starting and stopping

Posted on annePosted 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”

  2. Sounds like something I need, as I still only do one cast-on (long-tail) and one bind-off (knit, slip stitch over). Booooring.

  3. Wow! This sounds like a book all knitters need in their library. What a perfectly lovely idea!

  4. I’m hearing lots of wonderful things about this book – thanks for the opportunity!

  5. Great resource book, would love to add it to my collection of knitting books. Thanks for the chance!!

  6. Would love to have this book as a reference! Thanks for the give away chance!

  8. It would be wonderful to have all that information at one’s fingertips. A great addition to some lucky knitters library!

  10. Wow! Lots of us are interested in this book. I’m wondering what your Grandma’s cast on is.

  12. That book sounds wonderful. When patterns call for different cast on or off I always fumble around trying to figure out which of the couple I know will work. This sounds like a wonderful reference!!

  18. Sounds like a book everyone needs in their knitting library. Thanks for the chance to win!!! I look forward to your blog everyday… and an opportunity to win something is just icing on the already delicious cake 🙂

  23. Oh. My. Goodness. What a knitting geek book! I would never have the patience to work through learning/writing them all, but I sure wouldn’t be above flipping through and learning what struck my fancy!

    I haven’t heard of your grandmother’s method?

  24. I do a lot of private knitting lessons. Having this book in my own personal library means I can help my students even more.

  26. I’ve been eyeballing this book ever since it came out. As a new knitter I always looked at cast ons and bind offs as a necessary evil. Now as a more accomplished knitter I definitely see how they are an important design element and can enhance a garment. It is possible to completely change a design from plain to fancy just with a different bind off or on. This book is definitely a must have!

  28. Oh nevermind, I got so excited I just went and purchased it on Amazon…I couldn’t wait to see if I won, so if I do, give it to someone else as I’ll already have one. 🙂

  29. I was just thinking about how much I need that book when I was casting on a new sweater last night!

  31. There are so many comments that know there is no chance to win – but this book is such a great reference to keep handy that it will be very popular. Thanks for offering the chance.

  32. I have now read a number of reviews of this book, and I don’t know how I have lived without it. The reviews have been uniformly positive, so I am thrilled with the chance to win a free copy. And if I’m not a winner, I’ll just have to buy it for myself. But, please pick me. That would be fun! Thanks for doing this.

  33. Looks like a great book to have as a reference. Would love to add it to my collection!

  36. This book fascinates me…I’ve always wanted to know how to get a particular cast on or bound off look. Thanks for the giveaway!

  39. Wow, I was just looking at this book as a present for myself. Awesome reference for a new knitter who is still figuring out how to make the cast on and bind off work for different projects.

  42. I’ve looked at this book online but not in person, it’s soooo appealing to me, especially after one of our contract knitters told me to leave out ‘long tail cast on’ from a pattern because she didn’t know what it was and obviously didn’t see the merit in a particular kind of cast on for a particular pattern….sigh. Despite no photos, I’m taking your word I’ll be asking our bookshop to get this for me. Unless I win of course, hehe!

  44. I think I will still always love my LTCO, although I admit it is not always appropriate.

  45. This book looks so interesting. And since I pretty much only know one cast on and off, I could really use this book.

  47. I’ve paged through this book and really like the way it is written. Something I would like to have as a reference for when the need arises. Hope you pick me!

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