Customer Reviews

Teddy Bears: Twenty-Five Irresistible Designs for Knitted Bears

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking for a pattern book for teddy bears but never found what I was looking for (actual teddy bears, not something that possibly, with a very good stretch of the imagination, looks like a bear) until this book. I'm just a beginner knitter so I was a bit intimitated by the wonderful pictures of the various bears but the patterns are straight forward, easy to follow, uncomplicated (you'll need to know basic stitches, first). I just got done with my first bear (one of the small ones) and never felt that I was over my head, having never done something like this before. Friends have already asked for the other bears for their kids, nieces, etc.

This book contains very clear, precise and easy patterns for any levels of knitters. I made my first teddy during the summer holiday. It doesn't take long to make one, even for me, a very slow and impatient teen knitter. They are extremely adorable :)

A well presented and beautifully illustrated book that combines a love of teddy bears and knitting. Although not an experienced knitter, I have found the instructions easy to follow. After knitting the stars and stripes sweater bear, I've had requests to knit more - mainly from fellow adults, men included !

I knitted one of the bears (English gentleman bear) and two sets of clothing. The end product looks the same as the pictures - the bear and clothes are adorable. I had no problems with the patterns for they have been correctly written down. Because there are no diagrams/drawings of pieces with dimensions, I believe these knittings are for intermediate to advanced knitters. I can't wait to see my four year old granddaughter on Christmas day when she'll open up this gift!

The instructions are clear enough, however I was hoping for more size varieties, 4" - 20". I am still looking for a tiny knitted bear pattern.

I also deducted points for the author's insistance on one yarn, which not everyone has ability to obtain. I think an improvemnet would be using generic terms for yarns, baby weight, sport weight, 4 ply, that sort of thing.

I hope that these tiny complaints will not stop others from trying this author's patterns. The one I am doing now is going together well and it is very very easy to do.

The pictures and patterns are adorable and irresistible. But the directions are sometimes difficult to follow and do not conform to standard knitting directions. These teddy bears require some amount of creative freelancing!

I really like this book, actually. I only made one teddy bear (the one in the bunny suit), but the directions were quite clear, and I had no trouble with it. And the bear came out very cute, I thought! Just like the picture.

There are lots of adorable teddies. The best part about them is the detailed wardrobes most of them wear. Alot of the clothes are also interchangeable, so you can knit one teddy bear with several outfits -- a great gift for a little kid! The outfits are mostly old-fashined-looking, and quite charming. There are also a couple of decorative teddies with flowers embroidered on them. I'm not crazy about those, myself, but someone else might be.

I also like the way this book is organized -- the pictures of all the bears are on the first pages of the book, followed by the actual directions for making them in the later section. Each picture is referenced with the page number the directions are on.

The thing to look out for in this book is, the pieces are very fiddly. The author has you casting off and on all in the same piece. Of course, as a result, there is LOTS of seaming. I think there are easier ways to achieve the same shaping. Some of the pieces seem weird, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out how they were supposed to fit together.

Overall, a very nice toy knitting book.

I agree that the pictures and designs in this book are very cute and appealing. I also agree however that the designer could clarify the patterns a bit. It would help if the patterns included row numbers or stitch counts. But for the most part, the instructions are easy enough to follow. I would not recommend it for novices, but someone with a bit of experience should not have trouble...just read ahead a bit and keep track of your rows yourself on a separate piece of paper

I have knitted the bear that is featured on the cover of this book. He is really cute, however, I found the instructions for sewing up the face a little difficult. I would like if Debbie Bliss would include some visual aid for working up the bears. There are some very cute patterns and I look forward to making another bear soon!

These patterns can be nice for two reasons:

1. The patterns themselves are works of art!

2. The bears can be special because they are hand made and personal.

Over all, I found these patterns to be easy to follow. I started my first one when I hadn't been knitting for quite a while, but I still found the directions fairly easy. I'd had former knitting experience so I already knew things like "increase," and "decrease," and other terms. These bears are nice to make -- especially for those who are on a budget but still want to give something special.

I would not recommend these patterns for someone just beginning -- although you don't have to have years of experience, either. I would strongly suggest that the knitter know the difference between knit, purl, stockingette stich, increase, decrease, and "pass slip stitch over" (PSSO). But I think that anyone who has knitted something that uses all of these can make these patterns.

Perhaps the only complaint I have is that on one of the patterns the directions weren't as clear as they could be on stitching up the "head gusset" and there was a place where a seam should have gone where I didn't put it -- and it made for a peculiar shaped head. But once I caught on to it, the next bear I did was much better.

IN all, I say that it's a worthwhile book and a unique way to use your knitting!