Knitted Monsters book review!
// November 17th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Blog, Book Reviews, Knitting
Love knitting cute monsters? Rebecca Danger’s Big Book of Knitted Monsters
Hugo the Couch Monster
I couldn’t wait to break into the book and make a monster of my own! I chose Hugo the Couch Monster… he’s a real cutie! Since all of the patterns in the book are ‘any size, any yarn’ patterns… I was pleased to use up some of my stash! Hooray!
The book recommends using magic loop, but I’m a two-circulars sort-of-girl, and that technique worked out just fine!
And I’m very happy with my resulting cutie!
What do you think?
The Review
If you’re familiar with Rebecca Danger and her adorable monster patterns, then you know what this book is about! Big Book of Knitted Monsters
Besides the cuteness of the monsters, one of the big strengths of this book is the variety of yarns that are used to make the samples. Rebecca says in the introduction that the monsters can be knitted with any thickness yarn (and the appropriate sized needle), and she demonstrates the flexibility of her patterns throughout the book. Every monster in the book is knitted in at least two yarns: often a bulky yarn and a worsted weight yarn. It’s really great that you’re able to see how the pattern works up in different yarn choices… gets your creativity flowing!
One of the weaknesses of this book is the lack of detailed introductory and finishing information. I know why there isn’t: Martingale (the publisher) imposes an 80 page limit on its books. So of course, if you have a book with 20 different patterns, there isn’t much room for details. There are very helpful photographs sprinkled throughout the book, which I appreciate… but there are a few spots where you’re left to fill in the gaps. You’ll be instructed to ‘sew the arms on using a whipstitch’, but the exact positioning of the arms is up to you to sort out from the photograph (or maybe, your own creativity!).
Pros
- The writing in the book is whimsical, playful and enjoyable to read.
- The monsters are adorable.
- Each pattern can be knitted in a variety of yarn thicknesses and colorways, so there’s lots of options!
- Tricky knitting techniques are demonstrated through photographs: which are much clearer than an illustration.
- If you can knit on double points (or two circulars, or magic loop), you can do almost any of the patterns in this book. Most of the monsters are fairly simple to knit.
Cons
- The introduction is sparse. It contains information about how to do the magic loop technique, but you’ll need to look at an outside resource if you need help with other knitting techniques.
- Other reviews I’ve read have been disappointed in the similarity between the various monsters in the book. I, personally, am not too bothered by this… they’re knitted in Rebecca’s signature style, and each one demonstrates a different shape/feature. However, each monster has a glued-on mouth, and I would have liked to have seen one that doesn’t- since glued-on mouths aren’t safe for small children to play with. She mentions in the introduction that the monster would be just as cute with an embroidered mouth, but we don’t ever see one knitted up.
So, if you like monsters and are comfortable with basic knitting techniques (or, at least, feel confident looking for outside help if you need it), then this book is for you! Happy monster knitting!
(an adorable guide to sewing plush creations) and has just released Yummy Crochet! Besides writing, Kristen runs a storefront called 
. I learned to knit years ago and then decided I needed more instant gratification so I took up crochet. Because I work with so many amazing plush makers/amigurumi makers, I was asked to do Creature Crochet and then it sold so well they asked me to do another one. Yummy Crochet recently came out and can be found at Barnes & Noble. 
