Book Review: Conscious Crafts Knitting

Knitting is more than a way to make things, though it is great for that. It’s also a great way to relieve stress, connect with other people and express yourself.

Knitters Sicgmone Kludje and Vanessa Koranteng, founders of the Black Girl Knit Club, explore the benefits of knitting and share 20 simple patterns for your home and accessories for you to wear or make as gifts in Conscious Crafts: Knitting.

The book goes over the basics of learning to knit and emphasizes mindfulness and positive thinking as you work on your projects. It’s sprinkled with affirmations amid the knitting patterns, which use simple stitches like Garter, Stockinette and Moss Stitch.

Some of the patterns are variations on a basic theme such as bath mat worked in a single color and the same project worked with stripes.

Patterns include mats for mugs and your desk, a washcloth, a plant cozy, a blanket, a cushion cover and a wall hanging. Accessories for yourself include a headband, fingerless mitts, a scarf, snoods and a couple of bags.

The photos that accompany the knitting instructions are somewhat small. If you are a completely new knitter it might be hard to see exactly what’s going on in some of them. But if you have a little knowledge of the basics, the patterns in this book are simple, soothing and fun to knit.

About the book: 144 pages, hardcover, 20 patterns. Released April 2022 by Leaping Hare Press. Suggested retail price $18.

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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