Greetings from Knit Café (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Victoria Pearson (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When former CBS vice president Suzan Mischer decided to open a knitting store on Melrose Avenue, she wanted to create a place where people could gather, slow down, and talk (as well as buy supplies). The result was Knit Cafe, a sleek yet homey crafts store where an increasing number of Hollywood denizens regularly unwind with their needles and yarn. With the publication of Greetings from Knit Café, knitters nationwide can join the famed store's ever-widening circle of devotees.

This colorful, cozy, and chic book offers 30 of Knit Cafe's most dazzling patterns for "California style" projects ranging from hiking socks to a bikini to a "red carpet" gown. It also features stories about how the celebrated store came to be, the neighborhood it's in, the daily goings-on, and the improbable mélange of actors, surfers, doctors, and directors that gather there. Even a few favorite recipes from regular customers are included.

Greetings from Knit Café is, quite simply, the best way to share the history, spirit, and patterns of this unique yarn store without having to fight the traffic.

About the Author

Until 1994, when she left her job to raise her children, Suzan Mischer was a vice president for specials and documentaries at CBS. Among her credits there were the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Clinton presidential inaugural gala, and the Miss Universe pageant. Mischer lives in Los Angeles, where she opened Knit Cafe in 2002.

Victoria Pearson is a distinguished photographer specializing in still life, travel, food, and beauty. Among her many clients are Mercedes, Martha Stewart Living, and Pottery Barn. She lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584794836
• ISBN-13: 978-1584794837
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was nice visiting the Knit Cafe, June 5, 2006

By	nanapama (Dorchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews

When I read the introduction to this book I couldn't help but think this is every knitter's fantasy. To be able to leave the corporate life behind and immerse myself in the yarn world in a beautiful little shop is my dream come true. To be tanned, beautiful and a size 2; what a lovely dream. And it takes less time to knit smaller sizes, what a wonderful world it would be. Unfortunaly I had to wake up, look in the mirror and come to grips with the fact that I'm a size 16 living in New England.

That being said, the book is a little bit like the fantasy. Great to look at but not really realistic in my world. I'm an average person who lives in a climate where it is cold most of the year and where people seem to carry a little extra body fat. The patterns seemed geared more for the California life style and that California body. While there is nothing wrong with that, most of the patterns that aren't another scarf, another sock or another baby sweater probably don't look as great on anyone over a size 4.

Some of the patterns are awfully pretty though and there are some nice basics included in the book for the beginning knitter. I might knit the cover skirt for my daughter and the bikini for my niece (they're still thin although not a size 4) but they probably won't be ready until next summer - my warm season being so short and all.

Anyway, I did enjoy my visit to the "Knit Cafe" and I'll probably come back. Just not that often.

Oh and just an comment to the book designer - when you do a cover, don't put the banner over the only knitted item in the picture in this case the skirt. The skirt is one of my favorite patterns in the book.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh and Sunny, November 21, 2006

By	Legal Knitter - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have a huge knitting library and have been knitting for decades. While this is definitely not a book that will become your newest knitting bible, it has such a fresh and sunny disposition that it's hard not to love it. The patterns show a wide range, and although there are plenty I will never make, I enjoy just seeing things like a knitted silk evening gown! On the more practical end, while there is certainly nothing new about a simple knit hoodie (even with nice waist shaping), knitting it in the fiber suggested in the book makes both the knitting and the wearing a treat. To me, it is the kind of knitting experience you get when you go to your favorite yarn store, see something really cute that you never would have thought of on your own, and walk away with a really happy purchase and really happy knitting vibes.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your Mama's boring knitting book, May 1, 2007

By	J. Louw "FarmGirl-in-the-city" (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What I like about "Greeting from Knit Cafe" is that Suzan Mischer is creating a aura of comfort while you are not only reading but also knitting to this book. I have read a lot of reviews saying that this book is geared towards the "Californian" asthetic, and that it has mostly patterns for thin people, but I would have to disagree. A lot of the patterns you see in this book are geared towards the younger knitting crowd who want to knit more than bulky philosopher's cardigans.

A list of the patterns include:
Architect scarf
beret
boxer shorts
hiking socks
Chanel-ish cardigan jacket
classic sweater for guys
comfy socks
computer keyboard cover
felted saddle blacket
baby blanket
messenger bag
huge shawl
baby sweater
pink dress
kid's club skirt
basic hat
lacy skirt with bows
lala scarf
love blanket
lush hoodiw
peace pillow
polo shirt
pompom awning
recycled scarf
red carpet gown
slouchy alpaca cardigan (my favorite)
terry bathrobe
weho bikini
yarmulke
yoga mat bag

So as you can see there is a huge variety in patterns. I know the reviewer before me said that the skirt she wants to knit is on the front cover and I do agree it's not a great picture of the said skirt. However there is TWO pictures of that same skirt in the book, one is full frontal of the whole entire skirt on a model and the other is the close up of the lace panels. I measured myself and even though I am a good medium sized girl (and trust me I AM), I qualified for the small in this skirt pattern.

Now you must know that this is a very contemporary knitting book, there are even a couple of baking recipes and other tid bits in here and I can understand how someone who is used to regular knitting books might not be used to a book like this. To some in the knitting world it could also be seen as a breath of fresh air.