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:

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

Next Pattern:

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