Knitting Book Review: Knockout Knits
An abundance of knitted luxuries--summery lace shawls, warm and wooly hats, a trio of cool knitted bracelets, and stunning beaded gloves--designed to grow your skills.
Who doesn't love to knit accessories? They're fast, often require only a skein or two of yarn, and make amazingly versatile gifts for friends and family. Small knits are also the perfect way to try something new--an unusual stitch pattern, wild multi-colored yarn, or even a touch of sparkle. Laura Nelkin is well-known for designing these fun-to-knit little projects introducing her students and fans to advanced techniques with her signature "You can do it!" enthusiasm. In her first book, she share her 3 favorite types of knitting using wrapped stitches, lacework, and beads. Each chapter begins with a quick knitted cuff to lay the foundations, then gradually ramps up to more complicated designs. The result is an all-new collection of wearable, feminine knits with a slightly rustic aesthetic. Give them as gifts, stockpile for a chilly day, or dress up a casual outfit--these are knockout projects to enjoy knitting again and again.
So, knitting and I usually do not get along too well. Even so, I was drawn to trying Knockout Knits and seeing if maybe, just maybe and could get me past my knitting problems and help me to enjoy what I was making.
While I was hoping that some of the projects would be more geared towards a novice, such as I am, I would say that there are definitely some patterns, like the one I'm doing, that would be workable for inexperienced knitters. The biggest problem I faced going into Knockout Knits was not knowing, beyond knits and pearls, what the stitches were and how to make it happen. The most I've ever done in the past with knitting is the knit/pearl scarf. Yeah, I was that inexperienced going in. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from one of my sisters who took the time to demonstrate the various stitches, name all but the actual knits, that I was unfamiliar with. Between her instruction and youtube videos, we were finally on the way. Although, I do bet those who are more familiar with knitting and the lingo well have an easier time...
My first hope was to have finished one of the projects within the book to go along with this review, but, slow knitter that I am, it's going to take me some time to finish the cloche hat I'm currently knitting. If I hadn't been in need of much help to understand the new-to-me stitches, I think this is one that could have been finished in maybe a week or less by a faster knitter. So, if you want to follow my progress visit me on Instagram and Tumblr where I'll be posting pictures of the work in progress.
Now that you've heard my thoughts on being a novice tackling a more advanced knitting book, let's talk about all the pretty projects one could take on.
Knockout Knits, while not the type of book I usually feature here on the blog was interesting and filled with some pretty pattern designs for knitting. One of the things I actually liked the most about this book would have to be that most of the projects were not just nice looking but they also looked pretty practical, especially with the cold creeping in. From hats to scarves, arm-warmers and little bracelet things, I'm sure that should you decide to pic this one up you'll find an interesting project to take on.
One of the bonuses about Knockout Knits is that there's a more detailed instruction for some of the stitches and different ways to cast on in the back of the book. As one who was quite confused when the the directions mentioned doing "m1R and circular casting on" it was definitely useful.
Final Verdict: Knockout Knits- This may be the knitting book that's going to change my mind on knitting-from the bad to good. Beautiful, fun projects that are enjoyable to take on.
Knockout Knits earns
This book was received from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
Comments
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated! Let's keep it clean, y'all!