Twigg Stitch: A New Twist on Reversible Knitting Paperback – Bargain Price, November 5, 2014

I bought this book a while ago but put it aside because I did not find the instructions very clear (and I was in a shoulder immobilizer). I looked online for better instructions preferably a video but the uTube offering is just a podcast interview and less than helpful.Now I'm back to knitting. I dug the book out to study Twigg Stitch in depth out only to realize it's not a new technique at all. My family called it "swing rib" because you swing both yarns over as you work while only knitting/purling one color on each side. I am sure it is known by many other names. It is a form of double knitting and produces a nice fabric which is reversible and lies flat.The actual Twigg/Swing Rib stitch instructions take all of 4 pages (out of 165 pages) and that includes detailed instructions on performing the technique holding yarns in right, left or both hands! In fairness, I have to say several things in favor of the book. Firstly, Ms Twigg has taken the basic concept and developed it much further than I had ever imagined. The patterns are interesting, many are attractive and they provide projects for knitters of varying abilities. The stitch dictionary section is a huge resource.From my own knitting standpoint I find the book exciting because it has made me realize that what you can knit in Swing Ribbing you can translate directly into Brioche and vice versa! There are times when Brioche stitch is just too bulky and swing rib would be just right. It has also encouraged me to try the swing rib technique on visually complex double knitted patterns.I am not sorry I bought the book. It has a lot of useful and well presented new material but the basic stitch is far from new

I haven't been able to review any of the actual patterns yet, but i did go through the beginning and knit a sample swatch of the twigg stitch. The directions are written well, and easy to follow. The technique is probably not for the novice knitter. You need a good understanding of knitting techniques. The book has a pattern stitch glossary over and above the stitch patterns used in the project patterns, very nice. If you like double knitting and brioch, you will like knitting with this technique, which is similar. My sample swatch with the basic twigg stitch, resembles brioche, but is the same on both sides, and is a more stable fabric. Fun to knit, with lots of possibilities, absolutely worth it.

I like that the instructions are simplified. But honestly? This is NOT new. It's simply double knitting. Period. Both sides are NOT different. One side is a relief of the other. Because it's double knitting. The fabric produced is NOT the thickness of single knit. (Think about it. The yarn displaying on each side is opposite of the other side. Therefore; logically, you have a double layer). There is a SINGLE example in the book of one side being truly different from the other. It's a DK swatch with one side done with cable 'twists' to form a heart on one side with stockinette on the other. I am deeply disappointed, I looked everywhere and the buzz was 'brand new'. It isn't. I saw reviews that said 'can be circles on one side and squares on the other!!!' Wrong. Just like standard double knitting, one side is a relief of the other. The main diff is you twist the yarns with each stitch so the double knitting cannot come apart. Indeed it is a single fabric (of double thickness), because your adding twist to each stitch. The ONLY reason I am giving it 2 stars is because the way the twist is put into each stitch is clever. But if your looking for new, look elsewhere. :-(

I am excited to try this technique--the book is well-written, very clearly explains everything, with words, pictures and graphs. I am presently doing a non-related two-yarned project and practicing holding the yarns in each hand (the instructions for this projects use 5 stitches of one yarn, then 5 of the other all across the row for every row). I think mastering that is much of the victory so I hope to go on to one of the lovely projects in this book. I think the technique will give a lovely, full-feeling product since it's like intarsia, in a way, but without the strands across the back.

I had a terrible time trying to match my movements to the pictures in the book and finally gave up. I then passed it to a friend, and after much practice, she thought she figured out what she was supposed to do. However, she wasn't entirely sure she was correct. She returned the book to me, and we practiced the Twigg Stitch together. I really wanted to like it, but I found both illustrations and instructions confusing.

This book offers a unique way of working with two-color yarn designs without floats on the back side. If you enjoy experimenting with new knitting techniques, you will enjoy this book. Multiple projects included.

Speedy service and a reasonable price.

This stitch is similar to double sided knitting. I you knit, or are interested in trying new ways this is worth a look. I am happy with this book and will order from these people again.

In the first place, I would like to say that I am an experienced knitter and I know that this stitch is 'twining' a very old technique twisting the yarn at each stitch to knit Fairisle without leaving floaters. Not double knitting but certainly reversible knitting and can look a little like brioche at times.The fact that Vicki Twigg came to this stitch through her own experiments, only proves that there is nothing new in knitting, everything is revamped or modernised and developed further.Not a hard back, good glossy paper, clear diagrams, lovely photos, lots of colour. That is the first impression.The instructions are very easy to follow and she covers all the bases, English style, continental style, mix of both! She shows how to make the stitch in your own style of knitting.She covers all the decreases, increases, rolled edges, slip stitches, picking up stitches, working flat and working round, and how to correct mistakes.Then the projects. Nine of them. Varying in difficulty and lots of photos. Beautiful colours and easy to follow instructions.Next she has a whole section on how to work existing stitch patterns using this technique. Ribs, colour stripes, basket stitch, diamond lattice, honeycomb... lots of them.So four good sections in all, and 166 pages long.For the £20 I paid, I have to say that is very good value. I have paid more for knitting books and never made anything from them, just happy to read through and look at the pictures. I will make something from this though, probably the cowl.There is a lot of attention to detail which is nice to see, I like the fact that she has gone past the projects and shown how to use this technique for other projects. A very generous move. I can imagine readers making a scarf or wrap with this technique and being very happy with it.So if you have space on your gift list, or you have a voucher to treat yourself, I would suggest this is a good buy.I am looking forward to using this method and I am very happy that an old technique has been brought back to life.

Still playing with this ,very similar to brioche knitting ,nice clear instruction.

Interesting book

So what is Twigg Stitch? It is the innovation of knitter Vicki Twigg (who named the stitch after herself), and is a variation on double knitting but with two colour rib knitting. It helps me to think of this process as similar (but not the same as) reversible cable which also rely on ribbing to make the reverse identical to the right side of the work. The look of the works presented look a lot like brioche knitting, but is not exactly alike in looks and also differs in technique.The book is well edited with a short introduction and a section to get the knitter started. The book says the technique is not difficult, that average knitters can attempt it and that's true, but in my opinion the work is complicated, requires good dexterity, good concentration, and a lot of patience!Chapter 1 is a short section about materials, yarn, notions and needles. Chapter 2 is where the basic (and beyond basic) explanations are given, with special attention to appropriate cast-ons, bind-offs, decreases, increases, selvedge, color switch patterns, picking up stitches, working in rounds, determining gauge and taking measurements, weaving in ends, and last not but least how to correct mistakes. It's hard to find fault with a book where the author/editor seems to have gone through a lot of trouble to think of the smallest detail, like how to weave your ends in the best way to suit this technique. That gives the book a professional aura, and it's well deserved.Chapter 3 contains patterns to showcase the technique and its possibilities. Some of the patterns are truly gorgeous like the one on the cover. It is not a book that has a great many projects, but they are overall nice to look at and diverse. The patterns are : Collegiate Scarf, Lake Shore Wrap, Möbius Infinity Scarf, Brooke Beret, Buttoned Hat and Fingerless Mitts, Fan Shawl, Mothwing Scarf, Double Diamond Beanie, Snowflake Earflap Hat. As a whole, the patterns are competent achievements in design, none of them are too trivial to belong in this book.Chapter 4 is a Stitch Dictionary to serve for those inspired to design their own patterns. They are divided like this: Basic Knit-Purl Stitch Patterns, Cable Patterns, 2 x 2 Rib Variation Patterns, Lace Patterns, Entrelac, Patterns with Unbalanced Color Use, Colorwork, Bands and Braids. There are about 30 stitch pattern or so, but the different kinds and their diagrams really helps to see the possibilities for other stitch patterns.The book doesn't disappoint.

Easy to learn and use. The stitch is well described and the instructions easy to follow. Have only just been playing with the basic stitch, increases and about to try decreases, but I do not expect any problems learning the techniques. Vicki Twigg is brilliant, discovering something so basically simple through experimentation that no one else has apparently attempted. Kudos!