Knitting

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Awesome Knit Animals from Around the World

by 11 Comments

knitted toy travelsI’m always a little jealous of crochet because there are so many great patterns for animals, food and other fun objects that we don’t seem to match in knitting.

While knit amigurumi isn’t as big a thing as the crocheted version, there are still a lot of really cute projects we can make, for kids and others in our lives who like a little sweetness.

Case in point: Knitted Toy Travels by Laura Long. The book has 15 adorable patterns for wild animals (most of them are on Ravelry) including a kangaroo and joey, hippo, parrot, monkey, tiger, panda, meerkats, giraffe, lion, zebra, polar bear and reindeer.

There’s also a pattern for Ed the Explorer (add yarn hair to make a girl if desired) and his clothes and gear for cold and warm weather.

This book is charming and includes a pull-out maps so you can see where each of your knit creatures comes from.

If you’d like this book to travel to your home, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, November 12. I’d love to know what your favorite wild animal is (mine is a leopard, but of those in the book, it would have to be meerkats).

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck.

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Comments

  3. I agree, there are more crochet patterns for animals than knit. I’ve been knitting for over 50 years, and can’t seem to master crochet no matter how many times my mother has tried to teach me! I think my favourite wild animal would be a monkey.

  6. I love so many animals, I’d never even try to name a favorite. Would I pick something cute, or powerful, or colorful? I’ll spare you the whole list and go with the Frill Necked Lizard, Which I now totally TOTALLY want to knit!

  7. My favourite is the tapir. I’ve just knitted a Malaysian tapir for my son and am really pleased with how it’s turned out!

  8. favorite wild animal – so hard to choose – a spotted leopard might be fun to try to knit… thanks for the giveaway

  10. Just got a new great grandson and want to knit some animals as I did for our first grandson all of which he will not part with

  11. I love most of the wild cats – the lynx is a particular favorite. Something about their ears that I can’t resist.

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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