Gifted: Lovely Little Things To Knit and Crochet

by Mags Kandis

         This book is filled with exactly what it says on the tin – lovely little things, the sort of items that make good presents or charity sale donations. Also included to make the gifts more special are recipes for both edible and sweetly scented treats to make your handmade presents seem even more generous.

When Christmas (or the festival of your choice) is just around the corner a book like this is a one-stop shopping experience. Divided into two halves, you can pick from “gifts for the body” and “gifts for the soul”. The body includes various wearables such as caps, scarves, jewelry, baby items, bags and more. The soul section contains items that are not wearable, although quite why these are for the soul eludes me in most cases. Choose from egg cozies, crocheted flowers, needlecases, pincushions, and scented sachets to name a few. Intermediate yarncrafters will find plenty to inspire in here, as well as projects that include felting, embroidery, beading and other embellishments. If you don’t know how to do these things you won’t learn how in here, but this is a book of projects not a primer. There are four recipes and these include ideas as to what to include with them, such as the mulling spice mix, which is a natural partner for the felted crochet circles to adorn a Christmas tree. At the back a few stitches are shown, as well as different casting on methods, some embroidery stitches, a useful glossary of terms and a page of US stockists. This book will have especial appeal for those of you who love to felt, but feel that there are not many books of projects around once the technique has been learned.