While the title Never Too Old to Knit: Beautiful Basics for Baby Boomers suggests that this book is only for knitters "of a certain age," it's really a wonderful guide for anyone new to knitting or learning to knit again.
Featuring large illustrations and a wide variety of easy projects, this book is ideal for anyone wanting to learn to make timeless pieces (there's not an iPod cover or a laptop cozy to be found).
Step by Step
More than half of this book is devoted to teaching new knitters the basics of knitting and talking about why knitting is important in knitters' (particularly older knitters') lives.
The book opens with a top 10 list of reasons to take up knitting, many of which have to do with health benefits, from easing stress to calming arthritis pain.
It goes on to cover the basic supplies that are needed to begin knitting, as well as the basics of knitting, purling, ribbing, making a gauge swatch and more.
Detailed sections on blocking, finishing and making buttonholes ensure that knitters will have a reference for every detail that's needed to make every project in the book.
Both the illustrations and the text in this book are large to help older eyes, and the book is spiral bound so readers can spread it out and easily follow patterns. Every detail of this book was designed to make learning to knit a pleasure.
The Patterns
Never Too Old to Knit features 18 patterns, all made with different varieties of Lion Brand Yarn. It starts with the classic garter stitch scarf and move on to simple sweaters, baby booties, a tank top, a poncho, mittens and more.
There's not a huge amount of variety in the patterns (no handbags, for instance, and only three patterns for men) but the patterns that are included are nice wardrobe basics and easy gifts for babies that knitters of any age would enjoy.
They progress from simple flat pieces to simple shapes and a fun pair of socks, so a knitter working from this book will get a nice education in the basics of knitting skills.
The book also includes a stitch sampler and a quick lesson on making cables, so knitters can take what they have learned from the book and use different stitches to jazz up these or other basic patterns
