I Can't Believe I'm Entrelac Knitting Book Review

I Can't Believe I'm Entrelac Knitting
Gifted by: Leisure Arts
www.leisurearts.com
Reviewed by Janice Ogata for AllFreeKnitting.com

Entrelac knitting has a really interesting appearance. If you look at it from a distance it looks like a collection of rectangles and triangles that have been knit individually, and then pieced together. The beauty of entrelac is they were all knit in one piece. Each "row" as we are used to calling our knitted work is called a "tier." Each "tier" leans in different directions. If you are up for the challenge entrelac knitting will advance your basic skills.
 

While making the first row of triangles you will learn how to slip one as if to knit, and slip one as if to purl. It might feel a little strange at first, because you keep turning your work with each group of live stitches you are knitting.
 

If you've done short rows before the concept of entrelac will come easy to you. A short row is a way of knitting part of a row, then turning and knitting back, before reaching the end of the row. The first example in I Can't Believe I'm Entrelac Knitting has you cast on 48 stitches, (the number needs to be divisible by 8) at the end of your first "tier" you will have 6 triangles, a half triangle, and 6 rectangles.
 

The great thing is if you get stuck and need assistance you can watch videos on the Leisure Arts Brand website. There is a code inside the book that will take you to the specific video you need. There are 9 different videos to watch, which include:  how to entrelac knit, how to knit backwards, slip 1 as if to knit, slip 1 as if to purl, increase, slip slip knit, purl 2 together, picking up stitches purlwise, and how to pick up stitches at the end of a row.
 

This book is filled with many informative and beautiful photographs, Marlaina "Marly" Bird has taken the time to show a lot of step-by-step instructions, so if you are apprehensive, just dive right in. You'll amaze yourself, and your family and friends with the beautiful patterns in the book. You can even choose some pretty variegated yarn to work with if you don't want to change colors with every new tier. I consider myself an advanced beginner, and I gave this book a try. It's a fun new technique you can add to your knitting repertoire.