The Shape of Knitting
By Lynne Barr
Gifted by Abrams Books
www.abramsbooks.com
Reviewed by Melissa Conner

Are you getting the urge to be creative with knitting?  Looking for fun ways to challenge yourself and maybe do some things out of your comfort zone to help improve your knitting skills?  With the help of The Shape of Knitting, you can create tons of unique and fun patterns that are anything but ordinary.

Broken down into four techniques, On and Off, Add and Subtract, Three-Dimensional Knitting, and Continuous Knitting, The Shape of Knitting provides a variety of ways to give your piece texture and dimension.  In the On and Off section, you'll learn about common (and not so common) ways to cast on and bind off your knitting projects.  With step by step photos and directions for each technique, author Lynne Barr makes it easy to master new and exciting ways to broden your knitting skills.

Once you've mastered casting on, binding off, and adding and subtracting stitches, you're ready to try one of the 20+ projects in The Shape of Knitting.  I love the High Profile Top pattern.  This top is a flattering empire-style garment, worked from the top of its funnel neck down to the bottom of the blouse.  You wouldn't know it by looking at it, but this top is worked seamlessly in the round, and the unique woven look on the bottom of the top is acheived by simply casting on and off stitches.

Overall I was completely blown away by the projects I found in The Shape of Knitting.  By mastering a few simple knitting techniques, you can create patterns that may look challenging, but were actually as easy as casting on an extra stitch.