When I quit smoking I decided to learn how to knit to keep my hands busy. But I seem to have three left thumbs and all the rest are toes and so by age 55 I figured it was impossible for me to learn this mysterious craft. At first the video seems too elementary, but I actually needed every bit of her instructions. The video is very clear and concise, and the angle of the camera catches the needles, the yarn, and the stitches perfectly. Nici covers everything you need to know, like English and Continental ways to knit, gauges, increasing, decreasing, binding off, adding yarn, OMG, just everything a new knitter needs to know. I especially like ( and need) the "First Aid" section, which covers all possible mistakes that can be made, and not only how to recognize and identify which mistake you just made, but how to go back and fix it, with close ups of the yarn and positions of the needles and the stitches. It is not as scary as you might think!!

Though I haven't actually made anything yet since I bought this video ( about 2 weeks), I have been having fun practicing different things with different size needles and yarn, like gauges, and some actual stitch patterns, getting braver and braver. I think I might be ready to try a beginner or easy pattern to make an actual thing. If I make a mistake or drop a stitch ( worst case scenario) I know how to fix it.

If you're just starting out in knitting, and you hold your needles like chop sticks, and your "projects" end up as wads of knots, try this video! Knitting is not only a fun pastime, but also a practical one, and if you don't know how to do it and want to learn, this video can show you how.
Update 19 April 2017: You might not believe this but now I am a qualified spiffy knitter! I have made projects using cable stitches, entrelac, fair isle, lace stitches, and every other difficult level stitches I can find, and all because this dvd showed me that knitting is not the mysterious and difficult craft that I originally thought. ( thanks Nici !!). If there's anyone else out there ( besides me) who has seen beautifully knitted items and fantasized about being able to do it, thinking only nimble fingered rocket scientists could do it, please get this video. Knitting has proven to be the most pleasant pastime, and as an extra bonus, in addition to meeting many other really talented knitters in a knitters group, it also helped ( and continues to help) me quit smoking.

I'm a complete beginner and this DVD is incredibly helpful. Nici Beason did such an OUTSTANDING job of this video and you can't help but want to be her friend! She really pumps you up at each little step of knitting.
The lay out of the DVD is very well thought out and it's easy to repeat the scenes.
-Each segment is short and not overwhelming at all. On the screen, there is a small time scale so you can see how much further you have left of the segment.
-The stitches are separated into their own segments so you never have to take time to find where a certain task is.
-I love how Nici shares the beginner pit falls. How to tell if you just knitted or purled--it's easy with the information she gives!
-The binding sections makes is so simple.. I think that was my biggest fear.
-She allows you to chose English style or Conventional so you don't have to bother watching the one that doesn't suit you. I would suggest trying them both.

This DVD is just super fun. NOTHING is stopping you from knitting except the belief that you can't. You really CAN if you want to. This is a great DVD to use if you really want to make something handmade for yourself or a friend.

Yes, I too had difficulty playing the DVD on my PC and on my DVD player. I wrote to Ms. McNally and promptly received a new DVD that worked perfectly on my PC and DVD player.

Now, as far as other reviewers being 'truthful', I do notice that they did receive another copy that worked, and that they also raved about the content and presentation. Like them, I am a real knitter and had/have nothing to do with the creation of the DVD, nor do I even know the people behind the DVD. Furthermore, I would not make presumptions that because a product has many good reviews it must all be rigged by the authors of the product.

I also have copies of the Art of Knitting and Lori Knits. While they are interesting and good, they are not of the quality of the Complete Beginner's Guide to Knitting. First, the 'filmed' quality is superior and the close-up shots are clear. Also she covered many of the weird mistakes that can happen for a beginning knitter. I love that she shows how these mistakes occur so the beginner can be on the lookout for them. Finally, I have no problems with the pattern booklet. Why have them on the screen instead of in a booklet? I can take the booklet with me, but not the DVD!

I am a complete beginner and have NEVER knitted before. I learned step by step from this DVD fairly quickly. In the pic you can see the start of my very first scarf. Im so excited. Can't wait to keep learning even more and use the free patterns she offers. Highly recommend.

OMG! Using this DVD really helped my knitting take off! I am a complete beginner, who was at first intimidated by knitting, but this DVD is very clear, easy, and helpful beyond belief. It wasn't hard at all to follow along with each new step, and it would pause automatically after certain steps to let you catch up (working at your own pace), then you could continue when you were ready for the next step. DVD is also very easy to navigate and find different chapters to learn from. It showed different ways to cast on, how to hold your needles, knit and purl stitches, working with continental or english methods, introducing new yarn/color, binding off/casting off, etc. The instructor is very sweet and personable, and made it feel like I had my very own personal teacher helping me along in a friendly, fun, and very encouraging manner. I worked my first sample with cast on, knit and purl stitches, yarn color change, then cast off. It's not perfect, but it looks nice and I'm so proud of myself for making it, because to be honest, I didn't think I could even do as much as I did on my first try! I will keep using this DVD to practice and improve, and along with Kids Learn to Knit by Lucinda Guy (which had a much easier way to cast on for me to learn), I am finally entering the wonderful world of knitting and enjoying it. For the absolute basics of knitting, give this DVD a try, you won't regret it! ^^

Bob's Wife, Lillia~