Grannies Inc guide to Knitting - review

Grannies Inc Guide to Knitting - Katie Mowat

Book Depository copy; Dublin City Public Libraries; I can't find it on Ravelry

0091943612 / 9780091943615

A pretty good guide to knitting, starting with some basic stuff on yarn, then the basics of knitting, mentioning both continental and English style of knitting, it starts teaching caston by the simple knit cast on and progresses to more complicated.  It is a whistle stop tour of knitting, without a huge amount of detail, but she does suggest using youtube to help.

The projects

Cable Beanie - a pretty straightforward cable hat, a good introduction to cables in a small project.

Baggie Beanie- a slouchy hat, ribbed at the bottom and then plain for the rest.

Snowflake Earflwpper, an earflap hat with some colourwork.

Bow Headband a pretty plain headband with a bow, using an elastic hairband at the end to help it stay on, which is clever

Berry Beret - a pretty lace pattern, probably a good introduction to lacework.

A super snood - a long snood.

Two-gauge garter scarf - using two sizes of needles to create tecture.

Diamond scarf - in a chunkier yarn than the berry beret but a similar stitch.  Chunky lace

Cosy Collar - a fairly tight-fitting cowl/neckwarmer

Lacy Cape, a rectangle with a button, knit in lace.

Utility Wrist Waarmers, ribbed wrist warmers with button details

Fingerless Gloves - worked flat fingerless gloves with a lace panel on the back of the hand.

Mittens knit in a chunky yarn with cables.

Dancing legwarmers in a chunky yarn

Slouch socks - need ribbons to hold these DK weight socks up, has a cable and lace detail down the front and are seamed up the back.

Wellie Socks in a chunky yarn, knit flat with a cable detail knit horizontally before knitting the socks from the cuff down.

Reusable shopper - knit in cotton yarn with a lacy stitch.

Argyll Bag - chunky knit simple bag

Laptop Cozy - intarsia pattern

iPod cover - with an intarsia pattern on the front

While the patterns are done in the Grannies Inc yarns they do suggest some substutions at the back of the book.

It's a fairly trendy book that would be good for a teenager or 20something to get into knitting, many of the patterns are quite straighforward and not bad, just not my type of pattern

Got a copy from Dublin City Public Libraries who pay my wages but aren't affiliated to my blog

Review of Learn to knit, love to knit

Book Depository; Dublin City Public Libraries; Ravelry

Learn to Knit, love to knit
Anna Wilkinson
With some clear diagrams on how to knit and 20 modern styled patterns this isn't a bad book, it's not my style, but if I was starting out the opening how-to photographs are worth it. I have similar patterns to any of the ones that attracted me elsewhere in my collection. The lack of schematics for the clothing is somewhat annoying, though there are fairly detailed lists of sizing info, including bust, length, and sleeve seam. Most patterns go up to 14 or 16 UK sizing (38-40 Inch or 97-102cm)

First section is learn to knit: First up is a striped scarf and mittens, with pompoms. Knit in superbulky weight yarn. Varying stripes that can be decided by the knitter.

Shopper with dropped stitch detail is not bad, knit in bulky weight yarn, a slightly complicated technique made easy by it not being crucial if you err.

Wristwarmers with contrast rib feature on the cover, knit in DK weight. the contrast colour is used for the cast-on as well.

His or hers bobble hats - bulky weight hat with pompom

Hand Puff and collar with embroidery, knit in a superbulky weight bouchle yarn. The embroidery produces a slightly tartan effect. Puff (or Muff as we used to call them before it became slightly rude) is also padded and lined.

Simple round neck sweater with raglan sleeves. This sort of simple jumper is crying out to be made in the round and the yoke done as one piece, but alas, it's made in pieces and seamed. Dk weight yarn.

The Cripped cardigan with cabled sleeves - I can hear some of my friends already mocking the bobbles in the pattern, round necked from the sizing on the models I'd be inclined to be very careful with sizing and probably make it much longer. Then again I dislike over-tight cardigans that gape. Knit in pieces, dk weight yarn

Lace collar with tie fastening, button detail to front, tie to back, an ornamental collar in laceweight yarn.

Lace top with bow, vertically striped sleeveless top made in mohair, with a bow.

Random Striped Sweater, horizontally striped raglan in dk weight, plain sleeves with contrast cuffs.
Second section is love to knit

College-style cardigan with patch pocket, knit in 4ply, with a textured stitch, if I was making this I'd make it bigger, longer, and I'd be really careful about the placement of the patch pocket.

The Shawl Collar Cardigan with floral embroidery is knit in a dk weight yarn, v-necked this one would tempt me, longer again, probably in the round the photographs have the intarsia/swiss darned/embroidered parts looking quite puckered, you'd need to be very careful with this one to make sure that the stretch when embroidering equals the stretch when wearing.

The Fair Isle Band Sweater with short sleeves I like the pattern but very boxy, knit in DK weight. Pieced.

Textured Cardigan with ribbed waist, knit in dk weuight this has no full-length photo near the pattern. it looks interesting but this is where I would like to see a schematic.

Fair Isle Rib tanktop, I assume this 4-ply tanktop comes to approximately the waist. for me this would be too short, I'd do another repeat of the pattern for extra length.

Cabled Tam and Snood, bobbly cables knit in a dk weight yarn.

Polka-dot socks. Polka dots added as french knots afterwards. These have ribbing at the back of the leg, which can be very good for folks like me with wide calves. The heel is knit plain, I'd do a slip stitch heel, but then again I live in boots.

Cabled Cardigan with short sleeves (and frilly collar) I like the main pattern of this one. the pattern includes instructions on making the buttons, this one could be very nice in a cotton yarn. At first glance I liked this one but the collar wouldn't suit me.

Tartan sweater with three-quarter length sleeves - knit in 4-ply this is and interesting design and one of the few I would think about knitting but then I looked at it again and I'd have to play with it to make it work right. Some day I may make a variation inspired by it. Ribbed portion of the side gusset helps make it more fitted.

Tweed cape - worked in a slip stitch in DK weight yarn, the shoulders look a bit funny to me in this and would definitely not flatter me.

Got a copy from Dublin City Public Libraries who pay my wages but aren't affiliated to my blog

Animal Hats - review

Book Depository, Dublin City Public Libraries; Ravelry
Animal Hats - Vaness Mooncie

Knit in chunky yarns these are entertaining, not sure if I'd wear many of them, your mileage may vary.

There are two schools of thought with animal hats, that they only belong on young children or that they're fun for all ages, if you think of them as the latter, this is the book for you.

The hats are done in two sizes, children's and adults, all bar two (Pig and Cat) with ear-flaps and mostly in chunky or aran weight yarns so a pretty quick knit.

First up is Chicken - beak and cox-comb included

Frog has two big stuffed eyes

The Penguin has a bow tie and buttons to tie up the wings.

The Elephant has a trunk, ivory and big ears

The monkey is the typical sock monkey style

The pig doesn't have ear-flaps but does have a curly tail.

The fox and also called Professor of Cunning is intarsia work

The lion has a loopy mane

The Mouse uses a variety of yarns to create texture

The Rabbit has big floppy ears

The cat uses bouclé wool to create texture

The Dog has an eye patch and floppy ears can be worn buttoned up

The Koala has big pom-pom ears

The Panda has button eyes.

The Cow has horns and friesian markings


There are also suggestions for lining the hat with either fleece or a knit lining.

The book closes with some basic how-to's

Got a copy from Dublin City Public Libraries who pay my wages but aren't affiliated to my blog

Mindless knitting

Sometimes you do want something complex, but there are also days where you want something complex and involved to knit, and then there are days when you want something mindless. But sometimes that mindlessness is almost mindful, almost meditative.  I'm doing the throw from the Knit & Stitch series and the first one is a garter stitch square, which is one of the simplest things, and also one mistake can be very obvious.

So far I'm happy with it (sitting on Ruth Frances Long's Treachery of Beautiful Things), while sipping some lemon & ginger tea.