About.com Rating
Garter Stitch is the place where most knitters start, but we don't always stick with Garter Stitch much after we learn how to purl.
That's a shame because Garter Stitch fabric is a lot more interesting than Stockinette and it can be used in projects that go beyond the beginner level. A bunch of designers shared their take on Garter Stitch and Universal Yarns' Deluxe Worsted yarn for the book 50 Garter Stitch Gifts to Knit: The Ultimate Easy-to-Knit Collection.
About the Book
- Pages: 160
- Format: paperback with interior flaps
- Number of patterns: 50 (though I counted 47, some are multiple pieces)
- Skill level: 16 are rated easy, 26 intermediate and 5 for advanced knitters
- Illustrations: full-color photographs
- Knitting lessons: none, but a useful techniques section in the back covers cast ons and bind offs, working in the round, picking up stitches, seaming and other skills needed for some of the projects
- Publication date: May 2015
- Publisher: Sixth & Spring Books
The Patterns
The book covers a wide range of accessories (as well as one woman's sized cardigan and two baby cardigans) for a variety of gift recipients, though most are for women or babies.
There are hats, cowls, scarves, blankets, toys, hats, bags, slippers and more. And lest you think that Garter Stitch has to be boring and simple, there are actually a lot of techniques used in these projects, including mosaic knitting, lace, short rows, drop stitches, stripes and color blocking.
Some of my favorites include the Graphic Mosaic Cowl, a long cowl with a simple repeating mosaic pattern worked in black and white by Susan Lowman; the Hole in One Cowl by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, which uses her Geometric Openwork technique to make a design full of delightful holes; Lisa Craig's Buttoned Capelet, a sweet little design worked with short rows and a lace edging; the Lace-Edge Shawlette from Cheryl Murray, again worked with short rows, this time including stripes and a deeper lace edging; the super-simple Drop Stitch Serape from Kim Haesemeyer, which looks warm and cozy and is perfect for newer knitters; Linda Cyr's Colorful Caryall Tote, a great stash-busting project if you happen to have a lot of wool around; and Lowman's beautiful Mosaic Diamonds Throw, which uses the same pattern worked in different colors for an interesting look.
Bottom Line
This book is a great collection of projects that shows that Garter Stitch is not just for beginners. While some of these projects are pretty easy, there is enough variety to keep knitters with more experience interested, too.
And while this is meant to be a book you'll keep on hand for gift knitting occasions, there are probably some things in here you'll want to knit for yourself as well.
Publisher's website
Projects on Ravelry
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.