Review: The Art of Circular Yokes - Kerry Bogert (editor)

Title: The Art of Circular Yokes
Author: Kerry Bogert (Editor)
Genre: Knitting Patterns
Rating: 4.5/5
# Patterns: 15
Skill Level: Intermediate

This is an awesome book! Extremely detailed and useful for knitters no matter if they want to try their hand at designing or not.

The first part is aimed at designers and knitters who need to modify yoked sweaters. Beware, you'll find maths. Loads and loads and LOADS of maths! All very clearly laid out, and with good examples that makes it easier to understand, but you'll definitely want to follow along with paper and pencil next to the book, as you enter in your own measurements. These are NOT formulas you should ever expect to be able to learn off by heart, but it is a brilliant reference guide, and absolutely indispensable for figuring out where and how to include your increase rows.

But don't worry! Just as it all starts to become too much, and your head starts spinning from all the numbers and formulas, you get to the carrot at the end of the maths - because the second (and larger) part is all about the patterns! 15 absolutely gorgeous pullovers and cardigans, ready to be swatched for and cast on. The patterns are clearly written, with nice, large charts and photos both of the details and of the full length garment. I've found at least 5 I want to cast on right away, and can't wait to go stash-diving for yarn for them.

Sprinkled out throughout the book are quotes from the various designers, with small insights into the specific designs themselves, or their approach to designing in general.

Review: Knitting Modular Shawls

Title: Knitting Modular Shawls, Wraps and Stoles
Author: Melissa Leapman
Craft: Knitting Patterns
Rating: 5/5
# Patterns: 20+
Skill Level: Intermediate / Advanced

This book is more than a pattern book - it is a recipe book. In addition to providing 20 gorgeous shawl patterns, it also provides instructions for a "Choose Your Own Adventure" approach to designing your own shawls, with a LOT of increasingly elaborate stitch patterns (I was going to give an exact number, but there were too many, and I lost track while counting). I've been a knitter for awhile, and still some of them were completely new to me. My fingers are itching right now to sit down and play around with the components to create a truly personal shawl.

All stitch patterns are given as both charts and written instructions, with clear photos of each, knit up in a light yarn that really shows off the stitch definition. There is a HUGE variety in the stitch patterns, so it's obvious that Melissa Leapman put a lot of thought and work into this collection - it's definitely not something she could just have phoned in. I'm especially impressed by the section on adding horizontal or vertical insertions to shawl designs - a very simple design-element that few patterns incorporate, but which is extremely effective and really makes your shawl stand out. As for the section on borders, I'm biased - I absolutely love a nice perpendicular border, and Melissa has some amazing ones to try out here.

Photographs of the 20 patterns provided are spread out throughout the book. Each shawl is beautifully modeled, and shows wingspan, a close-up and a glamour shot for the full effect of the shawl. Project #10 is my personal favourite, and I can't wait to cast it on!

I know I'm gushing, but I'm really impressed by this book, and can't think of anything I'd add or change to make it better. It's not aimed at beginners, as it does require you to have some previous knowledge of knitting shawls, but I'd definitely recommend this book to any semi-experienced knitter who wants to take the next step towards creating his or her own designs.

WIP - November Edition

I was going to post this last week and completely forgot! It's been aaaaaages since I did one of these posts last, so no surprise, I've got a LOT of things to show off :-D

Off the Needles
First is my Summer Sunset. I finished this back in August and absolutely love it. The yarn is a cotton-acrylic blend, meaning it's actually cool enough to wear during the summer. I wouldn't have minded if it had been just a taaaaaad longer, but at the time I was afraid that the orange would get too overwhelming, as the orange section would have been a lot longer than the others. I think it would have been alright, but never mind. It's long enough that I don't mind too much.
A ton of my friends have had babies recently, so I've been crocheting a bunch of stuffed animals. They tend to be quite fiddly, but always turn out to be worth it :-D
One of my nieces has turned into a huge fan of the TV show Friends (which I find kinda amusing, considering how dated it is by now), so as a surprise, I decided to make her a Friends hat!! I used the Hamilton hat as a template, and replaced the Hamilton quotes with Friends quotes instead ("She's her lobster", "Pivot", "London Baby" etc.). I'm ridiculously chuffed with how it turned out, and just hope she'll like it too!
And finally I've finished a test-knit of yet another sweater. I didn't really have time for more obligation knitting, but I loved this pattern so much, that I just had to knit it! I'm glad I did too. It was a bit of a struggle to finish on time, but it's quickly become one of my most worn pieces! There were a bunch of mods I've have done if it hadn't been a test knit (most noticeably - added a bit of length and changed it to be knit in the round!!!), but even as-is it's a great layering piece.
On the Needles
At the moment I'm mostly knitting socks. They're a tad boring to show off though, so I'll leave them for when they become finished objects.

I have returned to working a bit on the Phoenix blanket though, and have managed an entire additional section. So I've know finished 7 out of 11 sections. Hope I'll have enough yarn to complete them all, but fortunately I can basically just add a border whenever and call it done. The colour selection is determined 100% by whatever yarn I had available in stash and I would never have chosen them if I'd gone shopping for the blanket... but they somehow just work and I'm really happy with how it's coming along. It's going to be huge though! It's already about 120cm across!

Review: Knit the Sky

Title: Knit the Sky
Author: Lea Redmond
Craft: Knitting Patterns
Rating: 4/5
# Patterns: 31
Skill Level: Beginner

I received this ebook from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This is not your usual book of knitting patterns. Instead it is a book of ideas. Ideas of how to turn everyday events into knitting projects, and begin seeing both those events and your knitting in a new light.

"Knit the Sky" lists 31 project ideas as well as inspiration on how to invent your own project. It does list 12 basic patterns to help you get started with the projects, but also encourages you to branch out, and use whatever pattern you feel best fits the spirit of the project.

I loved the idea of knitting your everyday life and was quickly taken in by the concept, so even though some of the ideas were a tad too twee for me to tackle, or followed a path that wasn't relevant for me to follow, I walked away from the book with a great appreciation of what Lea Redmond was trying to do... Not to mention a great desire to try (or to have tried, if I had known of them in the past) some of the projects mentioned.

For instance the title concept of knitting the sky. Similar to the well-known project of knitting a temperature scarf, this is a year-long project of knitting the colour of the sky.

Other favourites include:
"Sweet Possibilities" where you use gumball machines to help you chose colours for a project (although I might use coloured marbles instead - not being a huge fan of gumballs).
"The Mood Ring Cowl", that has to fit the colours of the cowl to your mood.
"Monsters under Your Bed", where your inner insomniac comes out to play.
"Play By Play" that allows me to combine my husbands interest of soccer with my own knitting hobby.
"Navigating By Heart" where you knit a well-traveled road.
"K1 B1", that combines meditation and knitting
"Mind the Gap" - although that really only works in a city with lots of public transportation. Copenhagen has that though, and I'm kinda itching to get started on this!
"Pins and Needles" where you knit a teeny-tiny project!
"Dormitory Hop" - probably my very favourite of the lot, and I would have loved to have thought of this back at boarding school. Not a project that's relevant for me to do now, but one that I'd recommend to any knitter setting out to meet new friends.
"Party Popper", which is a fun idea for passing on yarn to others.

So that's easily a third of all the projects mentioned, that I'd like to try out for myself. Definitely good value for a knitting book :)

Review: Anyone Can Crochet Amigurumi Animals

Title: Anyone Can Crochet Amigurumi Animals
Author: Kristi Simpson
Genre: crochet patterns
Number of Patterns: 15
Skill level: Adventurous beginner / Intermediate
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 128

"Anyone Can Crochet Amigurumi Animals" is a new collection of 15 cute anthropomorphized amigurumi animals. From foxes and hippos to koalas and giraffes, the pattern collection has something to offer to just about anybody. I'm especially keen on trying out the bee myself... a bee in trousers with suspenders? What's not to like!

All the patterns have a ton of details, making them perhaps a bit time-consuming and fiddly to make, but the end project is so worth it, as they all look really, really cute.

Each pattern comes with a detailed introduction of yarn used, and expected size at the given gauge, and the instructions are very clear and with lots of photos along the way. I'd perhaps not recommend it to a complete beginner, as there are a LOT of details to each pattern, but the book includes an introduction of which yarn to choose and what hook to use, as well as a complete glossary with all the stitches to use, and tips and tricks for people new to amigurumi, so who knows - these cute animals may be just the push some people need, to get started crocheting toys.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

WIP Wednesday - July Edition

Off the Needles Henriette's vest has been finished for AGES, but it suits her SO WELL that I want to show it off again :-D After 27 long weeks (hey, it was a CAL!) I finished the crocheted afghan a few weeks ago. It's been too hot to really appreciate it, but I do like the way it turned out. It'll come in VERY handy in a few months' time! I LOVE the yarn I used for it - it's a simple acrylic, but SO soft, and very affordable! - but unfortunately I got it off a British website, so thanks to Brexit, it's really expensive for me to get more of it :-( I'll have to see if I can find a suitable alternative here in Denmark... or just stock up when I get to go to the UK next! Even though I already have two sweaters for myself on the needles, I cast on something new for myself ;-) I do have an excuse though - both sweaters were pure wool, and we've been going through a heatwave, so it was much too hot to even contemplate picking up either of those. Instead I cast on a cotton-acrylic top for myself, and loved the project so much that I finished it in just a few weeks!!! I'm rarely this monogamous, but sometimes you just find exactly the right project at exactly the right time - and so it was for me with this one! Kris asked if I would make some critters for her granddaughter, and of course I said yes right away! I love crafting for others, and stuffed toys are so cute! I've finished 3 so far, and have one more I'm still making up my mind on. I've also finished another African flower animal - a turtle this time. I've LOVED all three hippos I've made, so I was eager to try one of her other patterns, but unfortunately this one wasn't as fun to make. It's just... not as cute, somehow? And a LOT more of a hassle to make! I originally intended it for a babygift for one of my friends, but it turned out way too large, so I think it'll just go into my gift pile instead. I'm sure I'll find a good use for it. On the Needles No fewer than THREE friends of mine are pregnant and due this September, so I've been knitting and crocheting lots and lots of baby stuff! -- Two Baby Surprise Jackets that are completely done but for the buttons. I found a new way of doing the seaming which was SO much easier, and added an icord edging, which I think gives it  lovely polished look. I adore this pattern, have made 5 of them already and foresee making many more. It is basically my go-to project. -- A baby mobile still in the works. My friend originally bought this to make herself, but quickly realized that it was somewhat beyond her abilities and asked me if I would do it as a favour! Eh... duh!!! I was totally chuffed she even asked!!! -- Three stuffed toys still on the drawing board - I need to get a move on!

WIP Wednesday - April Edition

Off the Needles I actually finished the crocheted koala the very next day after my last update! It turned out really cute, I think. Haven't yet found a recipient for it, but that'll come. Henriette's vest is finished-finished, but not finished-finished-finished. That is, I've finished the knitting and blocked it, so I'm going to count it here. I still have to sew in the buttons. Henriette brought it home with her, as she wanted to check if her mother had some buttons that might work. It turned out REALLY well, and fortunately fits her perfectly. I'm going to take some modeled photos with her once the buttons are on, but couldn't wait that long to show it off :-D On the Needles My oldest niece inspired me to knit another sweater, so I've cast on for the Almond Tee. It has SUCH an interesting constructions as you knit each shoulder separately, and join them together with a 3 needle bind-off in the back! I've joined it in the round now, so the rest should be fairly straight forward. I'm still working on the CAL afghan. We're 15 squares in now (the clue for the 16th coming today!) out of a total of 25 + border. I'm still really enjoying it and love the yarn! It's acrylic, but it's the softest acrylic I've come across in a long time. Working on the CAL inspired me to start another crocheted afghan (as I got impatient waiting for the next clue all the time), so I started the Phoenix blanket which I've wanted to make for quite awhile. I'm using yarn from stash, so was a bit limited in my colour selection, but actually think it works quite well in all its randomness. And it's SUCH a fun project! Each round takes forever now, and it probably won't be too much longer till the weather grows too warm for me to work on it, but it's already at a decent enough size for me to use as a lap blanket during my morning devotion each day :-D

WIP Wednesday - February

Only one month since my last update :-D Still time enough for plenty of new things to have come off my needles. But first - my few works in progress...

On the Needles
This weekend I signed up for my first test crochet. I just couldn't help myself when I saw the adorable aragumi koala ready for testing! It's VERY fiddly though, so more slow going than I had expected it to be. I'm about half way, having finished the body, the head and one arm. I still have one arm, both ears, the snout and all the detailing left to go. The deadline is this Sunday, which should be managable.

I've finished the first 7 clues for the CAL Afghan (the 8th clue only came out today, so I'm right on track!). I'm really enjoying working on the squares. It's fun to challenge myself with more complicated crochet stitches, and I absolutely LOVE the yarn! Amazingly soft for something that's 100% acrylic! I can definitely see myself just getting a large stash of this in various colours as it's really yummy to work with.

... and that it, I think. I've also been working a bit on Henriette's vest and the shawl for Nina, but not enough to be worth showing off.

Off the Needles
I finished the owl embroidery! It's really, really cute, and has made its way over to Nina to be turned into a cushion whenever she has the time for it. It will have a place of honour in my library :-D

The wife of one of my dear friends at work is having a baby soon, so as he was going into total isolation, I decided I'd better make him something quick. Stacey Trock to the rescue, and soon another of her adorable aliens jumped off my hook. I really love the version of Zork!

And finally, I finished my Veneto Sweater!!! I love, love, LOVE how it turned out! So much, in fact, that I have yet to block it, as I kept wanting to wear it! Really need to get that done soon though, as it's sliiiiightly too short in both body and sleeves, and I want to see if it blocks out, or if I have to add a bit of length. I've got plenty of yarn left fortunately, so that part is not a problem.

WIP Wednesday - January Edition

Time flies and suddenly it's been MORE THAN THREE MONTHS since I did one of these last!!! Woah.... Granted, I haven't actually been crafting all that much recently (I've rediscovered my love of doing jigsaw puzzles :-D ), but still have managed to finish quite a few things and have MORE than a few things on the needles :-) Off the Needles I started the Fiesta Mandala Square during the last lockdown as I needed something challenging. It served the purpose nicely, and I learned a lot of new crochet terms. I have NO idea what to do with the finished object though, as it's not really useful for anything. Too bumpy to be a doily, wrong kind of yarn to expand into a blanket, too large to be a pillowcase :-P Ah well, sometimes it definitely is the process rather than the product that matters.

Our neighbours had a baby girl this past November, so obviously I had to make something for her. I loved the Zork I made for Nora (every girl needs an alien), so decided on another of those :-D It flew off the hook and was finished in no time.

Nina had asked me to add a bit of neckline to the Santa Plum cardigan, as it was too wide, so I got it back in October and added 2-3 cm of garter to the neckline - decreasing a bit along the way to draw it in some. She was supposed to try it on before I cast off when they came over for Christmas, but COVID happened, so we had to ship off the presents instead - meaning I found myself one morning rushing to cast off all the stitches before work, so Mum could come pick it up and add to the parcel.

Nina told me that Christian keeps stealing the hat I knit for Jordan last winter, and asked me if I'd knit one for him as well. Of course I said yes! (See above re. being knitworthy). So this is my third time using my own design as a baseline and adding new patterns to the colourwork! It is such a quick knit - I cast on Sunday and cast off yesterday!

On the Needles My Veneto Sweater is STILL on the needles. I could have finished it several times over, but keep getting sidetracked by other projects. Really silly as I can't WAIT to finish it, and am only missing 1.5 sleeves! Could finish in about a week if I stuck to it :-P I'm really loving how it's turning out!

One of the things I've gotten sidetracked by is a vest for Henriette. It's the most amazingly soft yarn ever, so even though the vest has tons and tons of cables (each row takes me about 15 minutes) I'm really enjoying working on it! The pattern was originally written to be knit in pieces, but that seemed silly, so I adapted it to knit in one piece instead. Took a bit of yarn management when I got to the pockets, but I made it work :-D

Mum and dad got me a cross-stitch kit for Christmas. I used to do HEAPS of cross-stitch, but gave it up 10-12 years ago as it's really not very useful. However, I stumbled across this kit for a pillowcase with owls over the summer and could not stop thinking about it! I'd already decided that if I didn't get it for Christmas, I'd go out and purchase it myself, so was VERY chuffed to unwrap it :-D I started pretty much right away, and have been working diligently at it. Each owl background takes me 2-3 hours, but I'm finally almost done and can soon move on to the detailing. I'd forgotten how much I love doing embroidery! May have to pick up some of my old kits again, even if it does take time away from my other crafting.

Awhile back I came across some gorgeous yarn that just screamed "Nina!" at me. It took awhile for us to find the perfect pattern for it, but with the fiesta square under my belt I finally felt ready to tackle a crochet shawl, and got started this past weekend.

Finally, Liz and I decided to join a CAL (Crochet-A-Long) together. It's a design for an afghan made up of 25 squares, with one square being published each week. The pattern for the third square will be made available later today, and I'm really enjoying working on it. The yarn is just cheap acrylic, but surprisingly good quality - really yummy to work with and SO soft! Can't wait to see the finished project.