Hand Knits for the Home: 20+ Designs for Stylish Interiors

I love this book. Most knitting books are all about things to wear (sweaters, vests, hats), and I don't wear hand knitted clothing beside scarfs. I wanted to knit pretty things that were actually useful. This book has patterns for beautiful throw pillows - I've already made 2 and am almost done with a third. Today I am going to start work on the baby blanket pattern - it is cute but not cutesy. The patterns in this book are classy and tasteful.

I compulsively shop for knitting books and I bought this one because I found it on sale at Half-Price books for only $7.98, but after I took it home and got a really good look at it I realized what a bargain it reallly was. The book goes over all the basics (knitting tools, accessories, yarns, cast on, cast off, tension, etc) and then it starts slowly building your knitting skills with each project (from a basic garter stitch woven pillow to a three dimensional checkered cube/ottoman, to intarsia, to bobbles, to beading, etc). Really an excellent book that takes you seamlessly from a basic knitter to an advanced intermediate one easily. And at the end, you have lots of beautiful stuff for your home. I gave it only four stars by mistake I meant to give it five ***** and even tough I tried to correct that mistake I couldn't figure out how. =0p

I absolutely loved this book. In fact, based on the 50+ or so knitting books I own, this is one of my favorites. I found the book to be a great compliation of designs for both beginner and advanced knitters. The patterns are classic and timeless and if you are a more advanced knitter, you can use some of the simpler patterns as a template for your more advanced desings. I found the patterns to be very creative and interesting. We are lacking so many interesting and beautiful patterns for the home and this book comes as a wonderful book to fill that void! My recommendation: don't pass up this book. It's simply fantastic!

The arrangement of this book is pretty interesting. Like many knitting books featuring projects for a specific purpose, this book includes basic knitting instructions so that potentially you can make the projects presented without any previous experience. Other books just put a chapter in the very beginning for this purpose. What makes this book different is that the most basic of the basics are presented first, and then as you move through the projects, other techniques are presented as necessary. Although the instructions featured here are good and the photographs clear, I think this isn't the best approach. For the beginner knitter, you have to work your way through each and every single project to collect a repertoire of techniques. For the intermediate knitter who needs no instruction, you don't want interspersed tutorials distracting you from the patterns. On the plus side, the designs which are featured are simple, elegant and practical. There are several square cushions, a cube-like ottoman, a baby blanket, a bath mat, a shoulder bag, a round cushion, a hot-water bottle cover, four throws, and a table runner. What's pretty amazing is that if you complete all the projects, you will learn all the basic knitting techniques - cables, colors (stripes, slip, Fair Isle, intarsia), textures (bobbles, beads), smocking, and ruching. Overall, I'm impressed with the projects, and how all the basic knitting skills are incorporated into them, but I still think this isn't the best way to arrange a knitting book.

The projects in "Hand Knits for the Home" are not on the leading edge of difficulty for the average knitter, and many projects use thick wools. These pillows, throws, table scarves and rug mats are nicely designed to maximize effect with a minimum of effort.The wools used are pricey in many cases, but they are definitely ones you can substitute with not much problem--and, don't forget, these projects needn't fit anyone but a pile of polyfill for the pillow form. Among the many models, there is a particularly comfy looking cylindrical bolster with cables, a "pillar cable" pillow with offset cables and wide, wider ribs like columns, a lovely ecru baby blanket, a knitted hassock cube, and a lush, blue chenille bed throw. Also rag type mats, more pillows and a beaded table scarf that looked as if it could be modified rather easily.If you like home knitting, this is a varied and useful collection. It's suited to urban neutrals, country textures and classical furniture, and most of the projects are in neutrals or soft colors. Lovely.