Book Review: 60 Quick Cotton Knits

For those of us who are heading into summer, 60 Quick Cotton Knits is a super-tempting book. The book is another of those “60 Quick” books that all use Cascade yarns, in this case Ultra Pima, a cotton yarn that comes in two weights, a wide variety of colors, including some hand-painted options, and is easy to care for.

The book is heavy on summer projects like little airy shawls and scarves, tank tops and shrugs. There’s not a sweater in the collection, though there are some hats, larger shawls and cowls, as well as a couple of pairs of wrist warmers.

There are a lot of projects that use stripes and other colorwork to make the items more playful, and there are even a few that you could use some of your stash on — cotton or not — to add little pops of color.

Everyone is going to like something different in any given knitting book, but it’s likely, with 60 patterns to choose from, that you’ll find a few things you like. Check out all 60 projects on Ravelry.

A few of my favorites include Yoko Hatta’s Chevron Scarf, pictured on the cover; the funky, youthful Woven Back Tank by Nicole Feller Johnson; Wei Wilkins’ openwork Asymmetrical Shawl; the woven-look Slipped Stitch Bag from Suzanne Allen; the Color Swing Tank by Mari Lynn Patrick, a simple shape with just a hint of contrasting color on the edges; Hatta’s Slouchy Striped Hat, perfect in nautical shades; Anna Davis’ Running Chain Cowl, which uses one of my favorite simple slip stitch patterns; Patrick’s Diagonal Lace Hat, which uses a really easy stitch pattern and is worked flat; and the Drop Stitch Tank from Audrey Drysdale, where open stitches make the project light but not scandalous.

This is a great book if you live in a warm climate or a place with a serious summer, though there are some year-round projects and things that aren’t too large to knit for use only a couple months of the year. There are plenty of accessories here that would make great gifts, too.

About the book: 168 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 60 patterns (16 rated easy, 38 intermediate and 6 advanced). Published by Sterling Publishing, March 2016. Suggested retail $17.95.

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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