Customer Reviews

Knitted Bears: Eight Special Friends For You To Knit

5 star:		(10)
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This is one terrific group of nontraditional bears! They're so cute and so long and gangly that any child will be pleased to drag them around by their limp little legs and stuff their little paws into socks and cardigans to go out to play. These are the kinds of bears that will become best friends and lifelong pals for the children in your life. The expressive faces, the vivid personalities and the perfect little wardrobes offer something for every child and for every knitter.

These bears are another offering from the author of Knitted Babes. After making some of the "Babes", I have to say that I much prefer the bears, simply for their quirky cuteness. I've made two bears now and I'm very pleased with the results. Everyone who's seen them laughs out loud and hugs them, adults and children alike. This is a great way to use up leftover yarns and odds and ends. The results also rival the current amigurumi trend for cuteness. I've never seen any amigurumi toys as cute as these little gems.

The only downside to the entire collection is that all of the knitting is done flat on two needles. I'm such a lazy knitter, who hates finishing and sewing up work, that I'd so much prefer directions that knit in the round when possible. I'm sure there's some kind of advantage to making 3-dimensional objects by knitting flat and sewing up, but I haven't been able to find it yet. I'm still giving this book 5 stars, though, because laziness is a personal issue and certainly not the author's problem.

Excellent and highly recommended to one and all! If you liked Knitted Babes, you'll fall in love with Knitted Bears and Claire Garland will become your lasting favorite. Go on, get up and make one for yourself and then make one for every child in your life!

I sent for this book through Amazon and I LOVE IT!! I have made one bear and a pair of shoes.
The pattern was error-free and easy to do. This pattern allowed me to be so creative. I used standard 4-ply worsted yarn with size 4 knitting needles and for "paws" I used fancy fur yarn I got from the dollar store. I made the bear purple and the paws turquoise and she already travels with the motorhome. I put an old sock with plastic pellets in the body for weight. The one thing I liked most is the NECK!! In Knitted Babes and Dream Toys the necks are just so wobbly. I used wooden spoons (I cut them down to size) to re-enforce the necks on the knitted babes which are a hoot. This bear is so much more substantial and I think could hold up to more play without additional support!
The pictures in the book are a treat and I love COLOR!! So far the patterns are clear and easy to follow. I always copy patterns on paper anyway so I can keep track of rows.
I only wonder what Claire will come up with next. I just know one thing... I am a HUGE FAN!!

This book was my first attempt at knitting toys and I'm on my third bear. Adorable, easy and fun to knit and kids love them. I would recommend to anyone looking for a toy that is unusual and kids will love to play with.

This is the best book, these bears are so different and fun. Any child given one of these bears just lights up. The intructions are easy to follow and the clothing and colours excellent.

This year I am working on crocheted and knitted toy animals, right now mainly teddy bears, that I hope to sell in order to raise funds for my wildlife rehabilitation expenses which go in the high hundreds every year. In order to attract attention they need to be different but cute, and when I saw this book I decided to give it a try. Haven't had a chance to make any since I'm busy with others, but this book will definitely get a workout and also give me ideas for my own creations. These bears are simply too cute for words and look easy enough to make. I can't wait to start!

Clear,concise,easy to follow patterns. Plenty of room to be creative with yarn types and colors. Have made two so far and both the bears and outfits have come out as expected. Children and adults LOVE them!

I received this book for Christmas and I've already made 2 bears. I LOVE them. The toys I make go to our local children's hospital. I can envision the children hugging their new friends as I knit away. My only regret is that I only have 2 hands and can only make one at a time. The instructions are easy to follow. I love the design of the faces, which result in a great nose and snout shape. Personnally, I think the legs and arms are too long, but I'm not a kid. If the kids love them, that's what counts!

I haven't made up any of the bears yet, so this review is based on text and pictures alone, but if you're looking for a non-traditional and colorful collection of bears, this is the book. The bears are very lanky -- just the sort of bear that young kids like dragging around by arm or leg. The designs employ a wide variety of tactile yarns (in very standard weights) and I'm itching to dig through my oddballs and put them to work.

These bears are cute and styled differently from my many other knitted/crocheted bear patterns.
Their faces are pointed and their arms and legs are all gangly.
They are all based on a basic bear pattern, given in the book so they all have these gangly proportions and pointy faces.
There are variations in colour and size giving them different personalities. Clothing of differing styles and colours completes each variation.
The author gives a couple of paragraphs describing the personality of each bear. These descriptions are entertaining and are not so long that they take away from the knitting patterns.
As a bonus, this book is available used and remaindered at VERY reasonable prices. At those prices, it is a true bargain.
If you like knitting toys, dolls or, especially, bears, this book belongs in your collection.

The book gives 8 different bears to knit which I haven't seen before and the patterns are simple to make.