Member Reviews
This book’s strong point is information about knitting in general – needles, gauge, blocking. Yarn substitution is addressed (and the acknowlegement that expense is a factor). Throughout the book are tips that are often truly helpful. For the most part the patterns didn’t grab me, partly because they are too warm – not all coasts are cold. I do like the hooded shawl and the instructions are well written. Although I may not make anything from this book it has been worth reading.
Ho hum - I was so excited to see a knitting book on NetGalley and then I was so disappointed. No weights are given for the patterns which is frustrating when it's not a well known wool being recommended. And the patterns are boring. You can find far better patterns online for free without much effort. Also, why is practically every knit item blue? I get that it's coastal knitting, but the ocean isn't always blue and all the blue gets monotonous when it feels like every pattern is blue.
Even as a fairly seasoned knitter, I still managed to learn some new tips and tricks within the beginning chapter and each of the patterns were fairly easy to follow. The items made were gorgeous as well!
An enjoyable group of simple patterns in lush yarns that should provide hypnotic and relaxing projects that even knitting novices should enjoy. The patterns do not involve charting but instead rely on written instructions which are richly supported by advice on myriad topics to enable the best reproduction possible. Everything from tips on specific yarn substitutions, effective needles, and handy advice on construction should make the user’s’ experience more enjoyable and reduce the frustration that occurs from common challenges in knitting. This would appear to be an excellent choice for beginning knitters looking to expand their knowledge.
As a newer knitter, I enjoyed that this book explained about different types of yarn and dye lots. I found that information incredibly helpful (and not necessarily included in books that teach you how to knit). The patterns are beautiful in this book and I can't wait to knit what is inside this book! I love the beachy vibe and this book puts me in that mood. Highly recommend this for any level of knitter.
Thanks NetGalley, Globe Pequot, and Stackpole Books for access to this arc.
Instructional content at the beginning of book: 5/5
Patterns: 2/5
When I was first going through this book, I got so excited. The first bit of this book is so very informative, so many tips and fantastic tips for new and experienced knitters alike! The patterns, however, leave a lot to be desired. They're all pretty basic, and they feel like designs I've seen over and over again (and for free online). Nothing particularly caught my eye or made me excited and want to whip my yarn out right away. And why so many ponchos?! The sizing running small is disappointing as well.
Cute knits with a coastal vibe. This book contains adorable patterns and well written instructions.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy
Cozy Coastal Knits is a fun and well curated collection of portable knitting projects to take on vacations and trips (and which will remind you of your holidays every time you use it). Written and designed by Rosann Fleischauer. Due out 1st June 2023 from Rowman & Littlefield on their Stackpole imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
The designs are simple and mostly classic and won't soon be dated. The items are basic staples and are mostly smaller/portable like hats, shawls, mitts, and cowls, though there are a few larger projects: ponchos, a skirt, and a pullover. There are some unisex pieces, including the pullover, a classic crew neck long sleeve mid-gauge staple. All are for adults. There are 21 projects total, many are accessories, but there are no socks included, for the sock-fanatics in the room. There are a couple of fingerless mitts included, though.
The introduction includes some good general info about gauge, tools, yarn substitution, and planning. It's not a learn-to-knit manual, and the author does presuppose basic knowledge on the part of the reader. She does include some very basic written technique tutorials like Kitchener and provisional cast on, but they're -very- basic (less than one page) and readers who are unfamiliar with the techniques would probably be better served watching a visual tutorial on youtube or ravelry.
The projects are all photographed very well and clearly, without items or models in the way. The aesthetic is clean and appealing (classic) and not at all trendy or frilly. The author/publisher have included a thumbnail gallery in the table of contents which is helpful and useful (and should frankly be standard for -all- tutorial books!).
Four and a half stars. Good holiday knitting and a wealth of patterns which use relatively small amounts of yarn, freeing knitters up to buy the most delicious extravagant yarns without buyer's remorse.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
This is a knitting pattern book with nice patterns. I thought it was going to be a book with patterns for things to wear at a beach. Instead it was a book with patterns inspired by the location of the beaches. The patterns are well written and easy to understand and follow. There are more ponchos than other accessories or garments. The pictures are not particularly inspired. Still I would enjoy knitting from the book.
Cozy Coastal Knits was a great little book full of cute aquatic themed knits. The pictures and art lend itself to the oceanic vibes and keep the book crisp yet cozy. I loved the various names and that the books was beginner friendly going into the how and the why before the patterns. There was a variety of yarns used and most were in a relatively accessible price range. I made the Nauset Beach Bandana and the pattern was clear and easy to follow. Where I found it lacking was the size inclusivity of the clothing items. The women’s clothing only go up to about an 8-10 while the men’s sweater goes up to XL. Additionally, I wished that the weight of the yarn was listed with the yarn on each pattern. I had to search to find the suggested weight on some of them to figure out what to use. Lastly, I thought there were a few too many ponchos. Overall the knits feel pretty modern and the 6 poncho patterns don’t seem to fit.
I really enjoyed the content in this book as it was very informative and there were a lot of clear pictures to help explain what to do for the best results. I really like all the tools that were suggested and why you would need to use them. I especially liked the "Pro Tip" that was given throughout the book. Even though this book is for experienced knitters, it is also great for beginners as well as it gave so many useful tips to help with knitting in general.
The knitting patterns seem like they make sense, but I wouldn't know until I start knitting these patterns.
I'm quite torn on this title - on the one hand, the front matter is fantastic. I was especially impressed by the extensive material on yarn substitution, which is very rare for this kind of book - usually a book will just give the fancy partnership yarn the samples are made from, with no guidance on how to substitute it. The usually perfunctory "well, in case you don't know to knit here's how" section is also well developed, which makes sense because these patterns are all well within a beginner's reach. Each design has several photographs from different angles, which is great! This is also quite timely, with the whole "coastal grandmother" aesthetic. The thing is, I just can't sign off on these patterns - they're so basic that you can find something similar essentially anywhere. There's no garment in this book that I can imagine somebody being so excited about that they just had to purchase it (and sorry, that skirt is fugly.) There's only one sweater and it's extremely basic, two mitts, two hats, a few cowls, a ton of ponchos. I'm not sure most of the ponchos really even need a pattern, just a stitch pattern. I would love all knitting pattern books to be more like this one, it's truly well done - but the patterns themselves are a real snooze.
I love knitting and crocheting and I love any coast. Ms. Fleischauer presents a collection of mitts, headbands and hats, bandanas, shawls, and ponchos named after bodies of water, a clever idea on its own. I was, however, disappointed by the book. There is one men's sweater, one sleeveless women's tank, and one skirt, but six ponchos. Six ponchos out of a book of twenty-one patterns is too many. I reviewed the Net Galley ARC (advanced readers' copy), and there is one major error: the Atlantic and Pacific ponchos appear to be the exact same pattern; same description, same special stitch, same instructions. I'm not sure if there was meant to be a difference between these and an editing and layout mistake was made. Overall, the book is laid out nicely, with lots of tropical photos for the location shots, and contains written patterns but no charts with simple schematics. But the duplicate pattern, whether an accident or intentional, means this book has to receive a poor review.
This book was reviewed two months before publication date; way too close for an ARC to have that kind of blunder in it.
This is more than just a book with knitting patterns, about 35% of the book consists of super useful information most knitters do not know, even the experienced ones! I hope the people who are going to knit patterns from this book take their time and read through the non-patterns part of the book also! My personal favorite was the part about gauge, this misunderstood, overlooked, and often weirdly ignored thing by most knitters who then proceed to be disappointed in the pattern for the garment not being the right size – but all just because they ignored the gauge and some even have no idea what that gauge thing is. Here it is explained so well, also it is explained why gauge matters.
There are knitting patterns to make mitts, cowls, ponchos, shawls, and hats, and there are beautiful pictures of those. The instructions are detailed enough to help even beginner knitters make beautiful knit garments.
The patterns are nautical-themed, but I believe those can be made in other yarns and other colors and used for any other theme as well.
This is such a beautifully made knitting book! It inspires you to go get your knitting needles and head to the nearest yarn store to pick out the cuddliest yarn for your (mine!) next knitting project.
Beautiful well written book. There is a nice variety of patterns and they all appear to be very well written with clear instructions. I can’t wait to make a few things from this book!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
The title really drew me in Cozy Coastal Knits. Love this whole fashion concept. Thought there would be
a little more towards the clean coastal look . There were lots of great tips and knitting information that would be helpful fora newbie. I would love to come across this book at the library, don't know if it is a book I need to own.
Cozy Coastal Knits has some interesting patterns for shawls and ponchos. While many of the designs are lovely, the pictures were blurry and sometimes dull in my e-book copy. They may be better in print (I'm not sure). I think it would be nice to have a bit more variety in this book. The styles seems a bit limited to an older age group.
Great intermediate patterns for those in colder weather! It provided information about knitting as well as an abundance of patterns that follow the coastal style. I cant wait to try to make the hooded shaw!
As an avid knitter living in the South, I looked forward to a book of patterns geared towards warmer climates. Unfortunately, this book is mostly geared towards the "Coast" of the Northeast. There are patterns for things like mittens and hats, which are never needed in places like Florida. There are several patterns for ponchos, which might be used on in the winter months on the beach. If you are looking for poncho patterns, this is the book for you.
The book contains 50 pages of material on the basic how-to's of knitting. If you're an experienced knitter, you'll likely skip right over this material. Most of the yarns required for the patterns are not readily available. I really wish the author had specified the weight of the yarn instead.
A solid collection of patterns for the intermediate knitter. Cozy Coastal Knits has some lovely patterns of shawls, hats, ponchos - all perfect things for the "coastal grandma" look that has been so popular lately. Coupled with lovely pictures of the water and some small towns, it's a nice book to look at as well as to knit from. My only critique is that on my electronic copy, some of the font was slightly difficult to read, but it's something I think would be solved in a hard copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.