Customer Reviews

Two Balls or Less: Over 30 Simply Stylish Knitting and Crochet Projects

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3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

TWO BALLS OR LESS is another book that hopes to lure you in by offering projects that you may want to do as gifts, especially for someone who likes a bit of 'bling' in their wardrobe. I looked at the book in a local bookstore, and passed on it simply because nothing jumped out at me.

There aren't any images beyond the cover to access online, so I am listing the projects by name to be helpful to anyone who is trying to make a blind decision about whether to roll the dice and buy it:

- Warm hearted bed warmer
- Pebble pillows
- Rainbow rags storage cube
- Fruit fizz coasters
- Bubbles and bobbles cushion
- 2 Kids
- Fun fur baby bonnet
- Knitty kitty backpack
- Super soft slippers
- Colourful capelet
- Giddy gilet
- 3 Adults
- Running river ribbon scarf
- Simple slub shrug
- Corsage camisole
- Two-tone twist scarf
- Classic cloche hat
- 4 Gifts
- Pucker-up purse
- Pooch pullover
- Sassy stripe armwarmers
- Gilt edge glitter belt
- Bollywood bag

My suggestion: Go to YOUR local bookstore or library and peruse it before spending the $$. My hunch is this book will have a pretty limited following.

The book has creative,basically quick patterns. Some of the patterns could only work if you are knitting for children. The use of a variety of yarns makes it interesting.

As a beginner knitter, I am scooping up books that feature, quick, easy, and inexpensive projects. The great thing about books like this one, is the immediate gratification one gets when one finishes a project. Some of us are pressed for time, others don't have the patience to complete a lengthy work, and it is for this premise that I recommend this book.

Another plus of this book is that there is 1 crochet project per section.

My first project was a dog sweater that I made for my Aunt's dog. I used Lion Brand's Thick and Quick, a lovely machine washable chunky yarn. This pattern gave me experience in increasing and using a varied rib pattern. Yes, I messed up many times with the ribbing count, and ripped out my work MANY times, and gave up and kept it a bit "off"--after all, it's for a dog, what does she care if the ribbing is a litte "off."

Next, I made a heart-shaped decorative pillow using Lion's Hometown USA. It came out pretty well and I learned the seed stitch.

On the downside, some of the yarns recommended are ribbon tape, or slubbed, or an unusual boucle. Again, I really don't know what to substitute.

Overall, perhaps if you are more knowledgable about yarns or have a yarn store to shop in, this book is for you.

although Two Balls or Less might be a helpful and interesting book for beginning knitters and crocheters who wantto learn about novelty yarnsand experiment with new techniqes, as a seasoned knitter and crocheter I found the projects uninspiring. Most of them were not something I would want to make for myself orgive as a gift.

Luckily, I only borrowed this book on my Kindle. Unappealing and amateurish patterns done in ugly yarns. I have never been so turned off by a knitting book. Save your money for some nice yarn.

I was really excited to download this book as part of the Amazon Prime lending library, but it just didn't deliver. My biggest complaint is that the page of knitting abbreviations was unreadable, making almost every project impossible for a novice that doesn't understand what "k2tog, k20, k2tog. 22 sts." means. Some of the illustrations are helpful, but most photos look pretty awful. Clearly, the kindle version was a major afterthought.

So then I began to hope that the book would be a guide to the spendy world of fine (or gourmet, as the book annoyingly calls them) yarns, but again, disappointment. It is a very light description of the various yarns, explained like they are talking to children. Nothing about how the yarns are made, their history, buying tips or what one should expect to pay. Is a ball of wool/silk/cashmere/angora/alpaca/mohair/camel blend yarn $10 or $100? Who knows.

As for the actuall patterns, there are too many pillow projects. The knit/denim storage cube and bias knit scarves are the only ones that didn't remind me of the free patterns most skeins of yarn come wrapped in. I don't get why there isn't a single glove or mitten project and only one hat in the book.

Like I said, I was very excited to borrow this book. The idea of small projects made with luxury yarns is really interesting, and helps put some of the yarns we all dream of onto our needles. If I had to rank it on its content alone, it might get 2-3 stars. But it's execution for Kindle makes this book unreadable and impossible to recommend AS AN E-BOOK.

Great book, can hardly wait to start a projec
t. thank you. Jeri Atkin