To me, learning a new knitting technique requires good instructions and a calm atmosphere. I get easily annoyed when I do not figure out what the description indicate, especially if I have to try (and retry!) several times. Good photos are always helpful as is detailed descriptions. I have lately worked with old patterns and they often have neither a close-up photo or very detailed descriptions… Another thing I have discovered is that when I finally figure out how it goes, if I do not use it in a while I have totally forgotten it. So I have started to write up some of the patterns with my own words together with a test sample. Now I use it for inspiration as well as I will continue to make the sampler book bigger!
My Knitting Almanac 