Search - The Art Of Knitting (Leisure Arts #107454) on DVD

Hands Down.... I mean Hands UP Fantastic!

J. Kara Russell | Hollywood - the cinderblock Industrial cubicle | 10/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am an expert knitter/designer and I also teach. I really expected very little from this DVD. I got this DVD because I am most comfortable knitting "continental" style, and I HOPED to: 1) get a refresher on American style, 2) pick up some alternative beginner techniques, and 3) find alternative/clearer language to improve my teaching.

I found all this and MORE. This is a marvelous teaching tool that I would highly recommend to any begginning knitter, and I will recommend it to anyone taking a knitting class to augment the hands on teaching with additional info.

If hands on teaching is not available, this should do it... going alongside a teacher and a novice knitter - it's a great set up. For me, the begginning steps got a bit tedious, but I expected that - I would expect it to be very comforting to someone who is new to it, and just the right pace for a begginner.

My only tiny qualm with this video (if you watch ALL the sections) is a focus in two segments on Buddism. I expect this from the author of THE ZEN OF KNITTING, but it was repeated in a knitting circle segment that was heavily religious. This CAN be informative as to how a knitting group can become an affinity group for people of a religion, but... it's off-putting in a begginning knitter class.

DO watch the extra features, the ones on the making and dying of yarns are so informative, and the artist who talks about color theory has wonderful things to think about that will influence the way you combine color and think about your knitting.

Simply fantastic. GET IT, and Get knitting!"

Watch out for fake reviews

Avid Reader | Michigan, USA | 11/13/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Someone else pointed out that there were a lot of suspicious 5-star reviews for all the DVDs in this series. Sure enough, if you click on a good number of them, they have only reviewed this series and ohmigosh they just love each and every one of them!! What a pain. There are some authentic reviews of the DVDs, both positive and negative. I checked this DVD out from the library and I would say it's about average. Some good content, some just so so. Definitely one to see if you can get it from your local library first."

SIX Stars If I Could!!!

Black Suit | CA | 09/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Art of Knitting was great for a beginner knitter like myself. A few minutes after popping in the DVD I was on my way to knitting my first hat. The Knitting Library was great for help w/ terms and abbreviations and the jazz selection to knit by was wonderful. This DVD is a great introduction to the world of knitting and has a ton of exciting projects for beginner and advanced knitters alike. If you feel overwhelmed when looking at knit book instructions and illustrations then I would highly reccmmend this DVD because the knitting lessons with Jennifer makes you feel like you have your very own personal instructor. There's so much on this DVD you just have to see it for yourself, I know you'll love it too! I can easily see why this is the #1 knitting DVD on the market. Go and buy it!"

Great overview

Brez | San Jose, CA United States | 02/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a beginning knitter and I picked this DVD up from the library to help me with the visual aspects of more advanced stitches so that I could move beyond scarves. This is a very comprehensive DVD which starts in section 1 with the basics of casting on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. The DVD then moves on to consider common knitting abbreviations and the other stitches I was looking for. To me, as a beginnig knitter, the only downside to this DVD IS the beginning section. The instructor first teaches "casting on" using what I consider the most complicated method of casting on. Trying to watch a DVD on the TV while doing it up close with your own knitting needles, her explanations are confusing. I would have stopped there if I hadn't known how to do this already. She goes on later to cast-on using the easier method, but I'm not sure why she didn't intro this one first. Again, the only downside to this DVD is the first section, but this is a critical section for a true beginner. The instructor is unclear, and her "student" keeps pointing out how she's not sure what's she's doing, and as they work through it, the camera seems to focus more on them than it does on the stitching. Having said this, the rest of the DVD is better. The 2nd instructor goes through knit/purl again using both American style knitting and continental knitting (she's clearer in 2 minutes than the whole first seciton), then goes on to describes increasing/decreasing stitches with much clearer pictures. Also helpful: 1) a great description of the different types of yarn and how to use them for summer vs winter weight garments, and how to care for these garments, 2) a chiropractor who outlines proper body mechanics/stretching to prevent knitting related shoulder pain/carpal tunnel, 3) color value to aid with putting projects together, 4) index of knitting abbreviations, 4) a link to local knitting shops by state."