Friday, October 01, 2010

REVIEW: Knitted Nursery: Toys, Clothes and Furnishings for a Beautiful Baby's Room

Knitted Nursery: Toys, Clothes and Furnishings for a Beautiful Baby's Room  
by Nancy Atkinson & Sarah Jane Tavner
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd (September 7, 2010)

knittednursery

As knitters, we almost always know someone who's expecting and therefore, always have baby knits on the needles, right?  Well, it's time to forget all that you know about those baby knits... it's not only about hats, booties and blankies anymore!  Leave those ho-hum nursery items on the registry at Babies R Us to the uncreative and think - or rather, knit - outside of the box!  With over 20 patterns in Knitted Nursery: Toys, Clothes and Furnishings for a Beautiful Baby's Room, you'll have something new to cast on for every baby this year!

Published by our friends across the ocean in the UK, Knitted Nursery is not your typical baby pattern book.  You won't find any pastel pink or baby blue amongst the pages.  Instead, it's all about bright, bold color.  The photography throughout is beautiful and really shows off the strong, contemporary style.  Again, this is not your typical baby pattern book... and I love that!

The patterns are fresh and exciting - for both young eyes and old.  Knitted Nursery is suited for beginners, yet there are plenty of adorable toys and other fun patterns to keep advanced knitters interested as well.  Beginning with the simplest of patterns and progressing from there, Knitted Nursery allows beginners to learn as they knit and build their skills in a chronological order.  The first two patterns, a Snuggle Blanket and Snuggle Cushion Cover are made up of individual squares that are sewn together in the end.  Although I personally don't love sewing seams, these are great projects for beginners who want to see instant gratification with quickly finished squares.  From there the book takes you through decreases, increases and simple stripes. 

Although there are some clothing items in Knitted Nursery, the best patterns truly are the knit toys.  Some of my favorites from the book:
  • Lazy Day Armchair ~ as seen on the cover, it would be a fabulous addition in any toddler's room
  • Washing Line Wall Hanger ~ a group of adorable little knit tees that act as storage and look cute strung across a changing table or bookcase
  • Draughty Dog ~ this knit "hot dog" (dachshund) is designed to be a door draft dodger, but triples as a cushion and cuddle toy
  • Pompom Pixie Hat ~ think Dr. Seuss and Whoville.... adorable!
  • Cosmic Cube ~ an interactive space-themed cube, each side features a different activity for baby to play with
Beginners will appreciate the great Getting Started section which includes information & illustrations on casting on & off, basic stitches, shaping, buttonholes, tension, sewing up and troubleshooting.

If you have an expecting friend who's expressed an interest in knitting, Knitted Nursery is the book for her!  If you find yourself knitting baby hats and booties time after time, perhaps you want to add Knitted Nursery to your own bookshelf... especially if you want to venture into knitted toys. 

About the Authors: Freelance writer/journalists, Nancy Atkinson and Sarah Jane Tavner both began knitting as children and became passionate designers. Nancy has written features and columns for many publications, including The Guardian, Vogue, Glamour and Marie Claire. Sarah is a freelance writer and programme maker for TV and radio at both the BBC and Discovery Channel. They both live in London.

6 comments:

Sue said...

Sounds perfect. I make tons of baby items for charity and lately I've really been into knitted toys. I'll have to take a look at this one.
Thanks.

SissySees said...

Don't do much in the way of toys or baby knitting period, but I might need to make the long dog draft thingee for my aunt...

Marjie said...

I don't knit, but you always provide some entertaining reviews, and make me wish I could do knitting stuff! Now, how to find the time....

gMarie said...

Love the knitted chair on the cover and that dog - a.dog.able! g

Bubblesknits said...

Cute projects!

cheap bedding said...

I'll buy some of these knitted products. They look comfortable for my kids.

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