Book Review – 280 Japanese Lace Stitches

Embrace the Japanese concept of ma (negative space) with these delicate lace stitches.

280 Japanese Lace Stitches is a fun and informative resource for experienced knitters. This book is filled with a wonderful variety of beautiful, openwork stitch patterns, including leaf patterns, diamonds, circles and waves—perennial favorites that can be applied to every type of project, from sweaters to blankets. With full-color photos and expert explanations of the symbols and patterns, knitters can expand their knowledge of this elegant and classic style.

11 basic projects give you a chance to try some of these patterns right away. These gentle introductions include such accessories as:

A stripe-textured shawl
A short cowl
Handwarmers with a circle pattern
A versatile winter hat
And more!

Japanese knitting guru Gayle Roehm introduces the patterns and explains the ins and outs of Japanese knitting. A handy index allows you to search for patterns by number of steps and stitches required, so you can shop from the intricacy side of the menu. A section on how to knit the symbols takes you step-by-step through the stitches used in this book.

Next Pattern:

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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