a lil sumpin’-sumpin’, baby

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events

as i write this (on monday, before i left home), i’m not sure yet how many times i’ll have been able to get online to post from london, or if i’ve caused anyone at home to be sad that they’re not here at knit nation.

by the time you see this, knit nation will be done and even i might be a little sad. cookie, janel, and i will be spending our free day doing something fun, somewhere in england (and hopefully, not getting hopelessly lost; we need to catch planes monday morning!).

so i’ve prepared a little consolation entry for you to read until i wing my way home, with the help of tara at sixth&spring books

because she has another new release that she wants to share with us, sure to make you all drool and resort to babbling in baby talk

i mean, who does babies better than debbie bliss??
her simple, straightforward garments in cushy textures with just-right touches of trim always get me; not mention her unerring and unexpected sense of color.

design it, knit it babies is a useful guide to all aspects of knitting for babies and toddlers. the focus here is not on the garment patterns themselves, though. and truly, i don’t know how many of the items included (if any) have been previously published, but for me, it doesn’t matter.

because this book, a follow-up of sorts to her design it, knit, is more a roadmap for knitting garments on the smaller side, rather than a collection of patterns.

beginning with a discussion of yarn types and weights, debbie discusses how to sort through the many possibilities available to choose the right materials, textures, colors, and amount of design detail to make small garments that are special, but not overwhelmingly so.

as she progresses through each aspect of the garment design to discuss and debate about what works and what doesn’t, she offers a plethora of photographic examples to illustrate

and finalizes each section with a few projects that put her discussion points to work

included is an excellent segment on size and shape as well as proportion—important when the need arises to knit for the smallest of babies.

being the aunt of many boys (and a tomboy or two), i liked the chapter on rugged knits very much, having knit many that got passed from boy to boy over the years

there is a fine line between “sturdy” and “stifling” (and also between “fun” and “loud”)—boys do love their knits, but they won’t stay on long if the fabric is stiff, bulky, or difficult to get on and off. and why not make them fun to look at while we’re at it?

i was really glad to see the discussion of the artful use of trims and embellishments—here again, a judicious eye to color and proportion is emphasized

to help an over-enthusiastic knitter avoid that “wedding cake” look and instead, produce classy, timeless favorites with just the right touch of feminine charm or boyish fun.

featured trims and embellishments are attractive, yes, but also soft to the touch, scaled appropriately to the garment size, and (probably most important to parents) easy to care for

garments that have too many fussy details tend to lay about unworn, unfortunately, for fear they will be ruined. and yet, a procession of plain, boring clothes may be overlooked. acquiring a sense of just how much is enough pays off handsomely.

at the back, a workbook space is provided for making notes and sketches, with several useful tools to help the knitter visualize and prepare a design. the covered spiral binding allows it to be opened flat and used as a working notebook.

while not necessarily a guide to designing from scratch, this book provides a nice bridge to begin putting together one’s own design idea on an existing shape, with visual prompts from an experienced designer’s eye. it’s a great place to start or to help organize a too-full drawer of mental ideas.

as with other sixth&spring releases, we are lucky today to have a copy of design it, knit it babies to give away: sixth&spring books has generously offered to send the book one lucky winner. if you’d like to receive a copy, leave a comment at the end of this post some time before 9 pm on tuesday, aug 3rd. i’ll announce the winner upon my return home, probably wednesday morning (but don’t hold me to that; i’m not sure when i’ll be human enough to blog next).

213 thoughts on “a lil sumpin’-sumpin’, baby

  1. You KNOW how many babies I have to knit for!!!!
    Debbie for Debby!
    Can’t wait to hear about the trip.

  2. Welcome home, Anne (in advance)

    I have never put my name in before, but I am feeling lucky today. And I would really like to have this book!

  3. Hah! Well into the hundreds, so I’ll leave a comment thanking you for bringing my attention to the technique and design aspects of the book. I’ve tired of pattern collections and really like some meat in my library additions – this one looks like it is nice and plump. I’ll wait to hear that I didn’t win, then I’ll add it to my list of future purchases!

  4. Oh, what fun it would be to design something small and see the results fairly quickly. I’ve always been a sucker for baby knits!

    I hope you had a wonderful time in London – did you have high tea at Harrod’s or the Orangery? Yum…

  5. Welcome home! I’m looking forward to your blog about your trip.

    Looks like a great book, one I could get a lot of use from over the next few years as the first baby of the next generation has just been born into our family. I’m sure she’ll be joined by cousins ere long.

  6. Oh, WoW! I love Debbie Bliss, and I have almost all of her books. I would love to add this one to my collection. I know you’ve had a wonderful time in London.

  7. Looks like a great book and I am sure a copy would get alot of use at my house! A number of my nieces and nephews are starting to have families of their own. Thus my needles are staying quite busy! Would love to be picked to have a copy!!!

  8. In the past 2 years, I have been blessed with 4 grand children…2 boys and 2 girls. I have babies to knit for!!!! I would love the book.

    Knit Nation sounds wonderful. Yes, I am totally envious. But, then I am envious of your garden,too.

  9. Recently I used an edging from Debbie Bliss’s “Classic Knits for Kids” and I just loved looking back through the designs. I’ve seen on Ravelry where knitters have used some of the designs to knit themselves an adult version. So YES I would love another one of her books, because I now have a niece to knit for!

    Kelli Page

  10. With a 19 month old granddaughter (who happens to live in London), I could sure use the new Debbie Bliss book!

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