02/02/09
If you like knitting for babies (and what knitter doesn't?), finding patterns isn't a problem. Browse Amazon and you'll find dozens of books on the subject. And the Internet is brimming with free patterns for every knittable baby item imaginable (and even some you probably can't imagine). So I'm guessing that when Washington knitting shop owner Marie Connolly decided to write a book on baby knitting, she wanted to make it a little different than everything else out there. And in some ways, she succeeded - "The Expectant Knitter" (Potter Craft, $27.50) is aimed at pregnant knitters, and filled with patterns to knit while you're waiting for the baby. It also includes notes about what to expect each week of pregnancy, and tips for dealing with things like morning sickness. My two quibbles with the book: First, while there are plenty of cute patterns in the book (including some for Dad, Mom and older siblings), none of them are dramatically new and exciting. Nothing struck me (a knitter who knits A LOT of baby items) as a must-knit. Nothing stuck out to me as a new go-to knit when I find out a friend is expecting. Second, I'm just not sure a knitting book is the place for pregnancy tips. As a recently pregnant knitter, I can think of a million places I would look for advice on handling morning sickness before I would look for tips in a knitting book. I'd rather see advice on knitting-related topics, like a list of knitted items that are really useful once the baby comes. (For example, I wish I had knit far fewer sweaters for my baby girl, and far more bibs.) All that said, though, I enjoy reading Connolly's pattern notes - it's like chatting with another knitting mom. And will I knit from the book? Sure, at some point. As long as people keep having babies, I'll keep knitting.
read more
