Friday, June 26, 2015

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Increase, Decrease

Disclosure: Storey Publishing LLC sent a copy of Increase, Decrease to Lapdog Creations for review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Increase, Decrease: 99 Step-by-Step Methods

Find the Perfect Technique for Shaping Every Knitting Project

by Judith Durant

Spiral-Bound: 256 pages

Publisher: Storey Publishing LLC (May 19, 2015)


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Homemade vs Handmade - many crafters debate this on a daily basis.  It seems the term homemade gets a bad rap in the crafting community.  Some suggest that there is little value in homemade things, but great value in handmade.  Others talk about how they strive to ensure their creations look handmade, and not homemade.  

Regardless of whether or not you see anything substandard with the term homemade, we all know that the key to knitting beautiful pieces is in the details. Just as choosing one cast on or bind off over another can greatly change the look of your finished piece, so can the right increase or decrease technique.

Cast On, Bind Off, published three years ago, remains one of my go-to reference books to this day. The guide is indispensable, and one of the reasons I was so excited to learn of Storey Publishing's follow up, Increase, Decrease.

While nearly every knitting pattern calls for increases and decreases, many of them don't specify which of the many possible techniques to use.  "Increase 1" -- sure, but is that a M1?  Should I work into the front and back of the same stitch? While either option will render the same technical results - having one more stitch on your needles - they will not render the same visual appeal.  Different increases and decreases can greatly alter the look of your finished product.  After all, many were designed to improve the look of a finished pieces, so long as they are properly used with appropriate stitch patterns and shaping issues.

Whether you're just looking for the easiest, most effective way to increase or decrease, or if you want it to be a noticeable (or, in many cases, unnoticeable) design element, Increase, Decrease is where you'll find the answer! 

Judith Durant has assembled 99 methods for increasing and decreasing knitting stitches. Yes, that's right, 99 different methods! Who knew there were that many? I sure didn't, and I consider myself an experienced knitter.

Increase, Decrease is divided into three chapters, which are further divided into sections, making it extremely easy to find what you need:
  • Increase
    • Neutral Increases
    • Right and Left Leaning Increases
    • Multiple Stitch Increases
    • Centered Double Increases
  • Decrease
    • Single Decreases
    • Double Decreases
    • Multiple Stitch Decreases
  • Combinations & Special Circumstances
    • Increase and Decrease for Decorative Effect
    • Special Circumstances

Each technique includes step-by-step instructions with photos, as well as a swatch photo showing how the featured stitch looks, and best use suggestions.

Increase, Decrease is a spiral-bound 6" x 7" book, making it a handy reference guide that can be tossed in your knitting bag and taken anywhere you go. I really appreciate the spiral binding, which allows the open book to lie flat... which means I don't have to fuss to keep a book open while I'm trying to follow along with instructions! After all, we do need two hands to knit!  As an added "it's-going-to-be-thrown-in-a-lot-of-knitting-bags" think-ahead, the corners are rounded, helping to prevent sharp edges and tangles.

Grab yourself a copy of Increase, Decrease today (it's just twelve bucks through the Amazon link at the top of this post)... or better yet, grab two copies and gift one to a dear knitting friend!
 
About the Author: Judith Durant is the editor of the best-selling One-Skein Wonders series, which currently includes six volumes.  She is also the author of Knit One, Bead Too and co-author with Dorothy T. Ratigan of Knitting Know-How. Durant has been knitting for more than 50 years and has been writing and editing for 30 years. She currently lives in Lowell, Massachusetts.  You can learn more about Judith on her website.

GIVEAWAY!
How would you like to add a copy of Increase Decrease to your knitting bag... for free?!?!  Thanks to the folks over at Storey Publishing, we are giving away a copy to one lucky reader.  Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (the first entry is to answer a question in the comments on this post -- please be sure to click on the Rafflecopter to find out the question before posting your comment).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

AllyB said...

Hey Nic! I always struggle to remember which inc or dec is which. This looks like a good resource, esp if it is well illustrated. I also like that it's spiral bound.

Unknown said...

Love using different increases and decreases to create detail. If I am not lucky enough to win I am definitely getting this book!

Ruby said...

Okays, Ma's eyes just glassed over! BOL!!! She's got no skills at all!!! Okays, maybe that's not true...she can knit an afghan! okays, to tell the truth, it looked more like the state of Arizona! This is what I gots to live with....
Anyhu, sounds like a FABulous book! I hope someone without two left thumbs can make something really purty with it!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥

Sue said...

I knit a lot of toys, so I do a lot of shaping.This would be a very handy guide to refer to as I try to make my toys look as they should.

SissySees said...

It's been ... 13+ months since I thought about a knitting book. Rosanne would have been all over this one, and it's too tempting to ignore!

Donna said...

I would love to win a copy because I think it would be a great addition to my knitting reference library. I am always struggling with increases!

craftyone said...

I just started knitting and had to decrease and had to have help because i did not know how. i have not had to increase yet. so, this book would come in handy.

lennyg said...

My wife just took knitting back up!

lennyg said...

My wife just took knitting back up!

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