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Book Review: Sweet Knits

June 15, 2023 by Sarah White

Sometimes when you’re looking for new things to knit, a big book or website full of patterns can be a bit overwhelming. You just want to knit one thing, say, for a new baby or little one in your life. You don’t need 100 suggestions.

That’s why I like the booklet type books that Leisure Arts puts out (their focus is on digital these days, but they’re good in whatever format). They’re focused on a really specific type of project and don’t include a lot of patterns so you can stay focused, and even if you only ever knit one or two projects you’ve still gotten your money’s worth because they aren’t that expensive.

Sweet Knits: 9 Baby Projects Sure to Be Your Favorite is one such book. Produced in collaboration with Lion Brand Yarns, as advertised it includes nine patterns for babies, mostly blankets and sweaters. The patterns are:

  • Cuddle Bear Blankie, made with boucle yarn, it’s a lovey sized blankie with a little bear head on one corner and paws on two others.
  • Gowanus Baby Wrap Cardi, a sweater that wraps and ties at the side and is made with worsted weight yarn (sizes are 1 year, 2 years and 3 years)
  • Glenwood Child’s Cardigan, pictured on the cover, which comes in 5 sizes up to a 34 inch chest (this pattern only gives chest size and doesn’t specify what ages they correlate to)
  • Rock the Casbah Afghan, a colorful, ripple stitch blanket perfect for tummy time
  • Diagonal Baby Afghan, worked in boucle from corner to corner
  • Branford Baby Blanket, which has a simple ribbed pattern worked in super soft yarn
  • Simple Diagonal Baby Afghan, worked in garter stitch on the bias with a multicolored yarn
  • Bonaire Baby Blankie, a pastel patchwork made of blocks of garter stitch
  • Sugar and Spice Shorts Set, a striped tank top and coordinating shorts both worked in multicolored yarn (this one is sized for 1 year, 2 years and 3 years)

The patterns aren’t super creative but they are good basics that will be easy for knitters of any skill level to crank out quickly for kiddos. I don’t love the inconsistency in sizing (a 34-inch chest sweater would fit some adults, so why is it included in a “baby” book?) or the fact that there are two corner to corner blanket patterns in a book with only nine patterns.

But still, the patterns are all cute and easy (they’re all rated for beginners or easy) and things you can come back to again and again to knit for little people in your life or to donate to charity.

About the book: 48 pages, paperback, 9 patterns. Published 2019 by Leisure Arts. Suggested retail $5.99 (ebook is $4.99).

Next Pattern:

  • Book Review - Big Book of Baby Knits
  • Book Review- Casual Circular Knits
  • Book Review - 60 Quick Knits for Beginners
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Have you read?

Knit a Blanket with the Texture of a Ceiling

Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal. 

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles. 

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges. 

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to. 

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho. 

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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