Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus is a classic knitting book that provides solutions to common knitting mistakes. This is a book that is relevant to knitters of all levels.
The Book
Knit Fix starts off with an explanation of the knitting philosophy it embraces; fix the mistakes that are bothersome. If a mistake doesn’t bother the knitter, it won’t matter to anyone else, either.
Once a knitter decides to go ahead with a correction, different ways of approaching it are presented. Un-knitting, vertical fixes, and unraveling are all discussed.
Diagnosing knitting problems is also covered. Twisted stitches, reversed directions, skipped stitches, too many stitches, too few stitches, incorrect cables, counting errors, chart-reading errors, and color corrections are some of the topics.
Preventative knitting is encouraged. Proper cast-on and bind-off, joins, rounds, buttonholes, and picked-up stitches will all cut off problems before they get out of hand.
If a piece is finished but has errors, it can be addressed in another way. Knitting can be altered even after an item is done. Kartus goes over edges, seams, and sizing errors. Finally, the author stresses the importance of gauge, revising patterns, choosing fibers, and reading yarn labels.
The Author
Chicagoan Lisa Kartus has been a financial writer for magazines including Money, Time, and Forbes. She holds a journalism degree from Northwestern University, and taught writing and journalism at the college level for a decade.
“Knitters need to know how to navigate around potholes so they can travel into unexplored territory.” Kartus is currently writing a follow-up to Knit Fix. She now has a partner, Kristen Quain, who is a designer, knitter and spinner extraordinaire.
The Publisher
Founded in 1975 by Linda Ligon, Interweave Press, a unit of Aspire Media, is one of the nation's largest craft media companies with businesses in magazine and book publishing, interactive media, broadcast programming, and events for craft enthusiasts. Linda Ligon remains with the company as creative director, a member of Interweave Press board, and as an investor in Aspire. The company is headquartered in Loveland, Colorado and has other offices in Malvern, Pennsylvania and Stow, Massachusetts.
The Review
Knit Fix goes beyond ripping mistakes out. Instead, it approaches mistakes in knitting in the way of leaving things as they are and minimizing the damage. Traditionally, many of the mistakes covered in this book would be solved by ripping out the work and re-doing it. Knit Fix encourages the knitter to accept the mistake if possible, leave it in, and improve it if necessary.
Almost every possibility is examined, and that makes Knit Fix a great reference book that knitters will go to again and again for ideas. It is recommended for any knitters who would like to look at mistakes differently. Consider Knit Fix for your own library.
