New to knitting? Then this lovely book by Debbie Bliss may well be the one for you!
I have always felt connected to knitting in one form or another. Firstly, it was at the tender age of eight when my Grandma taught me a few basic stitches. I forgot about knitting for many years after this, but became reacquainted again almost two years ago when Jo invited me to attend monthly Hooky Knitters sessions. It was being in a group of like-minded people that made me realise how much I enjoyed knitting and that it was something I’d like to progress.
Whilst knitting was fun, the thought of using patterns terrified me, which is why I’m so glad I got the chance to give ‘baby knits for beginners’ by Debbie Bliss a go. Visually it’s a beautiful book, as soon as I saw it I wanted to dive right in and get knitting!
The book starts by giving the reader an overview of different yarns, equipment advice and stitch descriptions. This book was obviously made with the beginner knitter in mind. The patterns themselves start from the very basic (a plain knit scarf) to the slightly more advanced (a v-neck sweater with pockets). I love the fact that the reader is given the opportunity to gently ease themselves into using patterns if they are feeling unsure, whilst the more experienced knitter can go straight to the slightly advanced stuff.
I have to admit that I went a bit insane with this book, knitting all sorts of lovely items. Shown in pictures are the shawl-collared jacket (minus buttons) and a moss stitch shoe. Admittedly, against Debbie’s advice, I used cheaper synthetic wool as being a beginner I didn’t want the pressure of messing up very lovely more expensive wool. If you do decide to use a different wool it is best to ask advice at your local knitting shop to ensure that your creation looks similar to the pattern… being a novice I didn’t think to do this and as a result some of my knits have turned out a bit lumpy/ odd looking… but I love them nonetheless!
For me some of the patterns took a little getting used to. There are some terms that I had never heard of before and found a little daunting, however Debbie has got a thorough list of explanations and abbreviations in the front of the book. For me I also enlisted the help of on-line videos, as for me it is easier to visually see what needed to be done. However once I’d understood and tried these new techniques a couple of times I felt a lot more confident.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to get more into knitting. It is a fabulous little starter book and if I can do it, believe me, anyone can!
We were sent a copy of ‘Baby Knits for Beginners’ by Debbie Bliss from Love Knitting, a fabulous online knitting store which we’d highly recommend. All opinions are our own.