Book Review: Drop-Dead Easy Knits

By the title alone, I think a lot of people are going to be interested in this book. Drop-Dead Easy Knits by Gale Zucker, Mary Lou Egan and Kirsten Kapur is the result of a bunch of knitters being in real life friends and thinking about the kinds of knitting projects they like to do in different situations.

The projects are designed for those different events, like being in a waiting room, travelling, wanting something warm to work on when the weather is cool, knitting with friends that doesn’t require paying attention to your work.

In this case easy doesn’t mean plain. It’s more projects that can be worked often with limited attention through parts of the process but that still produce things that you’ll enjoy knitting, wearing, using or gifting.

The projects are arranged by theme: cold hands, warm heart (knitting while it’s cold or for the cold); the waiting game (projects for picking up and putting down); drinking buddies (perfect for knit night and for gifting to friends); family entanglements (things to knit at holiday get-togethers or when teaching kids to knit); bursting with joy (baby knits); and no sheep at the shore (projects for beach knitting and wearing).

The projects are rated by how much attention they require and the patterns are marked where you need to pay more attention, which is handy.

I’m not finding the book on Ravelry yet but you can get a sneak peek at the publisher’s website.

Some of my favorites include the cozy Camurac Cardigan, sure to become a wear-everywhere favorite; the Keynote Pullover, which features a simple textured yoke but is otherwise straight knitting; the Star-Eyed Julep Throw, designed by the Mason-Dixon knitters to be worked in four pieces (possibly by four different people) and joined together at the end; the Apple Hill Finger Puppets, a perfect first project for a pint-sized knitter; the adorable Bear in a Bunny Suit by Susan B. Anderson; and the sweet Pompano Tank, with eyelets at the hem and a swingy style.

These projects are fun, pretty, great for gifts, relatively easy to knit but don’t look like beginner projects.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 30 patterns (I actually counted 29, 7 rated mindless, 20 relaxed and 2 attentive). Published September 2016, Clarkson Potter, suggested retail $16.99.

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for Yarn online? Check out Lionbrand our preferred source for purchasing yarn online.

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There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background.

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design.

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs.

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs.

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28.

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