Book Review: Knit Mitts, by Kate Atherley

When Kate Atherley writes a knitting book, I always want to get a good look at it. She knows her stuff and is quite thorough about explaining it. So I was pleased to see Knit Mitts: Your Hand-y Guide to Knitting Mittens & Gloves at the library last week. (My book budget is tight, so I like to get a good look at a book before buying it.)

This book is written for everyone from beginning mitten or glove knitters to those who have knit many a pair; for people who want to knit custom mitts to those who just want a rote pattern; for knitters who want a basic design to those who want fancy cables, lace, or colorwork.

This book is written in a logical order: it starts with hand measurements (both a range of hand sizes for different ages and instructions for how to take measurements of a particular pair of hands), moves on to yarn choice, discusses the theory of knitting hand accessories, provides basic patterns, explains various customizations, and then finishes up with the more advanced patterns.

There are many practical tips for dealing with a range of issues, from a clever way to deal with the ladder stitches that can show up when knitting with double-pointed needles, to important tips for knitting mittens if your wrist is very much narrower than your palm circumference.

The abbreviations list, stitch glossary, and index are all quite good.

And yes, I will be buying a copy of this myself.

Atherley, Kate. Knit Mitts: Your Hand-y Guide to Knitting Mittens & Gloves. Interweave, 2017. ISBN-13: 9781632504920

The book’s Ravelry page, so you can see more information about the patterns.