am a purse nut, I love this book. Normally I do not knit but because of the beautiful patterns I am learning so that I can make some of the bags. I look forward to more patterns from Vogue.

Some criticisms unfounded:
The pattern for the chunky tote is correct. It's a little confusing upon first read, but it does work. You cast on 36 stitches. After awhile, you bind off 11 and then knit 14 more. Then you knit some more length, leaving 11 stitches alone on the other side, which means you do end up with a T shape as the diagram shows, which folds up into the squarish tote. My complaint with the book is that there are not enough basic patterns using yarn you don't have to mortgage your house for, but that's true with almost all Vogue publications!

A Great, Simple Way to Start:
This book is a wonderful way for someone to start making satisfying knitting projects. It would be a good book for a pre-teen who wanted to make simple projects for sale at craft fairs. The later patterns get more complex and are truly beautiful. This is an excellent addition to the very good Vogue on the Go Series.