March 02, 2005
Knitting for Babies
The Baby Knits Book: The Ultimate Collection of Knitwear Designs for Newborns to 3-Year-Olds
Debbie Bliss' new The Baby Knits Book is a must-have collection for new knitters and for Bliss fans. A collection of Bliss designs for teddy bears is what got me started knitting, and I soon became an avid fan of her designs for babies and toddlers. Since then, she's expanded her line to include adult garments, and she now produces her own line of yarns (highlighted in the projects in this book). But her toddler designs are still close to our hearts. As usual, the designs have a classic "English" feel, just perfect for a chubby little baby. Broken down into sections entitled Cozy, Simple, and Special, the collection contains an assortment of clothing items and accessories including a seed stitch hat, scarf, and blanket, a double-breasted cardigan (stockinette body; seed lapels) with matching pants, garter stitch hat and jacket, kimono outfit, a beautiful hooded cable and rib sweater for older children (up to age 4), a classic circular yoke sweater for 2-5 year-olds, a fancy cable and seed stitch cardigan that has a Western feel to it, a beaded Fair Isle cardigan with matching shoes for infants, a wonderful embroidered jacket and similarly-inspired kaftan v-neck, and an alphabet blanket for those who've made a pastime of knitting the family of similar baby blankets from her various books. Several dresses and shoes round out the collection, and add options for knitting for girls, but the book is well balanced in terms of boy-appropriate designs, and there are several classic styles here - raglans and cardigans - that can easily fill a little boy's closet. Size ranges are good. Patterns tend to be either for infant (going to either 12 or 24 months) or for older toddlers (e.g., 2-4), but there is a good mix of each, and Bliss' patterns tend to be generously sized, allowing plenty of ease for a charming oversized look that will fit more than one season. Bliss enthusiasts will notice patterns similar to those that appear in other collections - the coat hanger, for instance. But we were struck by how much of this book really felt fresh and new for Bliss while retaining her trademarks sense of shaping, style, and classic design, color, and stitch patterning. This is a super collection and belongs on the shelf of any serious knitter of children's wear. Pair this up with some Debbie Bliss cashmerino yarn for a super gift for the mom-to-be.
Family Circle: Easy Baby Knits: 50 Whimsical Projects for Babies & Toddlers
The patterns that form this compilation are taken from past issues of Family Circle's Easy Knitting magazine, but having them all together in one nicely-done book with great photos of the finished projects is handy. And, there are some fabulous picks here - some of the best patterns from the magazine - some of the ones I had looked at and thought "Oh, I'd like to make that" and then forgot about when the magazine got shelved - are here. The book contains an assortment of patterns for girls, boys, accessories like hats and scarves, blankets, and toys. Moms perpetually looking for cute boy patterns will be excited by the "Boy's Club" section which contains a wonderful cabled classic, a red-and-white striped sweater with an intarsia whale and ocean, a classic two-color fair isle for baby and teddy, a basic everyday garter-stitch cardigan, an adorable Scandinavian-style sweater with traditional fair isle and a teddy on skis in them middle, and more. Looking through the sections seemingly devoted to "girls" and "boys" respectively, we felt that many of the patterns could easily work for either gender, so don't feel limited by the chapter organization. For example, the "Go Fish" sweater is one we've always adored and have on a future projects list for a little boy. Both the "Cradle Comfort" and "Toy Box" sections have wonderful projects, including sheep pillows and matching blanket and some adorable knit dinosaurs. Overall, this is a good collection with a range of projects for children of varying ages. While there are true infant patterns, several others are for 2, 4, 6 years, and one even goes to 8 years! Plan wisely, and you can knit your way through this book from cradle to gradeschool.
Knitting for Teddies
As usual, Trafalgar Square does things right. Knitting for Teddies gets started with a photo index that shows a picture of each project so you have an immediate visual reference of the whole book. This kind of "nice" and charming touch is continued throughout the book. Each of the bear patterns is prefaced by a small story that sets the stage for the outfit shown and places the bear in a fictional context. This is a wonderful way to contextualize a new outfit for the receiver and create a story upon which they can build. The patterns in the book provide outfits for all seasons and a variety of "events." Each pattern is presented for a 13 ½ inch bear, and some of the projects contain a coordinating outfit for a "baby" bear. The most wonderful surprise when we started looking at the book was that many of the projects also contain a child's 3-6 month pattern as well. We didn't expect that in a book of "teddy" patterns - and there are no pictures of children in the book, just Mama and Baby teddies dressed in adorable handknit outfits. Knitters who love piecework - or have a child in the family who loves teddies - will find many hours of enjoyable knitting working on an entire wardrobe for a special teddy. These are clothes that will be cherished for years to come. A 3-6 month outfit and matching teddy outfit would make a wonderful gift for the mom-to-be, too!
50 Baby Bootees to Knit
50 Baby Bootees to Knit is a winner from start to finish! For veteran knitters, the sheer range of bootees in this collection is exciting and inspiring. Knitters can choose from plain, fair isle, cabled, Mary Jane-style, sock-style, intarsia, strapped, cuffed, and laced bootees, just to name a few. For new knitters, bootees are a perfect project because they're small, quick to finish, practical, and adorable! These bootees will make perfect shower gifts for mom's to be - or, if mom-to-be is learning to knit, the book would be wonderful paired with needles and yarn to make her first pair. We were especially enchanted by the Anchor Bootees, Polka-Dot Socks, Gingham Shoes, Pirate Boots, Zebra Bootees, Bee Shoes, Heart T-Bar Shoes, Stripy Shoes, Polka-Dot Shoes, Lace and Diamond Bootees, Fish Bootees, Tiger Bootees, and Fair Isle Shoes. But truth be told, we loved them all! Only a few of the designs did we feel we had seen in previous Mellor titles on our shelves. But that's okay. Having a collection of this size under one cover is a jewel among knitting titles. With 110 color photos and projects involving a range of techniques and stitches, without a doubt 50 Baby Bootees to Knit has the makings of being the definitive collection of bootees for years to come. One small thing to note is that many of these patterns are given for 1 size only, so plan what you want to make "when" carefully so that the recipient can grow into a new pair as she's growing out of another! But, a very handy feature is the "size chart" on the back of the book which allows you to measure a baby's foot to gauge which size pattern you need to make. Also, knitters will appreciate the spiral binding (inside an enclosed hard cover) for laying the book open flat.