Welcome to my first book review of the year! This month I will be reviewing
Charts Made Simple: Understanding Knitting Charts Visually by JC Briar. I got this book on the recommendation of an instructor at lace knitting class on Craftsy.com. I wanted to get more information about using charts as many patterns I have found use them and I am particpating in several lace KALs this month. I was able to purchase the book on
Amazon.com as my local book store has a very sad knitting section.
The book is very short and quick reading which is perfect when you really want to get knitting lol. Even though it is fairly short, it is BIG on information. It presents the information in short chunks which works perfect for learning one new chart reading skill at a time. This prevents the overwhelming collection of circles hash marks, and odd shaped technical looking figures from becoming a giant monster you want to hide under the table from. Instead, I felt like I had a very nice and patient private instructor at my side. Each section talks you though different types of charts from lace to cables and goes over how to read, follow, and make them. At the end of each section there are even practical exercises you can complete to make sure you have grasped that section before moving on.
Overall this book is great! I would highly recommend it to any knitter as most patterns have some charting in them. The price was reasonable with a $17.95 msrp. My only flaw was that it is not available digitally as I would love to carry it everywhere with me. It is thin enough to slip in my purse, but with my kindle already there it would be great to have this reference tool uploaded there to save room.
