Sunday, January 17, 2010

Knit Toys

World of Knitted Toys by Kath Dalmeny

This is a guilty pleasure book for me. I love making knit toys. (Just wait, my future children!)

There is a paragraph about the animal or people in each section… so fun! They range from ~2-12 inches (if you use the yarn weights as described). There is also an indication about how easy each pattern is to complete.
Patterns include:
  • Basic Person Pattern (make people from all different places of the world!)
  • In the Jungle: South American Indian, Spider Monkey (mama and baby), Snake, Tiger Cub, Gorilla, Orang Utan, Parrot
  • Australian Outback: (I spent a semester abroad in Oz, so I have a special connection to this land. If only there was a fuzzy Australia possum!) Australian Sheep Farmer, Merino Sheep, Koala (mama and baby), Duck-Billed Platypus, Wombat, Kangaroo (with a joey)
  • Down on the Farm: Farmer Lady, Highland Bull, Pigs and Piglets (solid, spotted or striped!), Cat, Mallard Duck, Cockerel & Chicken & Chick
  • The Deep Blue Sea: Pearl Fisherman, Dolphin, Shark (none for me, please), Killer Whale, Turtle, Octopus, Clownfish (I found Nemo!)
  • Forest Friends: Canadian Mountie with a horse, Grizzly Bear (with cub), Beaver, Raccoon, Chipmunk, Moose
  • On Safari: Park Ranger, Zebra, Lion Family (Lion, Lioness & Cub), Rhinoceros, Elephant, Warthog
  • The Snowy Regions: Eskimo (with caught fish and sled Husky Dog), PENGUINS (Adult and Chick Emperor, Adult and Chick Adelie), Seal, Walrus, Polar Bear
  • Pattern Variations: Use the previous patterns to make… Sea Lion, Panda

The detailed pictures about how to sew the knit work to make certain details is very helpful. The patterns are well laid out and clear. I want this book! I really want this book! (Hint, HINT!).


Amigurumi Knits: Patterns for 20 Cute Mini Knits by Hansi Singh

I like knitting small stuffed animals. It's fun, it's fast, and you can impress your friends. Most Amigurumi I've found on the internet is for Crochet, so I was excited to find a knitting book.

Don't be intimdiated. This book doesn't only show pictures of the glorious finished projects, but it highlights key intermediate steps, so you can see how things are supposed to look as you go along.

The Patterns:
  • Five Servings A Day (The Vegetable Basket): Aubergine (Eggplant me thinks), Tomato, Carrot, Garlic, Cucumber, Peas in a Pod
  • Get Your Barnacle On (Underwater Creatures): Hermit Crab (uhoh.. this looks hard but I have to try it!), Common Octopus (I'll try to come up with the King Octopus later... wow I'm snarky today!), Jellyfish, Black-Devil Anglerfish, Sea Star, Sun Star
  • Garden Variety (Backyard Critters): Earthworm, Praying Mantis, Ants, Garden Snail, Spider (EEK!)
  • Revenge of the Cryptids (Strange, Mythical, Cryptozoological Specimens): Kraken (but it's arms aren't 10 miles long!), Nessie, Jackalope
The pictures are crystal clear and the colors are so vibrant you'd think they were real. Amazing, amazing, AMAZING! Definately would make a fun addition to my library.


Knitted Finger Puppets: 34 Easy-to-Make Toys by Meg Leach.

Unfortunately, I returned this book to the library before I had a chance to make a list of all of the cute patterns.

There is a lot of non-knitting finishing for some of the patterns, so other notions might be required (Felt is used to make many of the accents).

I would not purchase this book, but it was a fun read and I plan on attempting some of the patterns someday!