Sara's reading log

I am a book hoarder and reader. My main genre is SF, but I also love magic realism, fantasy and general fiction. Favorite authors are Iain M. Banks, Ursula K. LeGuin, Haruki Murakami, José Saramago, Isaac Asimov, Ben Aaronovitch and more. My rating system is based on five stars. I rate books based on my expectations and what a books aims to be. This means that the brilliant 'Fahrenheit 451' gets five stars because I thought it would be good, people said it was good, and it was good, but 'A Closed and Common Orbit' also gets five stars because in its series, in its style, I really enjoyed it and was not disappointed.

Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther

  • Read in: English
  • Rating: *****
  • Genre(s): Craft

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I love crafting for my kids, even though they might not always appreciate it. I love the idea of making toys for my kids, cuddlies and other things. When this book of knitted animal dolls came up for review I couldn’t resist. These gorgeous dolls with changeable clothes and accessories are so cute, I am sure our kids would love to have one.

There are patterns for 13 different animals. The book starts out with patterns for the standard body parts (body (with three different fronts and a patch), arms and legs (with two different feet). Then for each animal the patterns for the head and ears is given, and for the clothes that the animal is wearing. Because all animals are based on the same standard body it is easy to mix and match all clothes and accessories. Lots of pictures are provided to show color placement, placement and assembly of different elements and other important details. At the end of the book the patterns for the shoes and shorts are grouped together because they are reused for several animals.

The book starts with a very short list of materials and tools, and a detailled list of used abbreviations. Experienced knitters can dive right in. For those who need a little bit more help, techniques are explained. This includes help with the assembly (with lot’s of pictures, I love it) and the more complicated techniques (including picking up stitches, intarsia, fair isle and casting on). The book does not cover the basic knit stitches. The bodys of the animals are worked flat and seemed up, some of the clothes and accessories are worked in the round.

The patterns in this book are very cute, and I cannot wait to knit one with several clothing options for the kids. Because of the cuteness this is a five star book for me!

  • Read in: English
  • Rating: *****
  • Genre(s): Craft

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I love crafting for my kids, even though they might not always appreciate it. I love the idea of making toys for my kids, cuddlies and other things. When this book of knitted animal dolls came up for review I couldn’t resist. These gorgeous dolls with changeable clothes and accessories are so cute, I am sure our kids would love to have one.

There are patterns for 13 different animals. The book starts out with patterns for the standard body parts (body (with three different fronts and a patch), arms and legs (with two different feet). Then for each animal the patterns for the head and ears is given, and for the clothes that the animal is wearing. Because all animals are based on the same standard body it is easy to mix and match all clothes and accessories. Lots of pictures are provided to show color placement, placement and assembly of different elements and other important details. At the end of the book the patterns for the shoes and shorts are grouped together because they are reused for several animals.

The book starts with a very short list of materials and tools, and a detailled list of used abbreviations. Experienced knitters can dive right in. For those who need a little bit more help, techniques are explained. This includes help with the assembly (with lot’s of pictures, I love it) and the more complicated techniques (including picking up stitches, intarsia, fair isle and casting on). The book does not cover the basic knit stitches. The bodys of the animals are worked flat and seemed up, some of the clothes and accessories are worked in the round.

The patterns in this book are very cute, and I cannot wait to knit one with several clothing options for the kids. Because of the cuteness this is a five star book for me!