Every so often, I like to pick up a rather complex reference book and learn all there is to know about a very specific topic. When I saw this book about yarn, I thought it would be perfect for me since I love to knit (and could definitely stand to learn more about choosing yarn for my projects.) Plus, since it was available as a digital book from my library's collection, I was able to download it and read on my Kindle for free!
Sadly, I found the book to be less informative than the title might suggest. This book is basically divided into three different sections: types of fiber used in making yarn; different methods of making yarn from those fibers; and a large section of patterns.
Although the sections on types of fibers and yarn production were informative, it really wasn't that spectacular (I felt like a large amount of the "fiber" content was stuff most beginning-knitter would already know.) Throughout the book, the author kept hinting at more in-depth discussions, but I felt she failed to deliver on those promises. It also seemed as though the majority of the book offered more insight into actual yarn production rather than how the finished yarn should best be used.
I was also a little disappointed in the selection of patterns. First, the patterns were arranged by the number of ply in the yarn; I would have found it more useful if the patterns were listed by material type or yarn weight rather than ply. I also found it odd that NONE of the patterns were appropriate for a man - not even the basic hat/scarf combo or uni-sex sweater that most knitting publications generally include.
Finally, I was also a little put-off by the number of simple typos I found within the text of this work (I noticed at least two instances where sentences didn't even begin with a capital letter (one of them being the word "i'm.") While I might accept and even expect that on a blog or online forum (I know I've made my share of mistakes - there are probably even some in this paragraph), I expect a little better from a published knitting book. If they can't remember to capitalize "I'm", I would be more than a little concerned about the accuracy of their actual knitting patterns!
