Member Reviews
I love to knit baby items as they are so cute and are finished so quickly. This book has many sets of hats, sweaters, mittens, leggings, toys and baby booties. I wish there were even more photos! I am especially looking forward to making some of the truly adorable booties in this book. I received an ARC from NetGalley, Fox Chapel Publishing and Landauer Publishing for my honest review.
Big Book of Baby Knits is a well curated and traditional collection full of beautiful garments and accessories from Marie Claire. Originally published in French in 2010, this English language edition is due out 24th Aug 2021 from Fox Chapel on their Landauer imprint. It's 192 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a large collection with a wide range of styles, garments, and accessories. There are all-season garments including outerwear, rompers, pullovers, socks and booties, blankets, and soft toys. Most of the pieces are easy to intermediate difficulty, there aren't any prohibitively difficult ones. Sizes range from newborn to 24 months. There aren't any sized specifically for preemies, but smaller needles and more delicate yarn would make a possible substitute (with careful gauge measurements).
There isn't a thumbnail gallery anywhere in the collection. Some of the patterns are pictured in the table of contents, but they're not shown in order. The index does list garments by type: dresses, pullovers, booties, socks, etc, with page numbers, but I found this omission and that the designs were scattered somewhat haphazardly, to be less than optimal. The patterns are arranged in collections: hello baby, sweet treasures, baby basics, softness & warmth, etc. The individual collections are not coordinated into layettes or by yarn types, so it was a bit confusing to me why they were arranged as they were. All the design models are knitted in Phildar yarns, but yardages and content are listed for each pattern, so substitutions are possible.
Tutorials include a photo of the finished project, tools and supplies in a sidebar bullet point list (both US and metric sizes given), followed by knitting and finishing instructions. Many of the patterns are generalized and a bit abbreviated, so new-beginner knitters might need occasional help with interpretation (probably not, but it's always good to have a knitting buddy to ask if one is stuck).
The designs are traditional and classic and there are no "edgy" or "trendy" designs. My own kids are grown (and I don't have any grandchildren now - if ever), but I do a lot of knitting for charity and this book is chock full of the sort of knits which will be well received and are needed by the groups for whom I knit. Everyone has their favorite standard patterns, but it's lovely to find a collection of new and different designs to try out.
Four stars (mostly because of the lack of pattern arrangement, limited size range, and no thumbnail gallery). This would make a good choice for library acquisition, knitting group/guild library, or for the home knitter.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Oh, what a treat this book was to read! Such unique and stylish patterns for babies. I took this to my knitting group for their consideration, and we spent a very enjoyable Friday morning looking at the patterns and offering up suggestions
Wool isn’t always the most practical to use for young babies, they may develop an allergy, soft acrylic yarns or cottons may be best. Consider the practicalities of hand washing , most items are thrown into the washer and tumble drier!!
We all loved the socks and the diamond lace blanket, such a beautiful and challenging pattern. All, loved the seaside cabled jumper and the Breton style striped one, so French!
Myself, I have four grandsons and one expected any day now, I love strong colours and striking patterns that stand out from the usual offerings in wool shops, so I was delighted with this book, and I can see myself making, the Toy cats and the Lovebug bunny for Easter gifts, the sleeveless cocoon, minus the ribbons, also considered a hazard, but such a lovely simple pattern that looks wonderful, the teddy bear set of cardigan and booties, are to die for, the dresses will be made for a dear friend, in fact my needles are poised and wool has been ordered and I am itching to get started!!
Having looked closely at the pattern, there are some unfamiliar terms, but there is always help at your local yarn shop or the Internet.
It has been such a pleasure to review this book, not at all like hard work!! Stylish knits for Babies deserves a place on most devoted grandparents book shelf, hint, hint to myself for my birthday!!
Many thanks to Netgalley, Landauer publishing and Fox Chapel publishing for my ARC. Such lovely inviting photos as well, temptation through and through!! A five star read to stimulate and enchant proud grandparents.
I can't go past a knitting book and The Big Book of Baby Knits has a gorgeous cover which would immediately entice me to pick it up and have a browse.
In the front of the book is a section on getting started with basic stitch terms and abbreviations.
Each finished item is beautifully photographed.
The book includes a vast array of baby items including:
Blankets
Booties/shoes/socks
Hooded jackets
Toys
sleeping bags
Beanies
Pants
Tops
Tunics
Overalls/rompers
Patterns have instruction for age ranges: newborn to 6months or 3months to 12 months.
There are only two patterns that go beyond the 12 month age.
The majority of patterns are simple stocking stitch pattern with a couple of cable stitch patterns and one Intarsia pattern.
I loved that this book features a modern take on classic baby knitting patterns with the colours of grey and navy used. I also liked the hoodie patterns and the long knitted baby pants. I would probably buy this book just for these patterns.
There are 7 patterns for toys that each match one of the clothing patterns. They are a cute addition although I don't have any interest in knitting toys.
As babies have moved from booties and bonnets to shoes and beanies The Big Book of Baby Knits features lots of up to the minute patterns for the modern baby.
As I looked through the patterns for something to knit I found that the instructions are not fully explained leaving a lot up to the assumption that the knitter knows what to do.
I'm a lazy knitter and I just want to follow a pattern stitch for stitch and not have to work out each step.
The stitch pattern is definitely for beginners but you may want to have an experienced knitter on hand to go through some of the instructions. One pattern I simply gave up on because I had no idea what the instructions meant.
This is a great book for those that want to knit baby clothes. It also teaches how to knit baby's shoes, socks and toys. It's not really good for beginners though. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
There are some adorable patterns in this book. Directions are easy to follow and I am so thankful for the pattern charts. Some of the patterns I could never see myself making, but I am eager to knit up the bear booties for a friend of mine.
Beautiful and well explained patterns for babies! I loved this book. My only complaint is the lack of photos in the introduction, where the stitches and abbreviations are shown, and the lack of information about the crochet stitches needed to finish some pieces. For intermediate knitters.
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Big Book of Baby Knits ~ 80+ Garment and Accessory Patterns by Marie Claire Editions is a delightful compendium of baby knits to keep any baby snug from top to toe. There are a great assortment of unisex, as well as boy and girl patterns. The patterns range from newborn to twelve months and employ various techniques, including colourwork and cables. There are patterns that would appeal to both beginning and advanced knitters. I found the instructions and charts to be clear and concise, the photographs are beautiful, and this would make an excellent reference book for all your baby knitting needs. Publishing Date: August 24, 2021.
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I love the projects and patterns included in this book! They are instructive for a wide variety of skill levels, and cute too boot.
Lots of beautiful baby clothes and matching toys with detailed patterns and easy to follow instructions with photographs.
I’m am delighted with this books and plan to knit a lot of the patterns starting with the Teddy Cardigan and Booties followed by the Sailor Set.
Thank you to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
“The only baby knitting book you’ll ever need” perfectly describes the Big Book of Baby Knits. All knitters enjoy creating beautiful, hand knitted garments for their babies and for thoughtful gifts. These 80 patterns include sweaters, buntings, pants, blankets, slippers, hats, mittens and toys. The photographs are gorgeous, as are the young models. Instructions are detailed with easy to understand diagrams. While some of these patterns require experience, an ambitious beginner can knit some lovely baby clothes. Marie Claire Editions, authors of this guide, are French so Phildar yarns are suggested. However substitutions, for example Sirdar or Plymouth yarns, would also work well. Many choices are machine washable and dryable and the Big Baby Knits has instructions for hand washing garments. While all these patterns are appealing, my favorite is the Baby Basics Sweetheart Hooded jacket, a basic double breasted jacket in sizes 3, 6 and 12 months. The Springtime Stranded Cardigan is adorable as are the Nautical Newborns. The Big Book of Baby Knits won’t just sit on a shelf with knitting books. This is one you will use over and over again! 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Fox Chapel Publishing, Landauer Publishing and Marie Claire Editions for this ARC.
I love knitting baby items and have tons of baby knitting books, actually an entire shelf. This book is a step up from your average pattern book with nice pictures, a good number of size options per pattern and clearly written instructions. The beginning provides a good reference for abbreviations but there was nothing weird in there if you're a seasoned knitter. No difficulty ratings are given for the patterns but there does seem to be various difficulty patterns throughout. If you've ever read a knitting pattern before, most patterns shouldn't be an issue but there may be a couple that you need to Google a new stitch or technique. Most of it is pretty basic though, very little color work and only a couple with cables so on the beginner/intermediate level for the most part.
There was a pretty good variety on the patterns but a few did seem really similar to others and really similar to other patterns I've seen. There were a couple that really stood out as cute and different as well as several good standard pieces that if I didn't have my staff of books already would be a great resource for a newer knitter. That said, there's quite a few patterns in here that I'd never use. For one, I don't knit pants, I just don't see the point. So their pairing of pants with every sweater just wasn't working for me. The booties are a maybe, the toys are a cute touch and I might use those but mainly, I buy books for the sweaters. Just narrowing it down to sweaters, maybe 25 patterns are left and I liked about half. This seems low but ~10 patterns I would want to make in a book is actually pretty good.
I liked that there were about 2 pictures per pattern but wished a few more had been shown on babies, it's just nice to see. Overall, a cute book with lots of options. If you're looking for some good baby patterns for gifting, especially if you like to do a set (sweater, hat, booties, toy, etc.), this would be a good book to pick up.
**I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not made any of the patterns in this book so I cannot attest to their accuracy. Also note that I can't speak to the color or cable charts, they weren't showing in the eARC I received.""
This book has very cute patterns with a nice assortment of adorable toys and practical, yet giftable, clothing. Patterns range from easy to difficult, although the book does not offer difficulty ratings.
If you enjoy knitting toys, this book is packed with simply adorable baby toys! There are also plenty of baby booties.
This book is not intended for novice knitters as a lot of steps are omitted in the directions and are assumed as known by the reader/knitter. Additionally, all the patterns recommend a yarn which is a wool blend. It is generally advised to avoid wool for babies because it could create allergic reactions when they are that young.
I recommend this book if you are looking cute patterns and are not a novice knitter.
This knitting book has 87 patterns, including various articles of baby clothing, socks, booties, sleep sacks, and stuffed animals. The patterns are cute and fall into a vintage style that is still updated, so they look more on trend than actually being straight from their inspired time period. I especially loved the little baby bell bottoms! So cute!
Overall, I thought this was a great book with pictures to show each of the patterns. I think it could have done with a bit more pictures and how tos throughout the patterns, but it is probably perfect for a more seasoned artisan.
With over 80 patterns in the book, there is plenty of choice of baby knits. The patterns cover newborn to age 24 months and include clothing, booties, shawls, blankets and toys. Quite a few of the clothing patterns have matching toys, which is fun.
This is an American publication so the book uses American knitting terms. The opening section on stitches and abbreviations is very brief and has no accompanying photos.
The patterns themselves have limited photos but are reasonably clear, not all of them show the clothes being worn. Most of the patterns are for the younger ages, up to 6 months. There are very few patterns for the over 12 months which is disappointing because a lot of the cardigans would look really sweet on a toddler.
Some of the patterns require crocheting skills.
Overall this book delivers lots of lovely patterns but it is not for the beginner knitter, some experience of knitting and reading patterns is required.