If you
made those long knitted tubes with a knitting nancy or dolly
bobbin as a child, you will enjoy making these clothes and
toys for youngsters as an adult with a knitting loom. No prior
knitting skills required!
I like the way this book opens with a good detailed guide
on exactly what you need to be a loom knitter and why. As
with the rest of this book, there is plenty of wit in the
author's descriptions of the items, many of which most people
will already own. There is a section on buying yarn and understanding
ball bands, getting tension right and stitching up etc. You
can even do cable on modern looms, and of course there is
plenty about how the various knitting stitches are done on
a loom, complete with clear diagrams.
You can
learn how to embellish, embroider and more, read the charts,
and there is even a handy chart showing baby measurements
in metric and imperial. In short, there is a lot to get through
before any actual knitting takes place, so maybe if you just
want to learn a little in order to make something -- anything
-- in order to see what loom knitting is all about, you might
want to do your actual learning elsewhere. Also, the projects
are not all made on the same loom as there are many different
sizes and shapes, so you will need to invest in more than
one if you want to make quite a few of the items in the book.
If you already know the basics or have the right kind of mind
for a lot of theory, dive into the projects. There are thirty
of them, and although there are a lot of baby knitting books
on the market. this one does have more imagination than most.
As well as clothes, hats and accessories, there are some neat
toys, including several dinosaurs, and a pirate eye patch
and sword for backyard toddler fun. Add in novelty pacifier
holders, sleeping bag, bibs and my own favorite, a ballerina
dress, and you have a nursery full of fun items that look
quick and interesting to make. All that dense theory might
look a bit daunting, but the end result is impressive and
shows how versatile a loom can be.
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