Book Reviews

Periodically, I will post some reviews for books I've looked at recently. Here's three fairly new books of note.

Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man
Michael del Vecchio, 2006
Knitting With Balls is geared towards men who knit for themselves. The book starts off with the obligatory knitting tutorial, not one of the better ones I’ve read but not awful. The patterns include cell phone holders, a wallet, cardigan and pullover sweaters, scarves, a very feminine traveling bag, and more. The patterns are pretty straightforward, but mostly quite feminine and not that attractive, although I do not feel comfortable saying a pattern is gender appropriate or not; I reject such notions. Still, this book is probably worth a look, and if you have a male friend who knits or wants to knit, you might think of picking this up.
Personal favorite patterns from this book: Medallion Mitts, Laptop Cover

Hip Graphic Knits
Rochelle Bourgault & Lisa B. Evans, 2006
Hip Graphic Knits is one of the neater books I’ve looked at in a while. The beginning of the book gives a brief tutorial on color knitting and graphic knitting, and then launches into the patterns. I would recommend this book for intermediate to advanced knitters – there is not much handholding here, you need to have a basic understanding of what you are doing. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it provides you with a great range of projects, from small things such as belts and mittens, to large projects like sweaters and blankets. The book provides you with multiple pictures of each finished project. One plus about this particular book is that it’s spiral bound, which is always a plus.
PFPFTB: Marimekko-Inspired Felted Needle Case, Cropped Cardigan

Knitorama: 25 Great & Glam Things to Knit
Rachael Matthews – 2005
Whoa! This book is wild. Decent “how to knit” section written with a good sense of humor – entertaining to thumb through and look at the pictures. The patterns are crazy and range from practical – there’s a good easy dishcloth - to the insane – a pattern for a knitted chocolate cake?? There are a few clothing patterns that I’m not crazy about, the bra pattern is quite ugly. Need some knitted mallards to complete your living room décor? How about a remote control cozy fashioned to look like a hand grenade? This is the book for you! One note to be aware of – several of the patterns require knitting and crocheting, so if you are a crochet hater, beware.
PFPFTB: Fried Egg Earmuffs, Speaker Covers