Review: Cozy Country Knits

I don’t know why, when the weather is finally officially warm here in Arkansas, the book I picked to review this week is one that’s decidedly meant for the fall and winter, but this is the one that jumped out at me.

Cozy Country Knits by Manuela Burkhardt and Dorothea Neumann is all about getting cozy with you’re knitting. It’s full of sweaters and jackets, socks and hats, as well as other accessories with what the subtitle of the book calls “classic rural charm,” which mostly means a lot of chunky knits, texture and cables.

The book includes 24 patterns – eight rated easy, nine intermediate and seven advanced — most of which are sweaters or socks but there are also some hats, wraps and other projects in there, too.

Some of my favorites include the Rustic Pullover, with a complex mass of cables at the center front that still manages to look casual; Delicate Lace, a pullover worked in worsted weight yarn with an allover lace pattern that’s actually not all that delicate; Warm and Elegant, a chunky cardigan with a simple textured stitch pattern; and the Cozy Tam, a slouchy cabled hat.

Next Pattern:

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.

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