Knitting

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Giveaway: Animal Lovies

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Animal Lovies reivew and giveaway

Congratulations to Lee!

This is a book that I really want to need so I can keep it and knit all these adorable projects for myself. But I know I would never actually make them, not having a baby anymore, so I want this book to go to someone who will really use it

Animal Lovies by Yolanda Soto-Lopez includes 10 knitting projects for really cute snuggly blankies with little heads and arms that make it a blanket/doll combination. The patterns are for a bear, bunny, lamb, penguin, duck, bird, dog, panda, cat and giraffe and they are all so cute I can’t even tell you. You can see all the projects at Leisure Arts.

The blankets are 12 inches square and all the projects are rated easy +, so if you have some projects that involve increase and decreasing under your belt you’re ready for this book.

If you’d like a chance to win this one, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, March 20. I’d love to know which animal or animals you would knit and who in your life you can knit lovies for.

Thank you for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  1. I would love to make some zoo animal themed lovies for all the new babies my friends and coworkers have been having

  2. I would make a cat because it seems cute
    I would make it for my friend’s child because they are so cute and would love them.

  3. I knit for our local Birthright and these would be perfect for them. Also, I just found out my niece is pregnant and I’d love to make her the cat or bunny. They are all so adorable!

  6. They are all adorable. I personally love bunnies, but I should really make one for a friend expecting in June (instead of one for myself LOL)

  8. Our knitting group always chooses a project each year to donate to our local community organizations. We have made baby blankets for a home serving unwed mothers, lap blankets for a local veteran’s facility and knitted animals for the children entering our local domestic abuse housing. These blankies would be an excellent project for our group to provide to children in our local hospital.

Have you read?

Book Review: No Fear Sock Knitting

I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know a few basic things (and trust the pattern even though it sounds wrong the first time you do it) to master socks. 

Denise DeSantis aims to take the worry out of knitting socks with No Fear Sock Knitting. Based on a class on her YouTube channel, it includes all the basic information you need to make sock knitting feel easier, along with eight patterns for both top down and toe up socks. 

The book generally covers types of needles and yarn you might use to knit socks, as well as other supplies you will need. It looks at the parts of the sock, different knitting needle configurations used to knit socks, how to read a pattern (including abbreviations and terms you might find in sock patterns), discussion of ease, how to measure your foot and choosing the correct size to knit.

It includes two options each for casting on cuff down and toe up socks, as well as four options for cuff treatment. It explores the heel flap and turn method for top down and toe up socks, as well as short row heels using a shadow wrap (worked with a leg from the stitch below) and a square heel. There’s a discussion of avoiding holes and fixing other problems in heels.

Likewise with toes there are several options, including a wedge toe, round toe and anatomical toe (different on each foot) for both cuff down and toe up socks. There are also tutorials for grafting and Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, depending on which direction you’re going. There’s also a tips section that covers things like avoiding ladders, changing colors. matching stripes and more. 

After all that preparation, there are eight patterns to choose from: short socks worked from the top down that are a perfect first-sock sock, a basic ankle-length toe-up sock, a DK weight sock worked from the top down with different length options, a “vanilla” sock with a short row heel worked top down, an ankle sock with a garter stitch cuff, one with a leg worked in alternating colors with a contrasting heel and toe, a sock worked in a helical stripe pattern and a striped sock with a garter stitch heel. 

Three of the patterns are rated at skill level two on a scale of three, while the rest are level one. They’re all pretty straightforward, they just use different techniques you might not have tried before. Since only one is made to be toe up, there are also tips for converting the other patterns to toe up if you’d rather work that way. Each pattern includes three size options. 

This book is a nice introduction to sock knitting, with lots of techniques to reference and simple patterns to take the fear out of the process. I’m not sure these are patterns you’ll come back to time and again but they are a good place to start if you’ve never knit socks before. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 8 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.