Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I have been a fan of Rebecca Danger’s patterns for some time; I don’t really knit toys, but for some reason, her toys are just appealing. As such, I was thrilled to discover that she had a book out which focussed on using up scrap yarn because, believe me, I have a fair bit lying around the house!
Here’s a description of the book:
“Knit up fabulously fun robots, animals, monsters and more – using just 50 yards of yarn and 5 basic body shapes! Rebecca Danger, best-selling author of Knit a Monster Nursery and The Big Book of Knitted Monsters, presents a delightful collection of over 30 irresistible toys – and each project uses only about 50 yards of yarn! Stitch five basic body shapes to create knitted animals, robots, monsters, and characters of every description. Find knitted toy patterns for all skill levels, any type and any weight of yarn, and any needle size.”
The only way I could accurately review this book was to try knitting one of the patterns; I opted for “Lil’ Love Slug” (because everyone needs a knitted slug, right?) Also I had the perfect leftover yarn to use – Malabrigo Rios in Lettuce (one of my favourite yarns). There was something pleasing about knitting a slug out of lettuce.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The pattern was easy to read and follow – it was perhaps a little more advanced than I was expecting as I had to Kitchener the top of the head but that was fine. The whole thing was knitted in just one evening – instant gratification!
Unfortunately, I was not thrilled with the end result, although “Wonky” (an apt name I thought) looks cute from a distance. I knitted him for a friend and thankfully I know she will appreciate his imperfection! I am not sure why but things went a bit strange on one of his eye stalks and my increases and decreases are just a little too obvious and bulky. It was necessary for me to sew up a few gaps around the head/eye area. Also, for some reason, my picked up stitches on the base look quite messy (this is definitely my fault – not an issue with the pattern!) The other thing that bothers me (and this applies to some of the pictures in the book too) is that you can see the stuffing through the stitches. This can, of course, be fixed by going down a few needles sizes. All of this said, I will try knitting more patterns from the book, there are some really cute ideas in it.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
General comments about the book… I love how Rebecca has cleverly come up with 5 basic body shapes and then built upon them. Each knitted toy is fun and has lots of personality. Some of them are basic/plain and others are a bit quirky so there is something for all tastes. She even finds an acceptable use for novelty eyelash yarn with Button Bigfoot and Yea-Big Yeti! It’s a clever book, without a doubt, and it’s been well-executed. I suppose I was surprised not to be that happy with my knitted slug but it’s likely that the problem was my knitting rather than the pattern. This will become more apparent when I knit my next project. I suspect it will be a similar experience to knitting Christmas balls for the MerryKAL – my technique improved, the more I knitted them.
50 Yards of Fun gets a “thumbs up” from iMake though, for sheer ingenuity and and creativity. If you like “quick win” knits, this book is for you. Put it on your Amazon wishlist. You can also download patterns from Rebecca Danger’s shop on Etsy.
Amazon links:
- Amazon UK: 50 Yards of Fun: Knitting Toys from Scrap YarnImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
- Amazon US: 50 Yards of Fun: Knitting Toys from Scrap YarnImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
