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Review and Giveaway: Faerie Knitting

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faerie knitting review and giveaway
Alice Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman are creative cousins whose chosen outlets are on the surface rather different. Alice is a writer and Lisa a knitwear designer.

But they combined their talents to spin tales and knit stories in their book Faerie Knitting.

The book includes 14 original fairy tales along with 14 knitting patterns that go with the stories. For example a woman in one story knits while she waits for her husband to return from war; the pattern is the shawl she worked.

The stories tell of the power of women and power of knitting, the magic of making and storytelling in ways that many knitters — and writers who knit, and knitters who write — will find familiar.

It’s an interesting concept and the stories and knitting patterns are enjoyable alone and in combination.

My favorite is Blue Heron, a large triangular lace shawl with picot edges for a feathery look like the shawl of the heroine in the accompanying story. Other patterns include mitts and fingerless gloves, a vest, a cowl, leg warmers, shawls and cowls.

Two patterns are rated for beginners (an amulet necklace and charm bags), three are for advanced beginners, six are intermediate and two rated for advanced knitters. Check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of Faerie Knitting, you don’t need a special enchantment. Just use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. We have four copies to give away (and another giveaway will be happening on our knitting Facebook page, so go visit).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  3. love that these 2 cousins put their talents together to come up with a knitting story book for us. great idea.

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.