Welcome, to new friends coming from the Storey Publishing book tour! It is my pleasure to be part of the tour and to introduce you to a fabulous new knitting reference book, "Cast On, Bind Off" by Leslie Ann Bestor.

Excerpted from Cast On, Bind Off © Leslie Ann Bestor, photography © John Polak used with permission from Storey Publishing
As I was reading through Cast On, Bind Off, I was thrilled to see the first section of "Basic Cast Ons" and a clear picture of nine great basics. A knitter who knows a few good cast on techniques will have the knowledge needed to make the right choice when starting a project. This page offers a varied list of the techniques a knitter can easily learn for the first step of a project.

Excerpted from Cast On, Bind Off © Leslie Ann Bestor, photography © John Polak used with permission from Storey Publishing
Each technique has its own page, which lists the characteristics and uses, along with a clear series of pictures and easy to follow instructions. A big plus is the spiral binding, which means the book will stay open (halleluiah!) while you try your hand learning a new cast on.

I've taken the book along when knitting in public and friends have been able to learn their desired cast on (or bind off) by following the instructions laid out on the page.
This little book puts at a knitters fingertips, the necessary tools to make an informed choice. When knitting a sock you might try a cast on with a little stretch, like the Old Norwegian, or when starting a sweater, a clean, stable edge may be desirable and the Cable Cast on will fit the bill. Cast On, Bind Off is a great compilation of techniques that will help any knitter make the first step a perfect beginning.
I'm keeping my copy, because there are many new to me techniques I'd like to learn, but you can win a copy from Storey Publishing by answering a question in the comments:
How many of the cast on techniques listed on the page pictured above do you know and use?
I'll pick a ramdon winner on Friday July 13th (a great day, don't you think?) and announce the winner sometime over the weekend. Thank you for stopping by!
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