Holiday Knitting Boutique

I would like to introduce you to a great book of knitting projects that I was asked to review by the author. You might like it too.

Holiday Knitting Boutique by Mary Jean Daigneault if a full color book, ISBN 0615478751 puclished by Praxis 2012. Here is the review that I wrote for Amazon:

I was asked to review this book by the author as not only I do book reviews, I am heavily into needlework crafts and have an on line store that sells sewing patterns, so anything having to do with needlework is something I want to read about. Even though I am not a knitter, I love reading about knitting and seeing great projects and that is what you will find in this book. Great projects! While being called projects for holidays, most of the designs with a color change could be used for holidays and occasions other than Christmas.

The author is an interior designer as well as a knitter and this shows throughout the book. Her items are lovely and things that can be lived with, not those tatty, cheap, make in 15 minutes nonsense. Through lovely yarns (which I wanted to reach onto the page and touch) and an artist’s eye you will find some great three dimensional items unlike anything I have seen in any knitting book, such as large snowmen, pillows, wreaths, trees, etc. The closest you get to a 'same old stuff' in the book is the beanie hat. Otherwise all the designs looked fresh and original.

The only reason that I gave this book 4 instead of a 5 is I felt that some of the project information at the beginning of each project was lacking enough detail. While I didn't read and can't comment on the actual knitting directions, I did read the 'ingredient' list and blurbs of the need to know information, and it didn't seem to me to be enough for good follow through on the projects unless the knitter is more experienced. Perhaps that is just because I'm not a knitter.  Also, while the book has lovely color illustrations of the completed projects, there were no intermediate illustrations or diagrams on how to put some of these projects together. Some crafters really do need clues on how to put things together even if they have knitted it correctly especially these large 3D projects.

All in all though a really terrific book with some great ideas.

I certainly hope for the sake of knitters, that the author continues with designing new knitting projects and writing books about them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~