Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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154 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something (different) for everyone, January 28, 2005
There's nothing I love more than a new knitting book. I love flipping through the pages and imagining all the things I could make. Most of the time, though, after the first flip-through, I've lost heart. I'd never be able to make that, I think. Or: I'd never want to make that. But not so with Bags: A Knitters' Dozen.
On my first skim-through, my imagination went wild: "I want one of those...and one of those...and one of those..." These aren't your plain-jane everyday old knit-two-squares-and-sew-`em-together bag patterns. There are different patterns here-patterns that haven't been repeated over and over in previous knitting books. There are felted bags and textured bags and fancy detailed bags. There are handbags and tote bags and beach bags. And-best of all, there are easy bags and intermediate bags and a-little-more-challenging bags. Bags features more than 20 different patterns for bags-plus a few extras, like a vest and a sweater. You'll even learn about new techniques, like needle felting.
I've already made two of the bags in the book, and I love them. They're different, and they were fun to knit. I even pushed myself and tried the intermediate patterns, and I didn't have a problem. I only ran into a few difficulties with the patterns-but you'll be able to catch them without a problem if you're paying attention.
Pick up a copy of Bags: A Knitters' Dozen, and you'll want to knit bags for everyone you know (it's never too early to start knitting for next Christmas, you know...).
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83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well, maybe not a dozen., November 5, 2005
There are some really great and I mean GREAT bags in this book. The entrelac square bag, for example, gets an ooh-ahh reponse from everyone who sees this bag when done. There's a 'small notions' cosmetic bag which knits quickly, is very versatile, and makes a terrific last-minute gift. There's a tube-shaped bag called 'Soho sling' which everyone should try once and another unusual shape (Three for the road) which is so cool, so fun, and so quick that I've made several in variations. A section on needle felting is very welcome to add some pizazz to those all-look-alike felted totes and a section on zippers takes into account (thanks goodness) that many knitters do NOT sew! The basic bag shapes are well-covered: tote, backback, clutch, market bag, evening bag, beads on a bag.
Still, as a collection, is this the one book or the best book you would recommend for someone who is looking for a bag book? No - to me this is way down on the list. For one thing, of all the bags there are to knit, there are four cabled-aran choices. The tote shape occurs too often and two of the patterns could go away and no one would remember. There are way too many cool techniques out there to put in this much repetition. The one beaded bag (a very dressy bag) is quite complex and only a very experienced bead knitter could do this pattern.
Some 'basics' are missing. There is no coverage of lining a bag or adding bases to make it sturdier. The I-cord instructions are too sparse - and in fact cords and straps are not as well explained as they should be.
Pardon the pun - the book ends up being a mixed bag - I would put it on my 'like to have' rather than 'must have' list.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a Knitter's Dozen Bags , January 9, 2007
In this book you recieve complete instructions for making several different types of bags. There are bags for evening, weddings, carry-alls, and backpacks. I made 4 bags for Christmas gifts and since I came back from visiting I have plans to make at least 6 more bags from this book for gifts. The instructions are mostly clear and easy to follow, however one needs to pay attention to measurements as one mistake I made on my first attempt at a backpack was I misread the length of an icord and made it 4 foot instead of 4 yards. This resulted in my having to order an additional skein of yarn to complete the project. I have yet to complete the project I got the book for as I don't have the yarn for it. It is the fulled entrelac bag that I plan to use as a knitting bag.
One other problem I encountered is that there is not a listing of places to purchase the various miscellaneous hardware items needed to finish the bags. For instance, some of the bags require a magnetic clasp and gormets, and there is no listing of places to purchase these types of items. This book has provided me with several hours of knitting pleasure.
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