Knitting

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To Knit or Not to Knit; Is that a Question?

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to knit or not to knit

I’m sending this one to Mary!

This week’s giveaway is a fun take on a knitting essay collection. To Knit or Not to Knit: Helpful and Humorous Hints for the Passionate Knitter by Elvira Woodruff is composed of a series of advice-column-style questions about the knitting life posed to a fictional Mrs. Wicks.

She answers questions by looking to history (for instance, a question about buying too much yarn is paired with the Oscar Wilde quote “the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it”) and offering stories from her own knitting life and sharing patterns along the way. (Find them here.)

The book covers subjects such as how to pack your knitting bag, what to do when you’re in the depths of a seemingly interminable project, knitting as stress relief, knitting for charity, what to make for babies and more.

It’s a cute idea for a book of essays, and they are quick and funny reads. This is a good one to remind you how cool knitters are or to gift to a fun knitting friend.

If you’d like a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, Sept. 3. I’d love to know a good piece of knitting advice you’ve received. One of my favorites: as long as you’re happy with the results, it doesn’t matter how you got there, which is the long way of saying there’s no right way to knit.

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

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Comments

  1. My fave is when in doubt, knit it out. It applies to figuring out patterns but also dealing with life in general.

  2. Not really advice, but years ago I created the word Yarnsulin – as in “I’d better take a shot of Yarnsulin before I walk into that LYS or I’ll go into fiber-shock and buy everything in the store!” The patterns are a wonderful collection of stashbusters, and I bet the writing is wonderful. Thanks for the giveaway.

  3. I agree with there are no right or wrong ways to knit. Don’t be afraid to change and adapt patterns to knit the item you want!

  4. A friend of mine always carries tons of stitch markers and a mini skein of yarn and a plastic needle along with her project. She says that you could need to put a lifeline or use your stitch markers to divide your knitting work in sections and you should have all that you need with you.

  5. When your knitting mojo leaves do a small project like a dishcloth or a hat to give you the satisfaction of finishing an item

  6. I had avoided blocking for decades! When I finally caved in to taking that advice I was so pleased with the results. Cannot believe the difference. Viva la “blocking!

  7. “Only god doesn’t make mistakes”. Remember that when knitting a complicated (usually Aran/cabled) pattern. No one else will notice the ONE stitch you purled instead of knitting, or even the crossover you did the wrong way!! I remember finishing a wonderful sweater, all sewn up before I saw a crossover done in the wrong direction. I’ve had the sweater 10 years now and no-one has ever noticed, although I have had lots of praise for the “wonderful design”!

  8. I would love to get this book for my sister who is an avid knitter. Her birthday is coming up!

  9. Thanks for the give away. For a hint, I’ll rave about my newest tool, which is a slender piece of metal with a crochet hook on one end and a sharpish “picking point” on the other. I never knew they existed or that I needed one, but I bought it on impulse and now use it regularly.

  11. A zillion years ago, when the internet was young, a message thread on the KnitList involved what knitters carried with them. I paid attention and now I ALWAYS have a small zippered purse with a pen, pad, scissors, tape measure, crochet hook, stitch markers, fine nail file, a ten-dollar bill, stitch holder, cable needle, and yarn needle. (Thank you, Calypso; I’m going to add a small skein of embroidery cotton for use as a life line.) This purse goes with me everywhere. It even came in handy at a wedding when a bridesmaid needed a thread snipped.

  12. My favorite advice is when I am debating whether to rip back to fix something. My friend and I say “we like knitting so we don’t mind doing more of it!”

  15. If I find a tiny mistake in a finished project, I always tell pple that I did it on purpose to show the article was hand made, note machine made.

  16. The knitters in my group remind me that I’ll be the only one that will know the mistake is there ????

  17. Think of your knitting “mistakes” as a design element which makes the project uniquely your own.

  18. Lifelines! Especially for those of us who watch TV while knitting – so much easier to unravel those rows you purled instead of knitted during the chase scene.

  19. “Just finish the project.” The best advice I’ve received that not only relates to knitting but to sewing, painting g, and life in general.

  21. My favorite quote is “never let your fear decide your fate” and it works for knitting projects, too! Don’t be afraid to try new stitches or techniques. They’re usually not too complicated and end up looking great.

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.