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.