Tuesday, July 30, 2013

All You Knit is Love: 20 Patterns for Romantic Handmade Gifts, by Debbie Harrold

All You Knit is Love:
20 Patterns for Romantic Handmade Gifts
Author: Debbie Harrold
Publisher: Collins and Brown
Publication Date: January 5, 2012
All I can say is, "Hooray for Debbie Harrold!" Thanks to All You Knit is Love, I can proudly say that I have finally followed my very first pattern. First, a little back story:

About two months ago I took up knitting. Quite frankly, I hated it at first (you can read more about that here) but I stuck with it, mostly out of spite. I wasn't going to let knitting beat me! After a while I stopped hating it and actually wanted to get better at it. I learned to knit, to purl, to cast on (eventually) and to bind off (pretty much). I hoped I was ready for some of those knitting books for beginners. Turns out that "beginner" doesn't mean beginner, at least not really (more about that here). Knitting patterns completely intimidated me. Following a pattern for the first time armed only with a glossary of abbreviations was a little like trying to read music for the first time after being given a list of what the notes meant. Not impossible, but not pretty.

But I knew I could do it, if only I could find a book simple enough, aimed at actual beginners. AND I DID IT! I made a little doll based on a pattern in this book! It may not be perfect, and it may not be fancy, but it was easy. Keep reading to see pictures!


Here's what I made:


This is what it looked like in the book. Aww cute. But I didn't really want a gingerbread couple, so I changed it a little.
First, I used bright yellow yarn (also, smaller needles, but that's just because it's what I had on hand). Here's what it looked before sewing and stuffing. I was a little worried about the pointy heads, but it all worked out in the end.
[Oh, and I totally made that Kobo cover, y'all. Not from a pattern though.]
See? Better already. At this point I still could have made a gingerbread man but I opted for a doll instead.
And here's the finished doll. Magda calls her "Amelia." I later made her some clothes and then a knitted friend. Yay!
Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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