Customer Reviews

Weekend Knitting: 50 Unique Projects and Ideas

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In great-grandma's day I imagine that there was time to knit finger puppets, "egg cozies" and checker boards. Today, however, time (especially for knitting) is precious. Perhaps that explains why my enthusiasm for a book called "Weekend Knitting" quickly turned to disappointment. I was looking forward to useful knitting projects (yes, I realize how pragmatic and "un-creative" that sounds) such as sweaters, scarves and hats, slippers, and luscious afghans; and although there were a few of these projects, there also seemed to be a good deal of repetition such as page after page of mittens with little or no variation. I knit for the love of knitting, but when I invest my time and energy I want to have something substantial and beautiful to show for it.

Well, if you are not a BUSY people, you can finish the project in a weekend. Some projects can be finished in few hours, but some can't. The Egg cozies are not useful, but, I like them. I knitted them for decorations. I even used it to make Christmas Cards and decorations. Overall, only 3-4 projects attracted me.

I am an experienced knitter and was very excited about getting this book as a gift. The pictures are beautiful and there were several projects that looked challenging enough for me to learn a few new things. I started by making the gloves. After getting confused by the instructions and having to rip out the first glove several times I consulted other patterns and found several errors in this book. In order to finish these I had to completely revise the pattern and ignore the book. Even after this I felt that one bad pattern wasn't worth dismissing the entire book, so I tried the brioche scarf. Once again the pattern was confusing and I had to chart my own waters to complete the scarf. Unless you are using the book merely as inspiration to develop your own projects I would not recommend it.

i adore this book. i'm a relatively experienced knitter and i've had no problems with any of the patterns so far. i've knit several of the flower washcloths, some turtleneck egg cozies, the super mittens, the felted stash accessories bag, and am currently in the midst of knitting the union square poncho. and i'll probably use this excellent book for many of the other patterns. i think the instructions are quite clear, especially the notes included in each pattern that explain any difficult parts of the project. also, as many other reviewers have noted, the pictures are quite beautiful. it's the perfect book for us younger(ish) knitters who want simple and hip (but not too hip) patterns--with a great range in level of difficulty--that inspire us to knit more.

yes, the photos are beautiful and i wanted to try many of the projects. but the patterns are unnecessarily difficult and at times impossible -- i tried making the curly toed elf slippers three times and it was a total bust. i am an experienced knitter, but this book can be quite frustrating. the washcloths do work, but the crystal palace chenille pulls, try the new manos del uraguay cotton yarn instead.

I finally bought this book after checking it out of the library several times! I found the projects interesting and different. I am still a beginner knitter, and found a couple of the projects VERY challenging - particularily the brioche hat and the checkerboard, but I really enjoyed the results. I would highly recommend this book to knitters of any experience level.

This is a wonderful book that would make a great gift for any knitter, but especially for the serious beginner. It contains some projects that are dead-easy (such as the Uptown Scarf and the Fluffy Lapghan) some for people looking to move into the intermediate zone (such as the mitten patterns or Backgammon bag) and some more advanced (such as the felted/fulled market bag and cache-coeur top). It also contains patterns that would be great for someone looking to do lace for the first time, and some for those wanting to indulge in the trend of knit socks.

Though there is no "learn to knit" section, the patterns are well-written for easy reading, and there are excellent notes to help knitters with the tricky bits (including instructions on how to felt/full wool, along with the basics of choosing yarn for felting/fulling projects). Basically anyone could do any of these, given enough time and patient reading, and for that it is an excellent book for the "intermediate beginner" looking to stretch her (or his) knitting ability.

On the subject of time, whether or not one could complete all of these projects in a weekend, as the title seems to suggest, is largely dependant on the individual's skill level and knitting speed. As an Intermediate knitter, I could probably knit about half of these in a weekend (and probably more if I actually had the weekend to do nothing BUT knit). A beginner could probably pick from ten of the fifty projects, including the flower washcloths, the Uptown Scarf, the Checkers Tote (by the way, this project and the backgammon tote would be quite useful as a gift for a family of air travelers, since the new security regulations leave one seriously limited as to the type of entertainment one can bring on-board), and others. An advanced knitter could probably do most if not all of the projects in a weekend. At any rate, the feel and theme of the book certainly gives it a weekend appeal, so the title is appropriate no matter what your skill level.

The book's weekend appeal is enhanced by beautiful full-colour photos throughout and interesting sidebars, including (but certainly not limited to) a section on the proper way to make tea, a selection of movies that reference knitting, and a delicious hot chocolate recipe. Peppered with knitting and lifestyle quotes from people like St. Francis of Assisi, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and Virginia Woolf, this book is a pleasure to read, even when you're not looking for a project.

IF you're the kind of person who is seriously limited for time and doesn't have the patience for thorough reading or for knitting some silly objects (though the book is also packed full of useful items), this book is probably not for you, but for those who feel the joy of knitting is in taking some time away from the hustle and bustle to enjoy the simpler things in life, "Weekend Knitting" may be just what you need.

I love anything by Melanie Falick. This book has FANTATIC ideas with beautiful imagery. I have had her,"Kids Knittitng"(great for kids and adults), book for a while and this one is such a great addition. These aren't your grandmothers patterns. My kids beg me for these mittens, hats, etc. It's a book that gets you excited about knitting. A must have. You may want to put it out on you coffee table in between projects.

My favorite thing about this book is that there are lots of things to make for your home including chair cushions, pillows, game boards and lace inserts for pillowcases. There are even ideas for decorating with yarn so that you never have to feel guilty about yarn you just had to have but haven't found the right pattern for. There are also scarves, bags, shawls, socks, simple sweaters and baby clothes. I'm sure that most of the pattern will take several weekends to complete but the idea of the book is how to relax with your knitting on the weekends.

great photography, do-able projects, clear instructions I am a big fan of this book and would recommend it even to a beginning knitter.