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Book Review – Knitting The National Parks

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Knitting the National Parks: 63 Easy-to-Follow Designs for Beautiful Beanies Inspired by the US National Parks” is the perfect book for knitters who want to create unique beanies inspired by the breathtaking landscapes of the US National Parks. Written by Nancy Bates, a knitting designer and outdoor enthusiast, this book offers 63 original beanie patterns that capture the majesty of each national park.

From simple beanie constructions to more challenging stitch patterns, these designs are inspired by the natural beauty of the parks, including the brightly colored pebbles of Lake McDonald in Montana’s Glacier National Park to the regal granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome in California’s Yosemite Valley. Each pattern is accompanied by beautiful photographs of the finished beanie and the park’s landscapes that inspired it.

The book includes easy-to-follow instructions, clear charts, and easy-to-read keys that help knitters of all skill levels to knit a beanie in no time. Beanies range from simple beanie constructions to more challenging stitch patterns such as the two-color crossovers inspired by South Dakota’s Badlands or the multiple cable designs inspired by New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns.

In summary, “Knitting the National Parks: 63 Easy-to-Follow Designs for Beautiful Beanies Inspired by the US National Parks” is an excellent book for knitters who want to create unique beanies inspired by the natural beauty of the US National Parks, with easy-to-follow instructions and beautiful photographs accompanying each pattern. Show your love and appreciation of our national parks with these beautiful and practical beanie projects you can wear any time or any place.

Get the book here: “Knitting the National Parks

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Bookmark Knitting Patterns

It’s always a good time for a bookmark, and even more so as we start thinking about back to school time. Reading is more fun when you have a pretty bookmark. That’s just science. 

Plus bookmarks are fast, portable, and a fun way to try out different skills. So let’s get busy with some bookmark knitting patterns!

This set of three bookmark knitting patterns from Lucky Fox Knits includes one worked in garter stitch, an easy eyelet lace and one with eyelets running down the center. I love the little I-cord for the tassel!

Add a simple textured stitch to a bookmark to make it a little more fun. This one from Franciscan Gypsy is called the paper towel bookmark, and I’ll bet you can pick it out above just from that description. This one calls for fingering weight yarn. 

Another pretty allover pattern is this slip-stitch lace design from Handy Little Me. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Speak Now, it’s a sweet little design worked in fingering weight yarn. This one is a little extra fun because it has two tassels. 

I love this undulating wheat ear bookmark pattern from KMKnits Shop. It’s an interesting stitch pattern perfect for advanced beginner knitters, and it uses sport weight yarn. 

A lot of knit bookmarks have a bit of lace, and they’re actually a great way to pick up some lace knitting skills on a tiny project that doesn’t have to be perfect. I like this lacy one from Val Knitting Shop, which is inspired by daisy petals. It calls for fingering weight yarn. 

The Jasmine Bookmark from Valentina Fezova-Georgieva is another pretty lace pattern that’s a little more complex but still totally doable. It calls for fingering weight yarn and is available on Ravelry.

If you want a more literal inspiration of flowers in your bookmark pattern, try the pair of floral bookmarks form Warm and KnittedS. One has a little rosette and the other just has leaves. They look like I-cord but they’re actually worked flat on two needles and will stitch up in no time for a last minute gift or to tuck into your latest read.