Book excerpt: Knitting is one of the most popular crafts among people all ages, but if you've never picked up a set of needles before, it's hard to know where to begin. Geared toward the absolute beginner, Idiot's Guides®: Knitting teaches the basics of knitting in a series of lessons using full-color, step-by-step photo-rich instructions that enable the reader to clearly see how each stitch, finger movement, and yarn movement is executed. Lessons are accompanied by practice projects, allowing the reader to try out their newly learned skill. As the lessons become more advanced, so do the projects, so the knitter not only gets instant gratification, they also become more proficient as they learn and have the motivation to keep going. In addition, the book includes numerous fun and fresh patterns along with galleries of stitch patterns for beginner and intermediate-level knitters. This completely illustrated guide is an essential tool for every new knitter. Features include: - Tailored to the absolute beginner who has never picked up a pair of needles before, with clear, easy-to-understand illustrated instructions. - Clear, comprehensive, color step-by-step instructions for all of the basic techniques of knitting--casting on, binding off, knit and purl stitches, and so much more. - Stitch galleries with nearly two dozen patterns for decorative stitches such as cable, seed, and lace. - Practice projects throughout help the reader learn and practice techniques. - Handy guides teach how to decipher a chart, read a pattern, increase and decrease rows, buy the right yarn for your project, and more.