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.

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag.

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets.

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets.

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash.

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic.

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts.

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around?

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy.

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]

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