Mastering Color Knitting: Simple Instructions for Stranded, Intarsia, and Double Knitting

Mastering Color Knitting is a book of techniques, and, even though I consider myself an accomplished knitter, Leapman has included many techniques I have not learned and am ready to try.Here's my take on Mastering Color Knitting:PROS:1. I've known about steeks for some time, but the idea of actually cutting into my knitting made me quake. Leapman's explanation is sufficient and calming enough that I may give it a try.2. What about double knitting? The previous instructions I've tried were insufficient to make this a useful technique for me. Now I've changed my mind, and I've already completed a cap for a cancer patient who complains of a cold head.3. The book is packed with tips on keeping an even tension when doing stranded knitting. In addition, there are many charts that you can use to create your own color knits.CONS:1. While I do not believe this is a negative, knitters looking for complete sweater patterns will not find many in this book. Leapman's focus is on technique and chartings, so if you're looking for garment patterns, this will not be the book you want.2. The book itself does not lie flat when it's open. To work from a chart it will be necessary to copy the chart to a separate page, or to weight the pages to keep the book open.OVERALL:There's plenty here to delight most knitters - stranded knitting, double knits, intarsia and a wealth of charts to get you started. A worthy addition to your knitting library!

I bought a pattern for a scarf with a cat on the front and on the back Maggies. I purchased dark grey and light grey yarn and sat down to knit. Reading the instructions I soon realized that this was a double knit project and I have never double knit anything. I don't have any double knit patterns but I thought it was good that I would learn this method. I tried and tried the limited instructions (they apparently assumed that you knew how to double knit). I watched several you tube videos and found that not only was the stitch different, everything was different. I had a couple of knit instruction books but they did not have double knit instructions they had double knit cast ons. I am 84 so that might be part of it but I have never run into this problem. I became extremely frustrated and I have never ripped out so many stitches ever. I found this book on Amazon and it proved to be the solution. It is so well written and easy to understand.My husband is also very glad that I found the solution in this book.

Melissa Leapman, the author, is an excellent designer and a wonderful teacher. I have done basic knitting in the past, although not for awhile, as my current interest is color crocheting to create fun, warm squares quickly for a charity I crochet for. This book is the inspiration I needed; I purchased it to have it when I have more time to devote to it and frankly, I am impatiently waiting to begin learning the different techniques Melissa explains very, very well.I've spent plenty of time reading this book; it is very well illustrated and the projects are gorgeous. There are different ways of approaching adding color to knitting and they are explored in detail. I have the knitting needles, two basic knitting books to get myself up to speed in knitting (those are definitely NOT needed for people who already knit! lol ) and on to this exciting book.

In Mastering Color Knitting, Melissa Leapman offers up a fun and creative look at colorwork in knitting and focuses on three techniques for incorporating color: Fair Isle, Intarsia, and Reversible Two-Color Double Knitting.The first part of the book looks at some basic color theory and Leapman offers some ideas on how to use a 12 color wheel to find combinations that satisfy the requirements of the project at hand. For those of us that tend to shy away from making big color statements, I thought the discussion on choosing colors was both encouraging and helpful.The Fair Isle section offers clear instruction on the basics of Fair Isle knitting for techniques for tangle-free multi-strand knitting and steeks. The role of color dominance is also discussed. The colorways that are shown and suggested are very pretty and the pattern charts are plentiful. I found this section lacking, however, in two ways: there isn’t enough information provided about designing a Fair Isle item for a reader to be able to do it successfully without having read something else like Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting in addition to this one. My second issue was in regards to the discussion on shaping Fair Isle knitting. I haven’t read a lot on shaping stranded colorwork, and Leapman provides a side panel chart that was used in one of the sample projects; but there is no photograph of the side seam showing how the side panel works into the sweater, and no discussion on how the side panel was designed to blend in between the fleur de lis pattern shown in the project. I would have liked to have known that.The Intarsia knit section was very good. There are very good instructions and tips for changing colors and “painting with stitches”. I learned a couple of new techniques that I didn’t know about, like three techniques for knitting intarsia in the round. I don’t know who came up with those, but I thought they were very clever and sound easy to work. There are also a number of references provided for computer-generated graph paper and graphics-charting software in addition to the reproducible graph paper grid at the back of the book.The Reversible Two-Color Double Knitting section was lots of fun. I have done double knitting in the past so I was aware of the basic double knitting idea (like green dots with blue background on one side and blue dots on green background on the other) but I was not aware that the patterns could be different on both sides! After having read the explanation it makes sense now, but who’d a thunk it?Leapman’s book makes you think of color in some new and different ways and was an inspiration for a knitter with monochromatic tendencies like me.

Very clear and useful book - covers Fair Isle, Intarsia, and Double Knitting. Well written. Bought it because I was having trouble with some Fair Isle socks. Helped me me with the socks (Dither) and also helped me understand the ‘colour dominance’ thing that has always mystified me.

I have not tried any of the projects but it seems to be a good book

Recomiendo este libro, contiene información útil sobre esta técnica, fácil de entender.

Worth the price. The quality of the paper is very good and the instructions as well.

Es un libro de tapa blanda y bastante manejable que da ideas básicas para aprender a hacer proyectos en varios colores. Estando en inglés, se entiende super bien. Es un gran libro para iniciación.