Despite the fact that my daughter-in-law wants to learn how to knit, and I want to teach her, our schedules just don't seem to mesh so this can happen. I found this book at our public library and was so impressed with the simplicity of the instructions and the clarity of the images, i felt this was the perfect solution. When time permits, she can learn on her own. This volume has both the very basic information (tools, casting on, knit and purl stitches) and also progressively more complex stitches, colorwork, shaping and so forth. Because this book is so extensive, I bought two copies, one for her and one for me. Even though I've been knitting for 37 years and design my own work, there is more to learn. If you only purchase one "how to learn to knit" book, this is the best one.