Book Review: A First Book of Knitting for Children

Most people of any age, when they learn to knit, learn the rhyme that goes with forming the knit stitch. It’s a great way to remember the basic motions that go into forming the stitch.

Maybe you’ve wondered if there were other rhymes you could use to remember other parts of the knitting process. Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton have lots of great rhymes to help kids and others learn to knit, as well as lots of easy and skill-building projects to try, in their newly revised A First Book of Knitting for Children.

This expanded edition includes more instructions and more complex patterns for kids to try, including colorwork hats, socks and more.

The beginning of the book includes lots of photos and rhymes to help kids learn how to cast on, knit, do basic shaping, find and fix mistakes and bind off their knitting. Then there are many projects that just use the knit stitch and basic shaping such as a rabbit, pig, horse, basic doll and elephant.

The book goes on to teach purling and has a couple of patterns that combine knitting and purling (I made a cat from the original version of this book and it’s adorable).

The “more skills” section includes tips on reading a pattern, knitting in the round, different ways to increase and decrease stitches and working with color. Patterns in this section include a different cat, a few dolls, a couple of hats, a hand puppet and slipper socks, among others. Check out the full table of contents on the publisher’s website (the book is British; you can buy it from Amazon if you’re not in the UK).

This book is inspired by the Waldorf tradition of teaching kids to knit when they are young, and there are lots of photos of kids knitting and playing with the projects to show your young knitters that they can do it, too. This is a great book for little ones (and others) to learn the basics and beyond and get inspired by simple but cute and fun toy sand other projects to knit.

About the book: 168 pages, paperback, 26 patterns. Published 2021 by Wynstones Press, suggested retail $24.95.

Next Pattern:

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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