The nice folks at Sixth & Spring were kind enough to send me a review copy of 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Gift Giving. Here’s what they say about the book:
“In search of the perfect pattern for a knitted present? Look no further than this year-round mini-reference of creative gift ideas. 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving offers knitters from beginner to advanced 50 fun and inspired projects for every occasion: New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, St.Patrick’sDay, Easter, Mothers’ and Fathers’ days, Fourth of July and summer, back-to- school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. With home decorating items, personal accessories, and garments — each featuring special holiday and seasonal touches—there’s something for everyone!”
There is indeed something for everyone in this book. Not all of it was “for me” but quite a lot of it was. I think when you purchase a knitting pattern book the likelihood of you wanting to knit every single pattern in it is slim. However, in order to make the purchase worthwhile, there needs to be a sufficient number of [Ravelry] queue-able patterns in there. There must be a simple maths equation for it? Has anyone thought about this?! Anyway, based on this slightly wooly (pardon the pun) theory, I definitely think this book is worth purchasing.
As you’d expect, the patterns are organised chronologically, so new year patterns at the start, holiday patterns at the end. The pattern instructions are clear and any charts are easy to understand. Every pattern has at least one photo; a must for me, and a difficulty level is indicated. I would suggest that this is not a book for absolute beginners, but it would be inspiring for someone wanting to advance their skills. Equally there are some nice, more complex patterns to satisfy the adventurous knitter.
There are lots of patterns for accessories and items for the home. I rather like the Auld Lang Syne Mitts (pictured below) and the Argyle Mitten Garland (pictured above). The garland could be a fabulous stash buster project or a fun, year-long knitalong. It could be fun to adapt the mini mittens to experiment with your own fair isle designs.
Another great feature of this book is that there are quite a few men’s patterns. The Outdoorsman Socks are great and I think the Hanukkah Hat (below) would look amazing in Shetland wool (I’d opt for more muted tones). I cannot really see hubby wearing the St Patrick’s Day Necktie, but each to their own!
There are a couple of “novelty” knits in this book. Whilst I am a fan of quirky knits, novelty is not really for me. So the Halloween knits did not really float my boat. However, I really love the Holiday Stranded Wreath. I really like the idea of knitted or crocheted wreaths for any time of year. Lucy from Attic 24 has created an incredible autumnal crochet wreath; it’s really inspired me. There is a pattern for Acorn Placecards in this book (see below) – I could see these forming part of my own knitted autumnal wreath one day.
All in all, I thought this was a great book. I can see it being something I reach for when I feel the need to knit a seasonally appropriate gift for someone. The book itself would make a lovely gift for any knitter.
The book is available wherever books are sold and is distributed through GMC Publications. Here are some Amazon links:
- Amazon.co.uk: 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving
- Amazon.com: 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving: Designs for Every Season and Occasion Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted
