starting and stopping

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events

ooooh, i got a new book in the mail a couple of weeks back and i think it’s one you’re going to like—a delicious cornucopia of cast ons and bind offs by master knitter and teacher, leslie ann bestor.

cast on, bind off (story press) has an amazing array of starts and stops for virtually any type of knitted edge you are after. the concept alone is handy enough to make me buy one, but then the are are a number of additional features that make this a solid investment for any knitter.

i love the spiral binding that allows the book to lay flat while i’m working. i’m much more likely to use such a book when i need to look up and practice a technique, since i’ll be able to follow along more easily. it’s also small enough to pack along in a knitting tote, another plus

i love the way it’s organized too—techniques are divided into groups according to type and there is a reference page that tells you which bind off or cast on will work best for what type of project. love!

i can’t show you photos from inside the book as i usually would, but i will vouch for the way the material is presented; each technique has its own spread and introduction, with photo of right side and wrong side appearance, a list of appropriate applications, and tips for making it perfect. then follows a series of photographs with step by step instructions for executing the maneuver. where applicable, more than one set of instructions is included (as with the knitted cast on).

(BTW, my grandma’s cast on is not here, but that doesn’t surprise me; I’ve yet to see it included in ANY book on the subject)

there are several cast-ons i’ve been meaning to learn, but have been lazy about looking up and figuring out—now i have no excuse. i’m going to try for some practice on these in my next available free time. according to my calendar, that should be sometime in september, 2017.

seriously though, cast on, bind off is a great little book which i’ll be sure to keep handy. even if i don’t have time to practice and learn something new just for the heck of it this week, i know i will use it frequently.

and guess what? one of you can win a copy, too. if that sounds like a good deal, leave a comment at the end of this post by 9 pm EDST on saturday, july 28. you might also want to check out posts and book giveaways at the following stops on the blog tour:

7/9         Picnic Knits

7/9         Picnic Knits

7/10       Knit and Tonic

7/11       Zeneedle

7/12       Rambling Designs

7/13       Rambling Designs (pt. 2: Leslie Ann guest post)

7/14       Neo Knits

7/15       Knit & Nosh

7/16       Knitting at Large

7/17       Rebecca Danger

7/18       Lapdog Creations

7/19       Nutmeg Knitter

7/20       Yarnagogo

7/21       Weekend Knitter

7/22       knitgrrl

7/23       It’s a Purl, Man

7/24       Whip Up

7/25       Knitspot

7/26       Under the Humble Moon

7/27       Knitting Daily

7/28       Knitting School Dropout

7/29       Hugs for Your Head

7/30       The Knit Girllls

431 thoughts on “starting and stopping

  1. This book looks awesome! One can never have too many ways to start a piece of knitting!

  2. Sounds like a great resource, and your recommendation is enough for me! Thanks for the opportunity to win one!

  3. Another one for the reference library if I don’t win this copy! I can’t wait to get my hands on this!

  4. Oh my! I would love to win this book, as I just love reference books about knitting.

  5. I am also a fan of knitting books with spiral binding for knitters – much easier to learn a new technique. Would be a nice addition to the knitting library

  6. Oooh! I hope I win. Just bought a pattern online with a cast on I’ve never heard of and no directions how to do it. How frustrating as I am anxious to start the shawl. Of course, many other projects to work on until I figure it out.

  7. Thank you for introducing us to this book and for the giveaway Anne! It’s always great to learn new ways to cast on and bind off. And I’m forever looking up a particular cast on or bind off online that I’ve forgotten how to do, so it would be very useful to have a comprehensive reference to hand.

  8. This sounds like a great book, I need to pick one up. When are you gong to write one with some of your secrets?

  9. I saw this book at my library and I knew I wanted to add it to my own library.
    I hope I win!

  10. Looks like a very necessary addition to my knitting book collection! Thanks for offering this.

  11. I’ve seen this book advertised in emails I get but never gave it a thought until your blog post. Now I think it would be a great addition to my reference books. Thanks for the post.

  12. I’ve looked at this book so many times! I should just bite the bullet and get it… or win it! Thanks for the give away! fingers crossed! <3

  13. This looks so helpful, especially because it explains why one method might work better for certain projects than for others. I’d love to have a copy!

  14. Just back from a trip with no internet access, so I got a lot of knitting done.
    This book looks awesome. I love compilations of techniques, especially ones with the feature that explains why one would choose each kind. Sounds like fun to practice with.

  15. Looks like a wonderful book – but when do we get to learn Anne’s grandma’s cast on?!

  16. The cast on book sounds wonderful. There’s seems to be no end of what can still be published about knitting, crochet and fiber. How wonderful that is.

  17. Thanks for the list of blogs to check out! So inspiring to see what kinds of creative things people are up to – and the book sounds wonderful.

  18. I don’t know if I’m too late but I would absolutely LOVE to have a chance at winning this book! Very, very handy! Thank you!

  19. I would LOVE to get this book. In fact, its on my Amazon WishList. :::fingers crossed:::

  20. This looks like an awesome reference! I can’t wait to see it. I’d hope to win one, of course. If not, I know I’ll be buying it soon.

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