Book excerpt: It’s the essential guide for chicks with sticks—because knit happens. From the tools of the trade to the knitty-gritty of techniques and patterns, all with easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrated techniques. Stockinette stitch, rib stitch, seed stitch. Increasing and decreasing. All the bells and whistles: fringes, tassels, cables, intarsia, crab stitch, and Fair Isle. Plus the stitch doctor’s own special bag of tricks and how to hook up with other knitters. After the how-tos come the why-to: forty hop, stylish patterns, as good for beginners as they are for purely pros. Featuring: Coney Island fireworks scarf Punk rock backpack Crickets technicolor techno-cozies Pippi knee-stockings Big bad baby blanket To-dye-for sweater Princess Snowball cat bed Queen of Hearts bikini