22 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Much New in this Limited Collection of Designs but May Be Good Choice for Beginners, January 8, 2008
This review is from: YarnPlay at Home: Handknits for Colorful Living (Paperback)
I suspect that knitters will either treasure this book or find it lacking-it's a book that will either have you flying to grab your knitting needles or nursing your "buyer's remorse." Upfront, I should let you know, that overall I was not impressed by this book. Although examining the projects in "YarnPlay at Home" did lead me to comment on a few of the best items with an occasional "wow"....I found that the few really intriguing projects were notable more for a fun, bold and adventuresome use of color and/or texture, rather than for overall design of the project. I've decided that book is not a particularly helpful addition to my own "knitting library".
.... So how can a knitter decide if this book should be added to their own collection? It's always hard to judge a book of knitting projects if you don't have the time or opportunity to get off the internet and search out the title in person. I hope that the observations that follow will help other knitters predict whether "YarnPlay at Home" will have them saying "I love it" or will put them on the side of "leave it". And if, like me, you are a knitter who finds that almost any new knitting book seems to magically compel you move your cursor to the Amazon "Buy in 1-Click" button- try to take a deep breath -and pause before clicking- taking a moment to read the observations that follow:
>(1)One way to approach the book is by evaluating it from a kind of "cost per project" perspective:
Personally, I was disappointed by the relatively small number of the project designs contained in the book. There are 24 projects - including two dishcloths! The projects are grouped into three sections: "clothes and cozies" (yep, this section includes those two dishcloths, plus a few other items), "bed, bath + baby" (a couple of pillow covers and a few blankets, throws or mats) and "house and home" (a few designs for throws and covers are presented here too, as well a meditation mat, a rug, and several "functional decorations" including a placemat and a runner). So, this book not only offers a relatively modest number of project designs....there is a significant amount of repetition of the specific type of projects that are included in the book's contents.
>(2) Perhaps you are a knitter for whom the depth of designs and variety of approaches to project design is more important than the number of projects included in a book. If you are this type of knitter, will you find a lot of "gems" in this book such as techniques to add to your repertoire or unusual approaches and fun twists to the typical knitted design?
I think, once again, most knitters will be disappointed by "YarnPlay at Home"- even if they are just looking for hidden gems. Many of the designs are relatively uninspiring-and there are few if any "creations" that aren't a variation on items that others have designed previously. In addition, the designs for a fairly large number of the items seem to follow some variation of the repetition of a relatively simple formula - mostly consisting of offset strips or blocks of yarns made from repeats of a set 3, 4, or 5 different colors chosen for the project.
On the other hand, the simplicity and repetitiveness of book's designs does mean that it may be especially inspiring to a beginning or new knitter. If this will be one of your first books of knitting projects, you may be motivated to knit up the designs. Also, if you are a beginner, it helps that several of the projects can be knit with a very simple combination of straight forward knit or purl stitches. It's also nice that many of the items can be knit in piece work. For example the "newbie" knitter may well be able to finish one of the large sized blankets or throws. Since many of the projects call for knitting a (relatively) small section at a time, then sewing the sections together to make the finished design-a beginner won't not be devastated by making a big mistake midway through the project. Unfortunately, however, for the beginning knitter, these same projects are often finished or embellished with some crochet work. The crochet work is not difficult, but without it many of the easier projects may lack a "finished" look. If you are a new knitter afraid to even think about "taking up the hook"- you may feel like one of these alluring projects is out now of reach. (It does help to find a brief explanation of simple crochet chain work is found in the book's appendix.)
[Two neat exceptions to the routine flavor of the designs found in this book are a French Press Cozy-knitted with straight then double pointed needles- and a funky napkin skirt/holder the author names a "Flirt". (These two items have higher difficulty ratings than most of the projects.)There is also a design called "chain maille" - which is a mohair curtain. The design is described as unique, but in my opinion the final product looks more bedraggled than "uncommon". Also the directions for this window curtain seem somewhat confusing, even after a couple of readings. That project is also definitely not a design for a beginner!]
>3)Should fans of the author's first "YarnPlay" book definitely buy this book?
My vote here is "no". As in her previous book, simply titled "YarnPlay", author Lisa Shobhana Mason urges the knitter to use the project designs in her book as a starting point for their own creativity- hence yarn-"play". As such, I'm sure that knitters who enjoyed the earlier "YarnPlay" publication will be somewhat more likely to enjoy this one. Unfortunately, however, readers who are familiar with the earlier "YarnPlay" title will discover that are few new suggestions to be found for personalizing a design in "YarnPlay at Home". (And, of course, knitters who weren't impressed with the first book are unlikely to care for this book- since the author's approach pretty much identical in both books.)
>4) Perhaps the book is worth buying if author's approach to knitting in synch with your own. After all, the "yarn play" encouraged by the author may be particularly appealing to knitters who are looking for inspiration for starting to work on their own designs. Should knitters looking to "play" buy this book? Is it likely that knitters who already find it satisfying to redesign projects will find the inspiration in this book so as to make their own beautiful creations by playing with color or design?
My opinion is "probably not". It seems to me that the appeal of the best of the designs in this book really depends on the author's own wonderful sense of design and color. Potentially, another concern is that many of the projects incorporate some of the more costly and unique yarns. (And if you are like me you've probably been frustrated in the past when a particular yarn in a delicious looking project design disappears after the season is over- and before you decided to knit the project).
I did note that the author almost always gives the option of substituting yarn. However, I suspect the "Bauhaus Geometric Throw", for example, wouldn't be quite as lovely after the substitution of "975 yds of any worsted weight mohair yarn for each color" for a skein of Lorna's Laces Heaven in the specific colors the author chose for her design.
On a positive note- some knitters who feel they would like to explore taking a basic pattern by changing the colors or design a bit- and have not learned to do this on their own or from playing with designs in the first "YarnPlay" book or similar books-may be inspired by this book. The author frequently reminds the reader to use her designs a starting point to achieve a design that reflects the knitter's own creativity and life style. It's always nice to find an author who encourages knitters to change aspects of the author's own design for a project to make the finished work more personally meaningful. Sometimes it's a big and worrisome step even for experienced knitters to simply explore using their own choices in color.
Another positive is that there are a number of projects in the book for which a knitter can reach into their "stash" (and maybe even deplete a bit of an often frighteningly large collection of yarns and leftovers waiting to be knit). It's always nice find projects that can take a bite out of the "stash".
So in summary... since I said that a knitter will either love or not care for this book, why did I award it 4 stars? I know that it seems like I'm straddling the fence with that rating, but I wanted to give other knitters a chance to weigh the pros and cons that have tried to describe. I really do think that there are some knitters that will find that they are glad they found this book. Now if you convinced that you are one of those knitters, go ahead and click that "buy it" button. If not- move on quickly, before temptation gets the best of you!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
