The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits (ISBN 0609608800)

Nice for looking:
Nice pictures, comfy looking sweaters.... And then you start knitting and realize that all the patterns are for very bulky yarns and many of the patterns are riddled with errors. What? You happened to be in the NYC and thought you'd stop into the store to ask question? J & J are the epitome of unfriendly yarn store owners.

A good book, not a perfect one.:
I learned to knit with this book, and I really liked it. The good: The instruction part of the book is clearly written, light, and sticks to the basic stitches. They don't use too much text to the point where you are confused--they just say a few words, add a simple drawing, and soon you are knitting the stitch. The book covers cast on, knit, purl, bind off, and increasing/decreasing. Each project featured in the book has a little story that is really good at motivating you to start and complete a project even if you are a beginning knitter. Since the yarns are chunky the projects knit up quickly, giving the knitter some instant gratification. There are about 5 or 6 cute items in the book that I would consider knitting (so while I am unlikely to knit myself a tank top, I made the hole-in-one and a couple of the hats, and may make a sweater or two). The not-so-good: Other people have said it, but it bears repeating--if you are going to make one of the sweaters in this book, you could spend $160 or MORE on yarn for your beginner sweater (in my case, that would have been a waste because it took me awhile to master gauge). I opted instead to find some free patterns online for baby sweaters & blankets, knit them up with inexpensive acrylic yarns, and gave them to the local children's hospital when I was done (learned to knit, made something someone else will treasure, didn't spend a fortune learning). Now I feel more qualified to make a sweater with fancier yarn. I would have LOVED the book if they had offered, say, 10 or 20 different yarns that could have been used with each of their projects. Also, I thought the portion on sewing knit pieces together could have been more detailed and had better pictures. I couldn't figure out exactly what part of the knit edge I should have sewn together. Lastly, I think it's a book you will "grow out of" very quickly. Once you have learned the basic stitches, if you don't love every pattern in the book, you will soon be looking for another book of patterns that strike your fancy. Overall, it's a good book for learning. This book gets four (and not five) stars for some v

great book for a beginners first real sweater:
I loved this book. I bought it years ago and it languished on my bookshelf while I had two kids. Five years later I picked it up and started on my first real sweater. It was easy and I am not the best knitter. I made a super cute, trendy sweater in about two weeks (with two little ones still at home, mind you). The patterns run a smidge big so if you are between sizes you might want to make the smaller size but they make it SO EASY. So easy, in fact that I went out and started another and finished it in a week. Almost all their patterns call for very chunky yarn and big needles so you get instant gratification and there are tons of styles to choose from. If you are nervous about starting your first real sweater or if you have had some past failures and are hesitant to try again... BUY THIS BOOK!

I'm such a happy knitter.:
This book is great! My boyfriend calls me a knit nerd. I'm always knitting now. I love the way that the book is written it seems like you're getting information from a friend. The instructions you receive are very detailed. Other books just gave directions no tips and their illustrations were hard to follow. It's so much better to learn this way it's more enjoyable. (and I didn't have to travel to NY!)

Frustrated Newish Knitter:
This book has patterns that looked simple enough for someone who had made more than my fair share of scarves and wanted a challenge. While the patterns look cute and very wearable to someone in their 20's I have the following complaints: 1. The yarn is incredibly expensive. 2. The instructions are not very clear, the illustrations are even more unclear, and several basic techniques are left out. 3. All the materials required for each project are not all listed in the materials section at the start of each project. 4. Even with the correct gauge I have had to purchase extra yarn to complete projects. I'd recommend that a beginner find another book to explain basic techniques, but I still think the patterns are cute enough to suffer through the rest of the book's shortcomings.