| More KnitWits 20 More Fun Projects for Those Who Love to Knit & Purl |
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| Written by Barbara Rottman | |||
 Title: More KnitWits 20 More Fun Projects for Those Who Love to Knit & Purl
Author: Katie Boyette Date Published: October 1, 2011 Review Date: August 16, 2011
Who is this book for? Katie Boyette’s first book, KnitWits, delighted knitters with its imaginative and creative creatures. She’s back with 20 more projects designed just for fun. Having earned a BFA in studio art with a concentration in sculpture, Katie’s creatures are influenced by her sculpting training. Each imaginary creature reflects a sense of humor and playfulness that amuses children and grown-ups alike. More KnitWits includes 20 projects for all skill levels from very simple to complex. Richly illustrated with detailed knitting instructions and full patterns for the expressive faces, this book is a complete guide to re-creating Katie’s soft sculptures.
What Yarn Does it Feature? Every creature is knit with Cascade 220 yarns, a medium weight yarn that is widely available in a multitude of colors, just what you need to evoke the personalities of Katie’s creatures. So that the creatures keep their shape when stuffed, the knitting is worked at a fairly tight gauge (20 - 22 stitches over 4 inches). Very few tools are needed to make any or all of the projects in this book. Most of the designs use US size 5 or 6 needles. The small pieces require straight and double pointed needles, one set of each needle size.What's Inside Trained as an artist and a sculptor, Katie Boyette’s creatures are expressions of the world around her. She finds inspiration in appliances and fixtures around her house, in her daughters’ drawings, and in their bad dreams, which she encourages them to draw. More KnitWits presents 20 quirky characters with complete instructions for knitting and assembly. There are over 150 photographs in the book, showing the toys in every stage of assembly. Successful toy making requires flawless assembly and smooth stuffing to make the shell come to life. The photos in More KnitWits serve as an excellent guide to sewing and stuffing the toys. Katie Boyette introduces each creature with a story as cute and clever as each of her creations. There’s Brody, the young monster who won a trip to space camp and dreams of becoming an astronaut until adolescence when his horns came in and he realized he could not fit into a space helmet. Now he works at NASA as a file clerk, staring at the launches with his sad tear-stained green face. Ada is a little sister who has a knack for getting her big brother into trouble. Babushka, the nesting monster, is hollow and always hungry. Mac is embarrassed by the large bite taken out of his head and is trying to learn to live with this flaw. Each sparks interactive creative play.
Using It The 20 projects are organized easiest to hardest, starting with Flash, who has just two sewn on arms and spikes of I-cord hair. Subsequent projects add more detail, ending with three that require “seasoned” experience. Katie uses one, two or three yarn balls to designate level of difficulty. Each project is well documented with concise instructions, lots of photos and a glossary of instructions. Katie is not fond of looking back and forth from pattern to appendices, so all the information needed to knit each creature is provided in one place. Beginning knitters will appreciate that.
Best Pattern (or Best Advice) The photographs showing each step of assembly set More KnitWits apart from most toy books. Many other authors concentrate on the knitting instructions but don’t give detailed information on how to join the pieces, how tightly to stuff, and how to sew the seams. Would-be toymakers can be discouraged by the clumsiness of their finishing efforts, so it is important to have precise information on how to stuff and sew each piece. Katie Boyette shares all her secrets, down to the hand embroidery detail.
Recommendation Amigurumi is wildly popular among crocheters; KnitWits appeals in the same way. Some will choose to knit the monsters while others may want to use the monsters to teach youngsters to knit. More KnitWits is filled with 20 fun projects that young knitters will enjoy knitting and playing with. “Seasoned” knitters who just want to have fun will learn enough about creating soft sculpture from this book that they can knit their own appliances and imaginary monsters. Overall Recommendation More KnitWits rates #8; may not appeal to everyone, but those who like to knit serendipitously will get lots of enjoyment from this clever collection of soft sculpture, and gain valuable knitting experience in the process.
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