The plethora of photographs of adorable babies and young children and square shape of the book make Simply Baby almost as suitable as a coffee table book as a knitting book Underlying the eye-catching details of the book are a bounty of patterns and instruction for anyone with a baby to knit for. Thirteen of the patterns are for cardigan/jacket/sweater type garments. Also included are 2 blankets, booties, socks, 2 hats and a classically styled teddy bear. The emphasis is on garments that are not only easy to wear, but easy to put on and take off. The types of yarn used are selected for softness, durability and ease of care. Who would have thought that cashmere could be machine washable! The patterns are written specifically for Debbie Bliss yarns. There is a section included giving guidelines for yarn substitution, but substituting is definitely not encouraged. Though the subtitle indicates that the patterns are for up to 24 months, there is also a coat pattern that includes sizing to 36 months. For those who are new to knitting, a section on knitting basics is included before the patterns. This 26 page section begins with cast on, knit and purl how tos. It includes essentials such as seaming and picking up stitches as well as helpful sections on reading a pattern and stitch types. The individual patterns give finished garment measurements as well as the age guidelines. There are no schematics included which would have been helpful in some of the patterns.
A nice touch is the glossary of patterns included in the back of the book includes a thumbnail photo along with the page number, the age sizes and garment measurements.
SIMPLY BABY
by Debbie Bliss
Trafalgar Square (copyright 2006)
Reviewed by Candy Knerr
FOCUS: Mostly sweaters, a few other items for babies
# OF PROJECTS: 20
SIZES INCLUDED: 3 to 36 months
FIBER CONTENT: cotton, cashmere blends (all machine washable)
YARN WEIGHTS: Not given (designer’s yarn recommended)
SKILL LEVELS INCLUDED: All
SKILL LEVEL MARKED: No
