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Giveaway: Animal Knits for Kids Books

by 39 Comments

wina copy of two sweet animal knits for kids books

Congratulations to Patty!

Kids in garments that look like animals are always really cute, and this week I have a couple of fun animal knitting for kids books, perfect for a new parent, grandparent or someone who just loves to knit for little ones.

Gramma Nancy’s Animal Hats by Nancy Nielsen includes patterns for hats and booties inspired by animals. They range from bears and bunnies to monkeys, turtles, chickens, cats and dogs, and they all use pretty simple techniques and Vanna’s Choice yarn, so they’re a good value and machine washable.

And Animal Knits for Kids by Amanda Berry has 30 projects for babies and little kids inspired by the zoo. It starts with an adventurer outfit and goes through the jungle, reptile house, polar regions, tropical seas and forest. Garments and accessories are included, such as the tiger jumper on the cover, a coiled snake toy, penguin mittens, a shark hooded vest and a hat with reindeer antlers, to name a few.

For a chance to win both of these books, leave a comment on this post. Why not tell me what your favorite animal is, or whether you’ve ever knit an animal-inspired project. (When I was a kid leopards were my favorites, and my daughter has a fondness for penguins, in case you were wondering.)

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  2. I love penguins, my granddaughter loves monkeys and I am hoping to be able to knit her some fun hats with a monkey or something else cute! thanks 🙂

  4. I’m currently working on a fox hat for my grandson. These books are full of fun things I co knit for Jaxon.

  6. I’ve crocheted a couple of the cute hooded cowls with fox ears. But I’m a new knitter and would love more cute patterns like this.

  12. My favourite animals are otters and snow leopards. My daughter adores owls and my son, penguins!

  15. I like cats, dogs, foxes, pretty much anything furry. I knit a fox hat for my younger daughter last winter. I also knit a cow-spotted sweater for the same daughter when she was a baby.

  16. I have needed crochet an animal themed item. I think I would enjoy doing a lion when I was a kid.. My granddaughter would want me to make anything that looks like a house cat.

  17. I knit foxy-scarves for our two older DGDs in 2014. They looked wonderful and were scarves they loved to wear. One of our DDs loved black and white animals (penguins, killer whales, zebras, pandas, etc.). She was torn between two careers–concert pianist or accountant. Both black and white occupations!

    from too darn cold VT,
    the Vermonster

  18. Have never anything with an animal theme. So many really cute patterns to choose from now. My daughter would love to have a fox hat.

  19. I knit a couple of animal sweaters for our son when he was little: one had a whale, wrapped around the sweater’s body with the tail on the back of the sweater and then a dinosaur sweater. Now it’s bunny hats for the granddaughters! Would love more ideas!

    Favorite animal? Probably a cat; one that’s past the kitten stage.

  21. A giraffe … they’re just cool! Can’t recall knitting a animal anything, but I could be forgetting!

  22. I like cats, bears, hedgehogs, pandas, really any animal! I’ve knitted a few cats but I haven’t do any other animals yet. But some parakeets are up next on my list.

  23. I love cats and knitted a little cat toy for my cousin’s baby. I should knit more of them for the new babies in my life.
    wahoomerryf on Ravelry

  24. My fav is definitely chickens (or exotic birds in my case as you aren’t allowed to have chickens). I’d make adult sizes of the cover hats.

  25. I love all animals ,but I have to say that horses are my favorite.
    I do and will alway knit animal inspired projects. I’d love to have these books to use.

  26. I have done a zebra. And many kinds of creatures – but not many animals!! So many to try… not enough time to do them all!!

  27. I think the animal hats I make are cute until I see someone else’s…this is definitely a “gotta have” to add to my cache of ideas. Turning a spider man one over in my mind now, and I will figure it out…soon I hope. :>)

  28. I like elephants and knit my grandson an elephant lovey. It turned out pretty cute. I think that kids respond well to animal knits.

  29. I regularly crochet small animals as soft toys to give away and would love to branch out into these sweet hats. The chickens are so cute!

  31. I am a beginner knitter so I haven’t the knowledge to make fancy animals. Ready to expand my horizons!!

  34. My 9 year old is currently obsessed with anything to do with racoons because of Rocket, and my toddler loves hats of all kinds. I totally want to make those chicken hats!

  35. My husband and daughter are obsessed with red pandas. I am planning on making both of them hats when I find a pattern that I can modify (my daughter is 22 🙂 )

  37. I’ve just finished little booties for my unborn niece. I’d love to make an animal hat to match and these are cute!

  38. As I have a new grandson (first grandchild) and I know my daughter-in-law would love an animal hat for him, these books would be inspiring and I’d have fun knitting him one – well, one every year until he refused to wear them!!! A koala hat would be fun.

  39. I would like to make a sheep hat and chicken one for my Grandson but he loves animals so would like them all

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

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.

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