Book excerpt: Whether you want to combine yarns of different colours and textures in one piece or simply use up some of your stash, patchwork knitting provides a great way to play with assorted elements. This accessible book guides you through the essential techniques of creating individual units of knitting and joining-as-you-go so that there is minimal sewing up to do once the work is completed. This latest addition to the Knitting Techniques series covers the individual unit shapes of squares (including half, single, double, triple and quadruple squares), shells and strips and goes on to explore myriad ways of working within these units, including combining different stitch patterns such as lace, slip stitch, bias and short row knitting. It explores how the use of colour within an individual unit can change the way it is seen within a larger piece. There are four full knitting patterns and forty-five individual unit stitch patterns, with accompanying images, give plenty of opportunity for practice and inspiration.