Knitting

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Book Review: Best Dressed Crab and Friends – Knitted Sea Creatures With an Ocean of Outfits

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I knew I was going to like this book the moment I saw a crab wearing a puffer vest.

Best Dressed Crab and Friends by Karla Courtney is one of those knitting books that’s completely unnecessary in the very best possible way. Do we need knitted sea creatures with entire wardrobes? Probably not. Do I now want a lobster in a sweater sitting on my craft-room shelf? Absolutely.

The book includes patterns for six knitted sea creatures, including a crab, turtle, lobster and puffin, along with an impressive 44 little garments and accessories.

And the outfits are where this book really becomes fun.

There’s a crab with a bum bag and puffer vest, a puffin in a varsity jacket and a turtle with interchangeable shells. You can knit pumpkin, strawberry, peppermint, gingerbread and Christmas tree shell designs, so apparently even turtles need seasonal wardrobes now.

There is also an oversized turtle shell with a hidden pocket for a hot water bottle, which is both slightly bonkers and rather brilliant.

Plenty of Room to Make Them Your Own

Looking through the preview pages, I particularly like the little colourwork sweater charts. You can follow the designs provided or start mixing colours and motifs to create completely different outfits.

The patterns are supported by a techniques section, photos and charts, so although the finished creatures look quite detailed, the instructions are designed to be approachable.

If knitted animals with wardrobes are already your thing, have a look at our review of Knitted Wild Animal Friends, which includes 12 knitted animals and their clothes.

We’ve also previously reviewed Knitted Animal Friends, another lovely choice if your yarn stash is slowly turning into a miniature knitted zoo.

More Than Just Cute Knitting Patterns

One nice extra is that Best Dressed Crab and Friends also includes marine facts from scientists and fishermen, including lobsterman Jacob Knowles.

Author Karla Courtney is already known online for her wonderfully quirky knitted sea creatures, with her videos clocking up millions of views, so turning them into a full pattern collection feels like a very natural next step.

What I like most about this book is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. These are the sorts of knitting projects that make people smile.

They’re fun to make, fun to photograph and would make very memorable handmade gifts.

Would I Buy It?

Yes.

Especially for the knitter who already owns plenty of sensible knitting books and needs something a little more playful.

It’s a great pick for anyone who enjoys knitted toys, colourwork, novelty knitting or making ridiculously tiny clothes.

And really, if you’ve ever wanted to knit a fashionable crab, this may finally be your moment.

Best Dressed Crab and Friends: Knitted Sea Creatures with an Ocean of Outfits is published by GMC Publications and is due for release on September 8, 2026.

Have you read?

Go Back to the ’90s with this Set of Knitting Patterns

If you want to feel personally attacked by a collection of knitting and crochet patterns as I was, check out the “90s Mod Inspired” pattern lookbook from Yarnspirations. 

It’s actually a great collection of patterns for folks who want to stitch up that Y2K look again (or for the first time). There’s an oversized, striped grandpa cardigan! A (crocheted) plaid messenger bag! A boxy argyle vest, and a rolled hem sweater the likes of which I bought in a store in the ’90s and knit a replica of later. 

There’s also a section of “Prep School” patterns (think “Clueless,” they’re even called things like “As if” and “Betty”) including a granny square tie and crocheted wrap skirt, and a knit cabled pullover, beret and cardigan with blocky stripes. Other sections include casual collegiate, punk and mod, and academia. 

Some of the patterns repeat among the sections but there’s a nice selection for people who want a little throwback for their back to school and fall wardrobes. 

Since I had this sweater, we’ll take a closer look at the Caron Cropped Stripy Sweater. The one I knit from a pattern of my own devising in the mid ’00s was tonal blues, but this one calls for two colorways of Colorama Haze, a fuzzy self-striping worsted weight yarn. 

The pattern comes in six sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 39 to 60 inches (that’s 99 to 152.5 cm). Clearly that’s a lot of ease at the lower sizes, since the smallest size is meant to fit an actual chest measurement from 28-34 inches, or 71-86.5 cm. 

The sweater is a modified drop shoulder worked flat in pieces and seamed. That means the stripes probably won’t match around the body but it’s still a classic look. This one does have ribbing at the neckline, where the original sweater I owned and my re-creation had rolled hems throughout, but you can do it either way depending on your preference. 

Do any of these projects remind you of clothes you might have worn or knit in the past? I’d love to hear about it!