Book Review: Coffeehouse Knits

There’s something about the vibe of a good coffeehouse: relaxing, creative, warm and welcoming. It’s a place where you want to hang out, pull out your knitting and stay a while with a tasty beverage close at hand.

Coffeehouse Knits by Kerry Bogert celebrates the spirit of the coffeehouse and the rituals of knitting with 20 inspired patterns form a variety of designers.

Essays on the knitting community and the magic of knitting together (even if you’re an introvert) may inspire you to make some of these projects in public.

There are sweaters, cowls, shawls and socks, a hat and mittens, all with a relaxed and cozy style.

A couple of my favorites are the Chai Latte Cowl by Lori Wagner, with a simple Broken Rib pattern and a faux cable to make the knitting a little more interesting; Meghan Babin’s Dirty Chai Pullover, featuring swirls of traveling stitches and a cozy turtleneck; and the Morning Brew Sweater from Kiri Fitzgerald, with its great lace V-neck detail. Check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

This book is a great choice for intermediate knitters who like patterns with nice details but that aren’t super complicated and are just loungy enough to keep you super comfy whatever your day brings you.

About the book: 144 pages, hardcover, 20 patterns. Published by Interweave Books, suggested retail $26.99.

A long time ago, when I was writing the knitting website for About.com, someone asked me about all the different ways to knit thumbs on mittens, if someone asked me that question now, though, I could direct them to The Mitten Handbook by Mary Scott Huff. This book contains everything you need to know to knit your own mittens to any size, any gauge, using a variety of edging, cuff, thumb and top treatments.

Looking for more knitting patterns for Mittens? Check these out on Etsy.

Next Pattern:

Last year I shared with you Maxie’s Tank Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva, mostly because I really wanted to knit one (and I still do, maybe this year I’ll finally get to it!). I also am really attracted to patterns that seem to look good on everyone, which this tank top does.

Now Ainur has released a sweater version of the top, known as Maxie’s V-neck, and it seems to have that same wonderful property of looking amazing on everyone, at least as far as I can tell from the pattern’s project page on Ravelry.

This is a top down, V-neck, ribbed top that can be knit with short or long sleeves. Bust darts help with the fit. There are also 13 size options available so you can find just the right fit for you.

The sizes are designed to fit actual bust measurements ranging from 29-32 inches (74-81.5 cm) up to 62-64 inches (158-162.5 cm) and the pattern has instructions for A-C cups, with modification notes in the pattern to help folks with D+ cups make their sweater fit them.

It calls for sport weight yarn, which is probably the only thing that kept me from casting on this sweater immediately when I first saw it because that’s not a yarn weight I typically have in my stash (certainly not in sweater quantity).

Which just gives me an excuse to go shopping! Ainur used Purl Soho Wigeon yarn, which is 100 percent wool from the Falkland Islands. You can check the pattern page for other options that people have used, though wool seems to be a near universal choice as of this writing.

Ainur also does pay what you can on her patterns so if the cost is too much for your current financial situation you can use a code on the page to get a discount. (That said, if you can afford it, please support designers to the extent they ask to be compensated!)

Check out the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Ainur Berkimbayeva]

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