Books For Knitters, Both Young, And Well, Younger!

2 books have recently stumbled down my path, found their way into my life, and deposited themselves on my coffee table. Here’s what I found:

Knitty Kitty is an engaging tale, written by David Elliot, complete with gorgeous illustrations, by Christopher Denise, about a Kitty who, well, knits! The scarves, mittens and hats she makes for her kittens end up being used for something else, but no matter, they manage to stay warm anyway. And… the patterns for them are included! You’ll have to see for yourself how these mischevious kittens use their hats, mittens and scarves, and how mama keeps them warm anyway.

This is a nice hardcover book, suitable for your toddler’s coffee table!
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Shear Spirit is a book for every knitter. It seriously made me want to go hug a lamb! The subtitle is Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn. (It should read.. Miles of “Droolable” Yarn). I couldn’t put this book down. Not only are the Fiber Farms showcased, but their owners too. It’s nice to read about the “behind the scenes people who make this stuff happen”, the REAL people. The people who feed and care for their animals and who shear, work with rovings, spin, dye, knit, felt, and weave with the fibers. And love it. There are lambs, alpacas, even yaks in this book, but I think my personal favorite is the Icelandic sheep. From farms all over the USA, these stories and patterns will have you out hugging your fiber animals! This book’s description includes “A visual journey to America’s fiber farms and ranches plus a rich inside look at the challenging but rewarding lives of the people who have devoted their lives to harvesting and spinning fleece into yarn.” It’s truly inspiring to get to know others, if only through print and pictures, who’s lives revolve around the fiber animals we love.

Shear Spirit is written by Joan Tapper with photography by Gale Zucker.

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:

Have you read?