Book Review: 100 Knitted Tiles

March 16, 2024 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

If you love to knit different kinds of patterned blocks, you will love 100 Knitted Tiles edited by Sarah Callard. This book features charts and patterns with designs inspired by ceramic tiles from around the world, most of which are colorwork but there are also cables, lace and other textured patterns as well.

The blocks are from a range of designers and use different skills. Many of them require reading a chart to work the design. You’ll find a lot of different knitting skills in these pages, including knit and purl designs, cables, lace, mosaic, stranded knitting, intarsia, modular designs, even a circle worked from the center out (some squares are worked from the center out as well).

It’s hard for me to describe the patterns because there’s such a variety and the designs are often more geometric more than graphic. You can see quite a few of the designs on the cover above or at the publisher’s website. (As of this writing they are not on Ravelry.) But with such a wide variety there are sure to be some that interest you, whether you like making projects with blocks or you just want to play with some new techniques.

All of the samples are shown knit in a fingering/sock yarn (Scheepjes Metropolis), but of course you can try different yarn weights if you want your blocks to be bigger for whatever project you’re using them for. The designs are not consistent is size so you’ll have to put some thought into which ones can be used together in a project or how you might alter the designs to make them match up.

The patterns also don’t list a skill level, though most of them are fine for advanced beginner to intermediate knitters comfortable reading charts and knitting cables, lace and colorwork. Some of the designs are more complex (like Trelliage by Jacqui Gouldblourn, a diamond cable trellis pattern that’s written out as well as being charted).

In addition to the tile knitting patterns there are five projects to give readers some ideas for how to use the tiles. There’s a bag made of eight matching motif squares, a cushion with nine patches, a throw that mixes seven different patterns in its 49 tiles, a needle case made from four tiles and a cushion knit from 16 squares (8 each in two different colors). While there’s not a lot of mix and match of patterns within each project, you could always change up the tiles you use for your projects or go for a more patchwork look.

If you’re the type to be inspired by stitch dictionaries and can come up with ways to use these designs on your own I think you’ll have a lot of fun with 100 Knitted Tiles.

About the book: 160 pages, paperback, 100 tile patterns and five projects. Published 2024 by David & Charles, suggested retail price $24.99.

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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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