Book Review: Simple Chunky Knits

Big yarn doesn’t seem to be going away, and projects worked with super bulky and jumbo yarn — whether with big needles, your arms or a big crochet hook — can be finished quickly for nearly instant gratification that’s also great for gift giving.

Eriko Teranishi’s Chic & Simple Chunky Knits includes 23 projects using really big yarn and arm knitting, needle knitting and crochet to make all sorts of accessories in no time.

The book starts with a gallery of the projects, which includes scarves and cowls, caps, headbands, a vest, a bunch of crocheted bags, a pillow, blanket, basket and other items for the home.

Basic instructions for knitting, crochet and arm knitting are given, and projects are described in words, with charts and with step-by-step photos for the first few projects to describe the techniques.

The style will be familiar to people who have worked with Japanese knitting books, though as is often the case when produced for the American market, there are more words and details than you might find in a Japanese knitting book. If this format is new to you, start with one of the patterns that includes step-by-step instructions so you understand what the chart is telling you to do.

The designs are mostly pretty basic, quick to work and good introductions to the crafting method used. Some of the project have a bit more flair, like a crocheted lacy collar or a rug made up of floral motifs (also crochted). Knitting projects that use needles include a keyhole scarf, a couple of two-toned cowls, a cabled cowl, a Stockinette Stitch hat, a vest with a waist tie, a cabled pillow cover, Stockinette throw and a Moss Stitch stool cover.

This book would be a good option for people who love chunky yarn and quick accessories and don’t mind different crafts for different purposes. It might be a fun way to pick up crochet or arm knitting, too, if you don’t already know how to do them.

About the book: 64 pages, 23 patterns, hardcover. Published by Tuttle Publishing, suggested retail price $14.99.

Looking for more Vest patterns to knit? Check out these Vest Knitting patterns on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for more Cable-styled knitting patterns? Check out these Cable Knit Patterns on Etsy

One of the fun things about knitters is that we will use a holiday theme on any kind of project. From Easter bunny socks to Christmas sweaters, there’s no combination of holiday motif and knitwear genre we won’t combine.

Case in point: Halloween cowls.

This fun cowl from Sweet Vireo Designs features large carved pumpkins and little cats and skulls. It uses two colors of DK weight yarn and I love the multicolored yarn for the background color on this one. And the braids! So cute.

Spooky Season by Jocelyn Tunney (also on Ravelry) uses fingering weight yarn in two colors to make a design with crescent moons and eyes. There are two circumferences and two heights available so you can make it a neck hugger or a slightly bigger project if you like.

Make more moons with the Broom Riding Cowl from Vanessa Ewing Knits. This two color pattern looks extra fun with a multicolored yarn for the colorwork, but you can use a solid as well. It calls for DK weight yarn but there is also a fingering weight version if you have some yarn in your stash you want to use.

Jinx Made has another fun Halloween cowl, this time covered in skulls. South Philly Skulls uses DK weight yarn and comes in two lengths, and there’s also a matching hat pattern, both of which can be found on Ravelry.

The Ghost Stories cowl from Melissa Knit Wear is a two-color cowl with ghosts of different sizes on the body. It uses DK weight yarn, and average sized skeins will allow you to get two cowls out of two skeins. It also calls for stitch markers to help you keep your place in the chart.

Or stitch up a cowl with a giant bat on it. The Nightling Cowl from Jen Immer uses DK weight yarn in two colors and has moons and a large bat on it. This pattern can be found on Ravelry.

How about spooky trees? The Weirwood Cowl from Andrea Krüß-Anders is inspired by the weirwood trees in the Game of Thrones books, and is worked in two colors of fingering weight yarn. You can find this free pattern on Ravelry.

If a bandana cowl is more your thing, try Cowloween from Tellybean Knits (on Ravelry). This colorful design is worked from the top down and features pumpkins, ghosts and candy colored stripes, and is worked in a light fingering weight yarn. There are kid and adult sizes available.

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