Book Review: Knitstrips Comic Book

Knitting patterns are generally presented more with words than pictures. Yes, there are photos and video tutorials that often accompany knitting patterns, but for the most part the techniques, and the patterns themselves, are described with words.

Knitstrips still has a lot of words, but these knitting patterns are presented as comic strips rather than text-based patterns with photographs.

The 22 patterns in the book are divided into four themes:

OMJOM (one more, just one more): easy, addictive projects you can’t get enough of
Focus Pocus: projects that require more attention and technique
STASH (skeins that are special and here): projects for showing off that yarn you already have
Bucket List: projects you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t made yet

The illustrations help tell the story of different projects, as well as illustrating techniques and helpful hints.

The idea of the book is what it calls “interactive knitting,” which puts the knitter in control by not providing a particular gauge or yarn weight you should use for each pattern. Instead, each pattern suggests a type of yarn or gauge you’re going for to get the best results with the pattern.

An airy gauge, for example, shows space between the stitches and the knit fabric makes a puddle when you drop it on the ground (or a table, if you prefer), while a medium gauge doesn’t let a lot of light through and makes “mounding peaks” when dropped.

Each pattern shows how the project is constructed and uses both words and illustrations and they often include charts to show you how the project is constructed.

While you’re able to use any yarn and gauge that you like or have available, the designers also offer a yarn suggestion for their projects.

The projects range from a simple stash busting bias knit garter stitch scarf to a two-color brioche cowl. There’s a log cabin baby blanket, a sequence knit hat, a “pajama sweater” (like a pullover shrug), a cowl-collared tunic, a pair of toe-up socks and more. Check out most of the patterns on Ravelry.

There’s a wide rang of styles and skill levels involved, but most are suitable for confident beginners or intermediate knitters. There are no learn to knit instructions here so if you’re a complete beginner you’ll need to learn the basics elsewhere.

The style of this book is a lot of fun and it would make a great gift for a knitter friend. My only complaint is there are no photos of the finished projects (but if you look on the project pages on Ravelry you can see finished projects from some of them).

About the book: 160 pages, paperback, 22 patterns. Published March 2022 by Abrams. Suggested retail price $27.50.

Get the book here: Knitstrips

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

Have you read?