Why the Knitter’s Handy Books are a Farm Yarn’s Best Friends

Some knitters always use the yarn that the pattern calls for, down to the color shown in the picture. Others substitute yarns freely, which can have great results if the yarns are similar or disastrous results if they’re very different. Just like in matchmaking, the secret to a happy yarn-pattern pairing is honestly assessing the charms and challenges on both sides.

If you buy souvenir yarn or a precious skein or two from a wool market, how do you find what the perfect project? I’ve spent hours poring over a yarn’s specifications—yards per pound, wool type, percentage of other fibers—trying to figure out if the yarn I’d like to use is similar enough to the pattern’s original yarn. But what if there was another way? What if you could choose a yarn that sings to you and make a project that will definitely work?

There is: Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, and The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters.

Each book in the Knitter’s Handy Book series includes hundreds of patterns: calculations and plans for basic designs, broken out in different sizes and gauges, with suggestions for adding your own color and texture patterns. Here are a few reasons why they’re perfect for nonstandard yarns.

How It Works

Knit a generous gauge swatch with your special yarn. In my experience, the right size gauge swatch is twice as much as you think you need. Try a couple of needle sizes until you like the fabric you’re getting for the thing you want to make. Find your stitch gauge. (Most of the patterns in the Knitter’s Handy Books are flexible on row gauge.)

Determine the size of finished item you want to make.

Follow the directions for the gauge and project size you’ve chosen.

That’s it! So what makes them so great for farm yarn?

1. They include yardage estimates.

If you’re wondering whether you can eke out a scarf or just a hat and mittens from your special yarn, the Knitters Handy Book will give you a general range of how much yarn you can expect to use. (There’s a little wiggle room, but don’t push it. When it comes to adding cables and color patterns, proceed at your own risk.)

2. The patterns let the yarn sing.

If you have a special yarn with its own special texture, luster, spring, or color, it might be overwhelmed by a pattern with bells and whistles. A simple stockinette or texture pattern in a classic shape puts the focus on the one-of-a-kind yarn.

3. They are exquisitely flexible.

Instead of torturing your yarn with smaller needles, adding a stitch here and there, or looking for the one pattern that fits your gauge and comes in the sillhouette you want to make the math come out right, you can just choose the set of directions that corresponds with your gauge swatch. (The pattern size range for some sweaters is not as extensive as some of today’s standard sizing; the sweater patterns top out at a 54" finished chest measurement. Still, for accessories, the range of sizes from baby to large adult is ample.)

What’s your favorite go-to pattern for special farm yarns?

Ann Budd is a teacher, designer, and bestselling author of more than a dozen knitting books. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with a surprisingly small yarn stash. She has written about socks and other subjects for our sister publication, PieceWork.