Book Review: The Knitter’s Activity Book

Remember activity books from when you were a kid? These books often included puzzles, games, stories and more to keep kids entertained while traveling or in periods of waiting.

Sincerely Louise (aka Louise Walker, author of Faux Taxidermy Knits) has brought this idea to the grown-up knitting world with her book The Knitter’s Activity Book.

The book includes patterns, stories, quizzes, puzzles and more to entertain and inspire knitters, though it definitely has a British vibe and the patterns are all animal related (not that that’s a bad thing).

What do I mean by British vibe? American knitters might not get all the trivia questions or pop culture references unless they are steeped in Brit knit designers and shows.

When it comes to the patterns, there are 20 in all, from the lobster dinner featured on the front cover to miniature faux taxidermy farm animal heads and triceratops slippers. A picture book style story about Lola the polar bear looking for a new home features lots of cute animals, from meerkats (one of my faves) to roosters and starfish.

You’ll also find puzzles, knitters math problems, a selection of Sincerely Louise fan and staff projects and more.

It’s a fun book for teens and beyond who already have knitting skills and a love for animal projects.

About the book: 112 pages, hardcover, 20 patterns, retail price $16.95. Publisher’s website

Next Pattern:

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting.

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of.

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams.

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs.

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty.

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this).

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry.

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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Next Pattern:

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