Book Review: Knitting Peter Rabbit

The characters developed by Beatrix Potter may be even more well-known than the stories about them. The classic illustrations in her books have a timeless appeal, and now you can knit 12 of those characters with help from Claire Garland’s Knitting Peter Rabbit.

These designs are incredibly detailed and definitely not for people who have never knit animals before. Many parts of the patterns involve holding two strands of yarn at a time to give the animal’s fur the right texture. There are also felt garments for the characters to make them look even more like the original illustrations.

Because I’m sure you’ll want to know, here’s the full list of characters in the book:

Peter Rabbit
Benjamin Bunny
Flopsy Bunny
Jemima Puddle-Duck
Mrs. Tiggy-winkle
Mr. Jeremy Fisher
Tom Kitten
Squirrel Nutkin
The Tailor of Gloucester
Samuel Whiskers
Mr. Tod the fox
Tommy Brock the badger

My favorite is probably Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, the adorable hedgehog laundress. She has a little knit sweater and a felt apron and is just so cute. (You can see a few of the patterns on the book’s Amazon listing.)

But honestly they’re all pretty adorable, and the whole set would be great to knit for someone of any age who loves these stories. Or if they don’t already love them, knit up a character and gift it along with the book in which they appear and you’ll make a fan in no time.

The designs are very faithful to the original illustrations and the level of detail is amazing, but well worth the effort. She includes detailed finishing instructions and advises you to make good use of locking stitch markers as you knit to make it easier to know where pieces are supposed to go together when you’re doing the assembly. All the pieces are knit flat on straight needles, and there are templates in the back for making all the felt clothing and accessories.

For fans of Beatrix Potter, or just those who love adorable animals in human clothes, Knitting Peter Rabbit is a great guide to knitting these classic characters.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 12 patterns. Published 2023 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $29.99.

Next Pattern:

It seems like every summer there’s a new crop of tank top knitting patterns, and what I noticed about a lot of the new releases this year is that they have fun little details that make them a little more interesting both to knit and to wear.

Like the Sailoress Top from Joji Locatelli, which has a pretty cable worked up the center from and back, with shorter sections of cable work on the shoulders. It uses DK weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes up to a bust circumference of 72 inches/ 158 cm. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Combine lace and cables in an allover pattern on the Mountain Laurel Top from Andrea Gaughan. This sport weight pattern is worked from the bottom up in the count and has 10 sizes. It’s available on Ravelry.

The Vienna Textured Tank Top by Sarah Hatton has wide ribs broken up by eyelets. There’s very little shaping so it’s a pretty easy knit worked in fingering weight yarn. There are nine sizes available and it’s a free download on Ravelry.

Make a tank with a boho vibe perfect for festival season with Mary Beth Temple’s Tropical Sunset Tank Top. Worked in worsted weight cotton yarn, it’s knit from the bottom up in pieces to make it more stable. The coloring changing yarn is perfect for this one, or you can make it solid or work in your own stripes. You can get the XS size free on her blog, and other sizes are available on Ravelry.

Looking for a cropped lacy V-neck top to knit for summer? Jessie Maed Designs has the Sundae Swirl Tank, worked in DK weight yarn in the round with a fun combination of lace and cables. The ribbing under the arms helps give it a great fit. There are six sizes up to a chest measurement of 62 inches/157.5 cm. You can find this one on Ravelry.

How about a tank top with buttons? The Ridge Tank Button Down from Bluebird Pine Shop could double as a vest in cooler weather. This one is made with light fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Grab a copy on Ravelry.

An otherwise simple top can be made a little more interesting with the addition of a fun edging, like on Sarah Opie’s Seashell Tank. Worked in fingering weight yarn, it has a whopping 24 sizes and lots of customization options for making it fit the way you want. The edging is crocheted. Learn more on Ravelry.

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Next Pattern:

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