Knitting

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Book Review – Knit To Amaze

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I recently had the opportunity to flip through the pages of “Knit to Amaze: A Visual Guide to Knitting Amazing Fingerless Mittens, Knee Warmers, Kitchen Cloths & Coasters” and was impressed with what I saw. The author presents a comprehensive guide on how to knit beautiful fingerless mittens, knee warmers, kitchen cloths, and coasters. The guide is aimed at advanced knitters who have a basic understanding of knitting techniques like knit, purl, cast on, and cast off.

One of the things that stood out to me was the clear and sharp images that accompany each step of the process. The author has knitted each piece and taken detailed photographs, making it easy to follow along and replicate the patterns. The guide also includes a list of supplies you will need and a glossary of knitting terms used in the book.

I appreciate that the author takes the reader to an advanced level of knitting, teaching them steps like how to cast on stitches in the middle of a row, making it a valuable resource for experienced knitters looking to improve their skills. Additionally, the author mentions that the finished products could be great as gifts or even sold on online platforms like Etsy, eBay, or Amazon, which is a great idea for knitters who want to turn their hobby into a source of income.

Overall, I believe that “Knit to Amaze” would be a valuable addition to any knitter’s library. The guide is well-written, the patterns are easy to follow, and the final results are beautiful, stylish and comfortable, a perfect combination for knits. The bonus of having a digital version of the book when purchasing the paperback version is also an added advantage.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Knit a Stunning Bestiary Scarf

I don’t even know what to say about this amazing knitting pattern. The Bestiary Scarf from Monstra & Mirabilia is so full of details it’s a little intimidating to talk about. 

It features, as the designer describes it, an “artistic encyclopaedia of Western mythical creatures.”

The pattern includes a dragon, harpy, Medusa, chimaera, centauress, phoneix, kraken, mermaid, sew serpent, cyclops, wyvern, Pegasus, amphiptere and amphibaena. (It’s a good thing there’s a photo of the proejct with everything labelled because I definitely didn’t know the names for everything.) It’s also designed like a landscape, with water and land creatures toward the bottom ends and sky creatures toward the top. 

The dragon is at the center and is worked sideways so it will show as upright when you wear it. 

The scarf is worked in double knitting, so the colorwork appears in the opposite colors on the other side. 

It’s worked in light fingering weight yarn (on size 0 US or 2mm knitting needles) and the colorwork is shown in charts. The pattern also includes some video tutorials and written instructions to help you along. The designer says the pattern is for intermediate knitters, and “advanced beginners may succeed with patience and the help of the video tutorials.”

When I was an advanced beginner this kind of a pattern would have brought me to tears, but if you love a challenge, and a project that you’ll wear and get tons of astonished reactions every time, this is the project for you. And of course if you have a few double knitting projects under your belt and are comfortable reading charts, this project shouldn’t be hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s fast. But lots of great things take time, and that’s never stopped us before, right? 

You can get a copy of this pattern from Monstra & Mirabilia on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Monstra & Mirabilia ]