Japanese Stitches Unraveled: 160+ Stitch Patterns to Knit Top Down, Bottom Up, Back and Forth, and In the Round (Stitch Dictionary) Kindle Edition

There are FAR better Japanese stitch dictionaries but most of them are chart only and not translated into English. Though this book does give both English text & charts, so many of the stitches are simple/average stitches found in the majority of stitch dictionaries already published, not the complexity and beauty found in so many Japanese patterns. Each pattern is photographed from the same distance but most appear unblocked and the rib section patterns are mostly knit in a dark navy blue, harder to see the patterns and the lace section is knit in a light pink/beige that is hard to see the patterns. Speaking of sections - there are 5: 1) Knits and Purls; 2) Ribs; 3) Fancy & Twisted; 4) Cables and, 5) Lace. There are no “in the round” patterns, apart from finished items - a cap, mittens, cowl and maybe the sleeves for a cardigan and shrug. I liked that the Kindle price was so much less than the hard copy but it still wasn’t a value because I didn’t get any stitch patterns I didn’t already have...

I own the other stitch books by this author and love them; I was so excited for this one, I expected to love it too. I have many Japanese stitch books, but it can be difficult and time consuming working them out as they are just charted and I am not familiar with all of the symbols. I was hoping this book would be helpful, but I am quite disappointed. There are so many gorgeous Japanese stitches, yet the majority of the stitches in this book are ordinary, plain, and quite honestly, ugly. The swatches aren’t very inspiring either; a lot of the yarns chosen look to be the wrong weight or the swatches aren’t blocked perhaps - the stitch definition is just lacking. There are perhaps half a dozen stitches at most that I would consider using in a project - which makes the cost of this book not worth it. If you are looking for a Japanese stitch book, I recommend the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns by Hitomi Shida, translated by Gayle Roehm.

I just say ‘dido’ to ktj and Charles Clark reviews. My recommendation is “Japanese Knitting Stich Bible” by Hitomi Shida translated to English by Ms. Gayle Roehm. I have the original Japanese book + Ms. Roehm English version. Priceless!

This is a book that does not in any way live up to either it's name, or the blurbs on the back cover. There MAY be 5 or so stitches that i have not seen in Barbara Walker's Treasury of Stitches. There MAY be 4 stitches that were developed by japanese knitters. The nice thing is that the directions are both for flat and in the roud, and her "in the round" swatch techniques were pretty helpful. I am very dissapointed as what I thought i had ordered was a series of stitches and their makings from the MANY MANY wonderful stitches that japanese stitchers use. I will never buy another one of these without seeing it first.

If you are looking for some of the lovely intricate Japanese stitches, this is not it. Basic stitches that are in other books already in English. Very dissapointing and agree with others that the samples do not looked blocked. Almost feel like returning as it was that dissapointed in it.

This book contains interesting patterns in written form and charted form. I have not seen a lot of these patterns in any other pattern book I own. Also has some interesting projects you can knit. I think this may become my go to book for patterns.

This book has directions for flat and in the round which means no figuring out the conversion! Easy to read and all patterns are written out completely. You will love this book!

Image of text, can't reflow, be resized, searched or any other function one expects from an ebook.

This is fine as a general stitch dictionary and it has the great feature of covering both knitting flat and in the round for each stitch. But the range of stitches covered is rather mundane and includes hardly any of the intricate patterns I associate with Japanese stitches. Has the publisher just decided to add the word Japanese into the title to capitalise on the interest in Japanese knitting and more intricate knitting?

This was a lucky find, soo pleased I purchased it. Japanese knitting sounds really complicated, but worth it. The results are unbelievable. I love the fact that these stitches aren’t available in clothing shops - making my work unique. The instructions and charts are clear and easy to understand. Would suit people of all capabilities, highly recommended

The book is sturdy and has a comprehensive selection of stitch patterns. I can't wait to try one of the patterns, may try the cabled jumper or mittens.

Completely new field of work

I am very disappointed in this book. It is filled with normal Western stitches and is no different than other stitch books. The stitch patterns are illustrated in dark blue and grey and green and mustard and does not highlight the stitches at all but obscures them. The charts are also Western and not Japanese. This could have been a really special book using Japanese stitches and charts and then explaining how to read the charts, what to look for etc. so that we could knit from any book. I won't knit anything out of this book (very boring and bleh which is not what Japanese patterns are). I will keep it or give it away to someone who could use a Western stitch dictionary. Do not waste your money.