Book Review: Knitting with Disney

I love going to my local library and checking out knitting books I might have missed when they came out. This week I found Knitting with Disney: 28 Official Patterns Inspired by Mickey Mouse, The Little Mermaid, and More.

By Tanis Gray, this book’s format will be familiar to you if you’ve seen her Harry Potter and Star Wars books. The designs come from Gray and other knitwear designers, and they include characters, costumes, apparel and decor inspired by Disney films.

Projects are rated on a scale of one to three mouse ears, with seven rating one, 11 getting two ears and eight ranking three sets of ears on the scale.

There’s a nice range of movies represented, from Beauty and the Beast to The Emperor’s New Groove. There are projects inspired by Mulan, Cinderella, Moana, Ariel and many more.

Some of my favorite patterns include:

Jaq and Gus, designed by Sara Kellner, these brave mice from Cinderella are true to their animated versions
Kuzco’s Poncho from The Emperor’s New Groove (designed by Cassandra Cruikshank) mostly because this was one of my daughter’s favorites
Three Fairies Socks and Mitts by Spillyjane, with allover colorwork inspired by the fairies in Sleeping Beauty
Ariel Socks, covered with the texture of mermaid scales and designed by Agata Mackiewicz (you can see these on the cover)
Meghan Regan’s Beauty and the Beast Pullover, covered with icons from the movie like teacups and post, roses and clocks (a portion of it is also on the cover)
Mistress of Evil Socks, designed by Heini Perälä, worked in bands of colorwork that look like flames, inspired by Maleficent
Heidi Gustad’s Magic Carpet Throw Blanket, which is of course inspired by Aladdin

There’s a great variety of designs and inspirations here, sure to delight any Disney fan. Whether someone in your household has a favorite Disney movie you want to celebrate or you know (or are) a superfan who will love all these projects, you’re sure to find something you want to knit for yourself or as a gift.

About the book: 208 pages, hardcover, 28 patterns. See all patterns on Ravelry. Published 2021 by Insight Editions. Suggested retail $29.99.

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

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