A good book, especially for beginners like me! Useful instructions and clear patterns. Enjoyable and quick read that you can keep coming back to.

Conscious Crafts: Knitting
20 mindful makes to reconnect head, heart & hands
by Vanessa Koranteng; Sicgmone Kludje

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent book for beginners and those new to knitting - the how to pictures and explanations are fantastic.

I really appreciated the mindfulness of the content presentation as well as the practicality of the patterns included. The end note of how to upcycle other unneeded items to use in place of traditional yarn was an excellent touch.

Great knitting book! 5/5

I think this book is best for any beginner knitter. The patterns in here are primarily square and rectangle shape with one pom-pom wreath, and some other garment patterns. I think if you are an advanced knitter, these patterns will bore you, but if you are a beginner learning the absolute basics, this is a great book!

I have always found knitting to be a relaxing and mindful activity so this book really resonated with me and really made me yearn for my knitting needles again.
I think it’s great the way it takes you through the very basics of how to knit so that even those who don’t yet know how would still be able to get the benefits that this book, and knitting, can offer.
The projects start from really simple and quick too, which is a real plus for very beginners or those who just don’t have much free time.
Overall a good book that I would recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

As an avid knitter, I thought this would be a fun book to review, maybe get inspiration for my next project and give a book a good review.

Unfortunately, I cannot do that...

Conscious Knitting markets itself as a part knitting and part mindfulness book. There are many studies that have come out about the calming benefits of knitting and its repetitive motions.

The book description mentioned a few things that I don’t think were found in the book or were over represented. I'm just going to go point by point by the order of the book description:

Basics of knitting: This part may be the only part of the book I enjoyed. The graphics and photos for each step by step in the tutorials were really nice. Although, I think the samples used in this section section could have benefited from blocking before the photos got taken. I assume it was an aesthetic choice to leave the samples as is. But blocking helps square the item, even out tension of stitches and makes the stitches clearer to see. All things that I think would benefit a photo tutorial.

There were also graphics throughout each pattern of how it should look after each step, which again was nice and would be helpful to a new knitter. The graphics are the only reason this book is being given one star.

Repurposing used textiles: The fact this is on the back of the book is very misleading to anyone that may be interested (especially since it's listed more than once). There is one tutorial on how to cut up a t-shirt and turn it into yarn. There isn’t even a project that uses said yarn. Or even photos of any projects in the book but made with recycled yarn.

Mindful mantra: There's a self-help type slogan at the bottom on each page. Ex. "There is meaning in everything I create", "Today is filled with endless possibilities". It would have been nicer if there were longer passages related to mindfulness, maybe guided meditation or a tutorial on deep breathing. The book has so much white space, so it's not like there's wasn't the space to add a bubble of text.

The Projects: All of them are squares or rectangles. Maybe some are stockinette, maybe some of ribbed. Every project is square, and some of them are sewn at the end so it doesn't look like a square.

And you might argue the book should have easy patterns cause its purpose is to be mindful and not cause stress by adding lots of complexity. Still, throw in a basic hat, or simple socks. Add variation in experience levels so this book can grow with its owner as they develop their skills.

The description also mentions arm knitting, That's a straight up lie. There's no arm knitting in this book.

If it wasn't clear, this book was a massive disappointment.

This book is not really meant for knitters like me, in that the instructions and patterns are really simple and basic. But if the whole point of the book is to create conscious crafts, where it's about process rather than the product, then I can see the value of this for newer knitters or those more interested in knitting as a meditation. The pictures are extremely clear and the instructions very detailed. I think the authors could have done more with considering how to actually knit mindfully, but I would hand this to a new knitter without trepidation.

A good basic introduction to knitting that captures the feel of the wool. Ideal for adult beginners. Provides good illustrations and simple projects to build the beginner's sense of accomplishments. Includes photographs of finished projects.

This is a book of knitting patterns and instructions, aimed at a new knitter. There are illustrations and photographs showing how to make basic stitches and patterns, as well as some finishing techniques. They appear fairly clear, although I have read an ebook so cannot comment on the the quality of the paper or photographs in the printed edition,

None of the patterns are particularly new or exciting, but I am an accomplished knitter. The patterns include: fingerless gloves, mats, simple blankets and a dishcloth. The table mat looked poorly finished and needed blocking. I thought it a shame that more time had not been taken to make it look neat.. The pattern selection might be a useful introduction and show the myriad possibilities of knitting, for those new to the craft and to pattern books, There is nothing new here.
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The meditative element and writing about being fully present and conscious while knitting seemed wordy and rather worthy in tone, as well as not being a new concept. The benefits to wellbeing through knitting and crochet have long been established, but again others might find the concept fresh and useful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Beautiful pictures and easy-to-understand directions, especially for beginners! I really enjoyed the emphasis on meditation through knitting and crafting. This push on mindfulness is something that I can definitely incorporate with my students as we work on crafts of our own. I also think that the beginner-level knitting patterns could be used for the upper-elementary students (fine arts club), focusing on being present during the craft and also helping to hone their fine-motor skills. The push for sustainability doesn't hurt either. I also love that the diversity of the models in the book (perfect for our student body to see themselves in books like this)!

Thank you for the copy! Received this review copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Press, Leaping Hare Press via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

A short, but on point, book about how mindful knitting is. The projects in the book are suitable for beginners and can be knit up in a few hours, which is very satisfying.

This book is especially good for a beginner knitter. Explanations for cast ons and your basic stitches. Pictures are very detailed. For someone who already knows how to knit it really isn't something I would purchase. It would be a good gift for someone who is thinking of starting.

If you are interested in knitting and are looking for some easy patterns that you can use either around the home or for yourself then Conscious Crafts: Knitting is here to guide you into this new world.

Before you are introduced to any patterns, an entire chapter is dedicated to how to knit. This includes how to cast on and bind off, the knit and purl stitch with their congenital variations, how to do some basic stitch patterns like the garter and stockinette stitch, as well as how to change colour in a project.

The patterns in Conscious Crafts: Knitting are separated into two different sections. ‘I am grateful for the home that I have’, this section covers patterns that are for general around-the-home items. These include cushion covers, place pot cozies (like the one on the cover of the book), dish clothes and knitted blankets. ‘my confidence is my best accessory’ has patterns that are for wearables. Patterns such as fringed scarves, basketweave bags and rib twist headband are some of the patterns that you can make for yourself.

While the selection of patterns included are good, nothing has stood out for me to make aside from the plant cozies, and unfortunately I do not have any indoor potted plants to make any for. If you do find any of the patterns within interesting then I am sure that you will find this book helpful.

This is such a cute book! The beginning pages has great visual instructions that teach not only knitting & purling, but also show visually how different types of stitches look on a swatch. The patterns themselves would be easy enough for beginners, with a few that are more intermediate. That said, I think this would be great for a knitter at any skill level. The patterns themselves are cute and functional and look like a lot of fun to make!

This is a lovely basic knitting book from the co-founders of the Black Girl Knit Club. It will work well for those who are brand new to knitting and who want simple projects to start. There are lots of photos and instructions on how to do a variety of knitting techniques and then projects for the home (like coasters and bathmats) and to wear (like fingerless gloves). It's very basic but great for those new to knitting, and yay for representation.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Extremely basic design knit book. Maybe great for a beginners. Nothing jumped out to me that I needed to knit right away. In some of the pictures the knitted item was wonky looking.

Inspirational knitting that will get you back to your needles and working on a fun, new, useful, and fulfilling project.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! I liked this book and the patterns included in it a lot. It was geared towards beginners, but that's not a bad thing and the patterns were definitely sweet and geared toward useful and reusable items. My favorite part of this book, however, (beyond the use of Black models!) was the affirmations at the bottom of each pattern for the reader to think about before/during the crafting process. (note - some of the pages were upside down in the copy I received, which did make it harder to read at times.)

A very basic knitting guide. I am sure beginners will appreciate the well presented information and colorful pictures.

This was a cute and fun book! Conscious Crafts: Knitting is a beginners knitting book written by Vanessa Koranteng and Sicgmone Kludje. I really liked the format of this book; it was simple and easy to read.
I consider myself more of an experienced knitter, so I was able to understand all of the instructions fairly easily. However, from my understanding these patterns are beginner friendly. The pictures are clear and easy to understand. The book also explains the different patterns that the stitches create. The patterns are also easy to understand, and they include pictures.
Overall this is a good beginners knitting book to read. I personally like knitting in a round and using circular knitting needles, so it may be too easy for experienced knitters. But I think that this is a good book to start knitting with.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

This is a cute beginning knitting book for those who are looking to make some smaller projects. The Black Girl Knit Club aims to use crafting as mediation and they do a good job of it in this book. There are very clear instructions on how to knit and 20 projects, most of which are very beginner. I especially liked the section at the end where they give you instructions on how to make your own yarn. This process is similar to making t-shirt yarn or "plarn" out of plastic bags, but they use fabric to make a super bulky yarn. I think that would be a great way to use up fabric and make a personalized project.. It would be nice if they included a super bulky project to use said yarn for, but it was an interesting way to use the previous models of making "yarn" and using a different medium.