Book Review: Complete Knit Collection for Beginners

Sometimes when you are a new knitter or you are trying to get someone started as a knitter, it can be difficult to pick patterns that will be easy enough for you/them to be successful with but that also aren’t boring or take a long time to knit.

While I’m guilty of using a bulky weight Garter Stitch scarf as a beginner project, something smaller is a great choice to give new stitchers the gratification of finishing a project quickly.

Marly Bird’s Complete Knit Collection for Beginners offers 20 patterns perfect for new knitters, plus lots of tips and advice to get you started (it does not, however, include actual instructions on how to knit).

The projects take you through Garter and Stockinette stitch, ribbing, stripes, increasing and decreasing. There are lots of great basics here that are good for learning new skills or knitting as gifts or for charity projects. (You can see pictures of the projects on the Leisure Arts website.)

Four of the patterns are rated easy and the rest basic, so even if you are a completely new knitter you can find things to knit here. This would be a good book to give as a gift to someone who you want to encourage to learn to knit as well.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 20 patterns. Published 2019 by Leisure Arts, suggested retail $21.99.

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One of the hardest things about winter for me is the lack of color. It’s like the whole world ran out of toner, and often our clothes reflect the muted landscape outside, which just makes everything more drab.

This year I’m trying to use and wear all the fun colors of yarn I have in my stash, and I think the Minas Sweater from Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini for Manos del Uruguay would be a great way to use a lot of colorful yarn on a sweet sweater.

This cropped sweater uses 1×1 stranded colorwork where the colors change as you work the pattern, which makes it look more complex than it is. The project calls for five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you could probably even use more (or use a multicolored yarn as one or some of your options) to bring even more color to the party.

It’s a simple drop shoulder crewneck with straight sleeves, so pretty much all you have to focus on is changing your colors when you need to.

There are seven size options in the pattern, ranging from a bust circumference (on the sweater, not the wearer) from 42.75 to 69.25 inches, or 108.5 to 176 cm. It’s intended to be worn with around 8 inches or 20 cm of positive ease for a casual, oversized look.

You can go bold with the color choices like the sample shown here, or pick a couple of more neutral colors to combine with some brighter shades if that’s more your style. Either way this project should be as easy to knit as it is fun to wear. And of course those bright colors make me think a teenager in your life might love it, but of course there’s no rule that says you have to stop wearing fun colors at a certain age. Thank goodness.

The pattern is free to download from Ravelry and is available in both English and Spanish.

[Photo: Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini]

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