Oct 13 You can use this seasonal book in two ways – give it as a present to any knitter or buy it for yourself and make one or more sweaters for Christmas gifts. The average handknit takes about 60 hours to knit – so get started now in time for Christmas. There are ideas for all the family, but I am not certain how many men would be persuaded to wear a Christmas pudding sweater in public! Giles Brandreth certainly. These are that type of sweater, bold festive designs that you either love or hate. There is a good how to section, basic sweater patterns in small, medium, large and extra large, plus children’s sizes from 5-12 years. The sizing chart is given at the back of the book. There are 6 sweater designs with excellent coloured, fold-out charts. All the designs use intarsia or fair-isle type where you strand the yarn across the back. When you have knitted the sweater, you can store the chart in the handy flap at the back. Clear photos, excellent instructions, but for me, these are all children’s designs.
Karen Platt Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk/crafts
Dec 13 This book is well aimed at all those who like a bit of kitsch in their Christmas outfits. Containing a series of jumpers that can be knitted for adults and children alike (yes, you can have a whole matching family), it works on the basis that you have a basic knitting pattern in several sizes and motifs, which you then knit using the intarsia or Fair Isle technique and incorporate into the pattern. Chosen to promote Christmas Jumper Day with Save the Children, the Snowman motif is an instant favourite and one that you might have seen publicized recently. However, there is a selection of images, from reindeers to Father Christmas and also a Winter Tree or Nordic Fair Isle, which are a little less ‘in-your-face’ and are actually quite tasteful designs. From a knitter’s point-of-view, having each size pattern on a different page is a real bonus, so as to avoid mixing up sizes when making the jumper and finding you’ve made an XL front and a child’s back (not that we’ve ever done that….) . The stitches used are pretty straightforward, but you would need to be comfortable with colour work before embarking on one of these jumpers. It might be better to start with one of the smaller motifs (there’s a robin as part of the Snowman jumper) and practice getting the tension right before launching into the jumper. Also, the pattern for each motif fits into the pattern for the jumper, so if you are so enthusiastic that you knit all the patterns in the book, there is scope for developing your own designs within that space. Overall, a great book for Christmas knitters.
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