[.ca] The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques (ISBN 156477452X)

Worth its weight in Koigu PPPM!:
As a self-taught knitter, I can attest that no other book (including beginner books) explains the most popular/useful finishing techniques more clearly. The methods are well illustrated with technical drawings, and the end result of each technique is shown in a photo. Each technique has a "Benefits" and "Drawbacks" section which describes when best to use that particular method. Wiseman's constant admonitions to do things correctly or else the piece will be ruined are a bit tiresome, but there is so much useful information in this book that this is merely a minor annoyance.

Correcting a statement in abt1950's review:
The reviewer states "I wish that Wiseman had included some material on blocking as well". Ms Wiseman provides over 2 pages of information on blocking. This book is terrific for most knitters out there. Maybe professionals might find this too basic, but anyone else can definitely use it. In online knitting forums people are always asking for the best recommendations for reference books. Inevitably, the answers contain Vogue, Wiseman and Righetti. This books contains some of the best pictures and info about pros and cons of each technique. It is a must-have for any knitting library.

Basic for some; just right for others:
The way a garment is finished is often what distinguishes a professional-looking product from one that looks "hand made" in the bad sense of the term. You can find information on finishing techniques in most knitting references, but you have to wade through lots of other material to find it. This book focuses only on finishing and provides multiple options for many of the basic aspects of construction--from casting on to binding off and beyond. The illustrations are clear and the author let you know the pluses and minuses of each technique. Much of this information may seem basic to expert knitters, but it's knowledge that many knitters acquire through trial and error (with the emphasis on error). It's nice to have the options listed in one place, even if the pros & cons lists get repetitive. I wish that Wiseman had included some material on blocking as well, but that information is available elsewhere. Even so, this is a nice little book, small enough to be carried around with your projects, but big enough to be easily read.

not bad:
This is a good "knitting bag" guide to finishing. It has all the basics and a few extras but doesn't stray far from the standards. I would have loved to see more information on seaming. The basics are there but it would have been great to have a few more pictures and see some of the other variations that can crop up. The author does not seem to approve of circular knitting and some of her 'cons' for this style don't make sense but that is a small part of the book. Over all this is a handy book to have in the knitting bag not on the shelf.

As necessary at the pattern itself.:
I find myself using this book at least once for every garment I knit. I keep it with my current knitting project. This book gives you several different methods of the different techniques you encounter while knitting a garment - casting on, increasing, decreasing, seaming, etc.. It also gives you the pros and cons of eash different method (i.e. long-tail versus cable cast-on). The illustrations and explanations are extremely helpful. If you have room in your knitting bag, I highly suggest this book.