The best thing is that you don’t need a pattern, so if you are on vacation and have too much spare time, then you can buy some yarn and needles and get going immediately. This useful primer teaches you what to buy, how to cast on, some basic knitting stitches, and how to knit the shapes and join them together in various ways. It takes some time doing all this, but I think that even a beginner could learn. The page ends are even color-coded so you can flip to the correct section easily -one of those little Search Press features that make these books so special. Learn, too, about color and design, choosing how many colors to look interesting but not too busy, and there is that color wheel again, drawn in a useful way. Try some optic effects, even knit with recycled fabric to be green, plan your design and find out about making necks, collars, pockets etc., as well as how to make sure your hat fits. Perhaps after all this preparation (you can almost hear the roll of drums as you turn to the fourth and final section) the projects are a bit disappointing. You need to have a baby to get the most use out of them, but I guess that if you have truly read, marked, learned and inwardly digested all the lessons, then you ought to be on your own now. My advice is to make a couple of the things to get a feel of it, though, as that is the best way to learn practical skills -by doing.  

The ideal book to get just before going on vacation if you already are, or want to be, a knitter.  

If you cannot find the materials in this book locally, try SearchPress.com for a list of suppliers.