Knit One, Felt Too

May 1, 2004
Adult/High School-Many of these 25 patterns will appeal to teens. The thorough instructions and colorful photographs will entice any knitter (and some would-be knitters) to pick up a pair of needles and get started. Teen-friendly projects include colorful hats, beautiful bags, snuggly slippers, and a teddy bear. The illustrated glossary of terms is a great resource for new knitters.-Christine Jones, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2004
Felted knitting involves knitting an object with a feltable yarn such as wool or mohair and then machine washing it to shrink it down to a lovely rich felt so compact that individual stitches are no longer visible. In this book, Taylor rightly emphasizes knitting and felting a swatch before starting a project. In addition to 25 eye-catching projects, she includes profiles of felting artists with photos of their work. Projects are printed in a reader-friendly, quick-reference chart form, and the clear instructions make this book the best choice for those new to the craft. Designs include a colorful carryall shaped like a lunch sack, children's bunny slippers, and gorgeous hats, mittens, and felted bags-there's even a wine sack and a glitzy evening bag. All the projects are suitable for beginning or intermediate knitters. This is a worthy companion to Beverly Galeskas's recent Felted Knits. Large public libraries will want to purchase both titles, but small public libraries will find Knit One, Felt Too has more bang for their bucks.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2004
As Taylor notes, it's disconcerting to shrink a sweater in the washer, but if you knit a loose, oversize garment and then shrink it on purpose, you have turned a wool object into felt. But it's not quite as simple as that. Some yarns and some brands felt more quickly, some need a few minutes in the washer, and others require three full cycles. Taylor offers 25 projects, first showing how to knit the item, then how to get the desired look. The projects are quite inventive, from toddler slippers shaped like bunnies to wine bags decorated with grapes. Taylor's enthusiasm combined with the straightforward instructions and eye-catching color photos will entice knitters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)