Expectant Little Knits: Chic Designs for Moms to Be

When knitters contemplate pulling out their needles to knit for an expectant mom, most are eyeing cute booties or miniature-size cardigans for the baby. Few consider knitting for the mom-to-be; however, Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott's new book, Expectant Little Knits: Chic Designs for Moms to Be will soon see that trend change. Over a dozen designers have come together to create the twenty-two stylish and chic patterns to show off the baby "bump." The first section of Expectant Little Knits provides an overview of contemporary maternity fashions and constructions techniques. The final nine pages cover basic knitting techniques. The pages in between feature stunning sweaters which have finished bust sizes of 27" to 50", with the average falling in the range of 34" to 44". The majority of the tops are sleeveless, featuring clever design elements including pleats, empire waists, discrete and not-so-discrete buttons for nursing, and lace in side panels. Each pattern provides a generic yarn description and yardage requirements and is suitable for beginning and intermediate knitters. It is only at the end of the pattern that the details of the model yarn are provided. Of the twenty-two patterns, there is one coat, three dresses, eight tanks/tops, four pullovers, three cardigans, two hoodies, and a jacket. My favorite is the "Motherhoodie" shown in Noro's Silk Garden, which I've already made two of for pregnant friends. My only complaint about this book is that many of the designs are shown in mohair and alpaca, which may be too warm for the average pregnant woman. Armchair Interviews says: If you have a mother-to-be in your life, knit something for her.

Well, I couldn't find a review anywhere on the internet for this book, but the picture on the cover looked like something I would wear, so I went ahead and ordered it, not knowing what to expect. Therefore, I can't say whether or not I'm disappointed, because there were no real expectations. First off, there is a wide variety of styles and sizes, from what I can tell. I haven't knitted any yet, but since I'm a tiny person, I always look to see if the items are huge or not. Since there is such a wide variety of designers, the sizes seem to be different too. The bust size in the category small ranges from 32" to 38" for the finished size, depending on the sweater. I'm guessing this is so women of all sizes can find something wearable in here. They are all tops, except for one dress that is short enough to be a top. Some of them I hate, and others I love. The styles are so different, from hounds tooth little sweater that you would wear to a proper country club to a hemp tank top. This makes me think that everyone can find at least one thing they like. One compliment I have to give is that each design has very detailed schematics which makes it nice when planning out a project. The other things to expect from this book is a wide range of yarns used, depending on designer. Some sweaters use expensive Rowan, while others use super saver red heart. The yarns used are listed at the end of the pattern, but in the materials listed, it gives details like use "750 yds of wool/silk blend DK weight yarn in red." So even though they give credit to yarns used in design, they leave it open to you to choose a yarn in your price range/preference. I'm guessing I'll have to be extra careful checking my gage in this book! I am also happy that I don't have to use tiny needles in every sweater. The smallest is needle size is US 3 but one has a size US 17 needle, and most are between US 5 - US 9 because face it, we're only pregnant for 9 months, and the sweater will have to get finished within that time frame! The photography is worth comparing with other knitting books, both good and bad. The bad is it's not artsy and beautiful, like they are capturing a precious moment as in some other knitting books. The good part about that is you actually have some good pictures of the whole sweater on someone, so you can see how the shape is, and some practical expectations of how it will turn out. I have not started knitting yet, so I can't say anything for the accuracy of the patterns, but I can say they seem incredibly well laid out and detailed. I hope this helps, even though it's not all the pictures of the projects!