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:

I guess the trend of little scarves and bandanas isn’t going away, and there’s a good reason for that. These little projects are fast, and they’re good for beginners because of the low commitment and they make something that doesn’t necessarily look like a beginner made it.

And when you can combine a simple pattern with some super luxurious yarn, it’s a little treat that even more experienced knitters can get behind.

The Little Dot Bandana from Purl Soho (designed by Gianna Mueller) is a project like that. It’s a simple eyelet triangle, worked from the long side down to the point, so there’s a lot of decreasing happening but it’s a really easy project.

It calls for a hank of silk yarn and one that’s silk mohair, which gives the project a fuzziness and a little bit of a silky glow.

Of course you can use different yarn to get a different look. A linen yarn would be fun for a summer kerchief, or combine wool and mohair for a warm and cozy kerchief for cold mornings.

The pattern comes in two sizes, so you can stitch up a kerchief or a simple triangle shawl. The stitch multiple is 8 plus 23 stitches, so you can use that to make a triangle of any size you like, or you can use a heavier weight of yarn to make a different size if you prefer. The two strands held together as called for in the pattern makes a sport weight gauge, so you could try DK or worsted for a bigger and warmer project if you want.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho, or check out the pattern notes on Ravelry to find how other people made this project.

And if you need more options for kerchiefs to knit, check out this collection of kerchief knitting patterns.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?