INTRODUCTION

Cool Stuff

by Claudia B. Manley, Amy Sadler

SR [Finished chest measurement for sweaters] = the smallest chest measurement to the largest chest measurement we could find in the book. There may be only one pattern with the smallest or largest size, but it's in there.

Books are softcover unless noted otherwise.

We are provided with samples to review for free. We do not publish reviews of products that do not perform well in our testing. We are not paid to review any product.

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Unfolding Landscapes: 17 Knits for the Road
by Ronja Harkalehto
Laine Publishing
€38,99 /hardcover; €35,99/digital download
SR: 31.5" – 79.5"

Buy now from Laine or your LYS

Unfolding Landscapes by Ronja Harkalehto feels like the perfectly packed suitcase for an early fall (or Finnish summer) road trip. Harkalehto has invited the knitter to hit the road with her while beautifully clothed in handknits.

Most of the designs are knit top down, and many feel gender neutral. There’s a cardigan that includes instructions for a child-sized version, and there are hats sized for a range of heads from toddler to adult. This collection includes seven pullovers, one cardigan, a zippered woolly vest, a short-sleeved and a sleeveless top, socks, hat, and a dress. Most of the patterns feature either colorwork or pattern work. Roamer, for example, brings to mind that coveted sweater that may have belonged to your grandfather – heavily cabled and generously sized.

The palette featured also speaks to the simplicity of traveling the open road. There are browns, greys, rusts, and natural tones. This is not a hipster acid trip but a trip featuring designs that will withstand the test of time. As with many Laine publications, the photography beautifully supports the designs, evoking endless highways and welcomed detours.

Unfolding Landscapes is a thoughtful collection of patterns that can take you anywhere you’d like to go.

CBM

Notions Holder Collection
by Cocoknits
Cup: $12 (shown in shell, also available in linen)
Dish: $12 (shown in celery, also available in linen)
Tray: $16 (shown in linen, also availble in fog)

Buy now from Cocoknits or your local yarn store

Over time, I have been fortunate to receive samples to review of Cocoknits magnetic tools beginning with their Knitter’s Keep (circa 2013), then their Maker's Board and Maker's Clips (check those links for my reviews). When these three new additions to the lineup arrived, I realized how well they would integrate with everything I had already been using for years.

As a die-hard paper pattern user (I print out all my Knitty patterns so I can write notes on them, which suits my neurodivergent brain best), the Maker's Board is always at my left hand in my knitting spot. These new delights fit perfectly on the magnetized base of the board, and don't move. The tray snicks tight to the board, and the cup and dish snick tightly to the tray. I can be exceptionally clumsy (thank you, object permanence), and having a magnetic ecosystem designed to prevent me from having to crawl on hands and knees to retrieve tiny knitting markers or my little crochet hook after I whacked my setup accidentally with my arm? I love that.

The cup is magnetized at the bottom so it keeps things inside as well as keeping still on the tray. The dish is perfect for my steel ring markers – Cocoknits has an awesome collection of colors, sizes and shapes. The dish doesn't move, magnetized to the tray. And the markers? They don't move either. I can't tell you how many cute aluminum (aka non-magnetic) markers have become embedded in my couch, beyond reach. (Reader, I disposed of anything non-magnetic in my notions case as a result of this review.) Since I often accidentally drop a magnetic marker out of place as I knit, I added a hardware-store silver magnet telescopic retrieval tool to the cup. It's meant for nails or pins, but also very handy for picking up magnetic notions.

I spotted, on Cocoknits’ info page for the Cup, the Row Counter (magnetic, also from Cocoknits) attached to a Maker's Clip (ditto), hanging over the edge of the Cup. By now, you can imagine my joy at this super-functional, nearly Amy-proof setup, thanks to the clever minds at Cocoknits.

One thing you might not know about Cocoknits is their commitment to reducing environmental waste. As you can see above their products ship in recycled and recyclable cardboard. And the plastic the Notions Holder Collection items are made from is PLA – 100% biodegradable plant fiber, petroleum-plastic free.

I know from personal experience that the Cocoknits team are good people, and sharing their products and how well they work together is a joy for me. Good people + good products mean a lot in these times. And since the Cocoknits magnetic ecosystem is now an essential part of my knitting toolkit, I wanted you to know .

AS

The New Color Work; 26 Knitted Blankets with Modern Colors and Geometric Shaping
by Margaret Holzmann
Stackpole Books
$29.95

Buy now from Bookshop.org or your LYS

I think I’ve knit maybe four blankets in the many, many years I’ve been knitting, and of these four, two were baby blankets, one was for a twin bed, and one was for a double bed – a wedding gift for a friend whose children are now going to college. Suffice it to say, blankets have not held much interest for me.

Margaret Holzmann has made me reconsider my avoidance of blankets. The designs in The New Color Work defy expectations and expand the artistic possibility of blankets. There are patterns that will thrill stash busters, like Portals, with its concentric squares and rectangles; Felicity brings to mind sewn quilts and offers the opportunity to play with combinations of light and dark colors to create depth and texture, while Sheaves fools the eye and appears to be woven.

Each pattern begins with the finished size of the project (the smallest is 47"x 47" and the largest is 66.5" x 77.5"), the techniques used (such as intarsia and sewing), and the yarn used for the sample. Holzmann has thoughtfully had the samples knitted in a range of commercial yarns from Lion Brand and Cascade to Noro and Rowan. Substitutions can be easily made using the recommended gauge. In addition to the needles and notions used, as well as the color chart for the sample, there are helpful notes to prepare you for the project.

The New Color Work includes a number of tutorials for common techniques and suggestions on how to back or put a border on your blanket. A QR code will take you to technique videos, coloring pages to plan out your own color scheme, and more. While perhaps a little spicy for a new knitter, there are patterns here for a range of skill levels as well as a range of tastes.

If you thought that blankets were boring, The New Color Work may change your mind.

CBM

The Boundless Bag
by Thread & Maple
Shown in Midnight (also available in other colors)

37cm/14.5" long x 17cm/6.5" wide
30cm /12" tall
35cm /14" fixed strap length
$295.00CDN

Buy now from Thread & Maple or your LYS

I have coveted this bag from the moment I saw it at the first Knit City Montreal show 5 years ago. I hadn't ever (and still haven't) seen any sort of knitting/crocheting/spinning bag that was so beautiful and yet so functional. One friend (L) at my knitting guild has one in the smoother leather (like the brown version shown below), and I got to see it up close and was even more charmed. Another friend (J) has one in the Almond pebbled leather. I've seen her carry it everywhere, as a purse as well as a bag to contain her teaching essentials and crafting supplies (she's a knitter/crocheter). It always looked elegant, and when she let me slide it on my shoulder, I was surprised at how comfortably it sat there and didn't slip off. I'm pretty sloped shouldered, so this was a surprise.

I chose Midnight for my bag. The leather is stiffer and smoother than the pebbled version, and it suited me better. It has a rich, matte finish, which I love.

The bag is cavernous – might I even say ludicrously capacious? – which works well for the big sweater I'm currently knitting. As the inside pockets are small and flat, better suited for a phone, notions, slim wallet, I found using smaller pouches loose in the bag for anything beyond yarn or the project has been a great way to stay organized.

As you can see below, the two side zips open fully to give you flat access to everything inside the bag. My friend L likes to use hers open, laying it flat on the big tables we have at guild. My friend J notes that her softer bag found the zippers opening at the top from time to time on their own. Mine has done that once or twice, but mostly they stay put. Perhaps the zippers being used now are firmer than previously? Even if my zipper creeps down a few teeth, it doesn't go all the way unless I pull it intentionally. It's not an issue for me.

You'll notice that this bag is exquisitely finished, right down to a little leather cover over the top of the zipper so your yarn (or anything else) won't get snagged. There are also two sets of snaps that close the bag up. One set is just above the top of the zippers, and they make the bag look more triangular (shown below).

I prefer to use the snaps in the middle because they keep the bag in a tidy oval shape (shown below). I use them constantly because I like how it looks all snapped up, and because it keeps the bag a bit more firm so it doesn't sag on the sides. I find it easy to pull my project out of the bag even with the snap closed, though as the sweater gets bigger, I'll just open the snaps when necessary.

The pictures of my bag show it outside in the wild. Am I crazy? I took the bag on our annual lake week this year, because who takes a fancy leather bag to the country? Well, I wanted to see if it needed to be kept precious or if I could actually USE IT like one should use a knitting bag. Of course I avoided water, but otherwise, it sat in the dusty footwell of our car's passenger seat, on the deck where leaves and bugs and little critters live, and it looks as beautiful now as the day I got it. Does it scuff? It's leather. Of course it scuffs. And you will notice the first scuff. But as you continue to use it, the scuffs genty happen and it ceases to be something to notice. It just adds patina to the leather (see below – bag has been in use for 6 months).

I get that this is an expensive bag. Full disclosure: In order to review this bag, I requested a Reviewer's discount, and Thread&Maple kindly agreed. So I paid my own money for the bag, but not full retail price.

Two friends have and love the bag, and now that I've gotten to test drive this version, I can see why. It's a bag I wouldn't hesitate to take almost anywhere, except perhaps a fancy cocktail ball (and I do not do fancy cocktail balls) or to a rainforest (ditto). This bag is beautiful and will never need to be washed, unlike my fabric bags. I simply brush off any dust or dirt. I have not treated it with any product, because the existing finish is perfect as it is, and as long as I keep the rain off it, and don't drop it in puddles, it will continue to grow more beautiful with time and use.

Thread&Maple is a very small woman-owned company based in Canada, and their bags are made in a small leather crafts studio in Ukraine (read the "How It's Made" section on this page). This is a purchase I treasure and actually use, which is the whole reason I wanted to review the bag. Would I need to keep it for special? Nope. This is a daily driver, and it goes where I do, always looks beautiful and works perfectly as a craft bag, a work bag for your laptop, a purse for those who carry way too much, or anything else you'd do with a bag this size that's well designed, and made with care from excellent materials by good people who deserve our support. And take a moment to learn about their Knit for the Girls breast cancer research fundraiser which has some super-impressive collaborators and launches soon!

I've run out of complimentary adjectives; this bag and the company that made it is that good.

AS

Best Dressed Crab and Friends; Knitted sea creatures with an ocean of outfits
by Karla Courtney
GMC Publications
$26.99

Buy now from Bookshop.org or your LYS

I don't get psyched about books from influencers unless what's inside is actually good. What's inside this book is actually awesome.

Without realizing I was following the work of an influencer on TikTok, I'd been watching Karla Courtney create little marvelous knitted beasts for months. For example, I didn't know she was also a travel writer and photographer. All I knew was that she created sea creatures with clothing that were so adorable, I loved every post. If she looks familiar, it's because you might have seen her super-popular (I refuse to use the word "viral") Blue Jays pullover, or watched as she duplicate stitched the Canadian medal count onto her Winter Olympics pullover.

Now we have her newest book: Best Dressed Crab and Friends, and we can peruse the pages without fussing with an algorithm. With a decidedly east-coast Canadian vibe, Karla offers a pattern for her lovely knitted crab, a sassy lobster friend, as well as a puffin, a prawn, a sea snail, and a turtle, and then an entire wardrobe for each of them! Overalls, holiday sweaters, and charts to put a shrimp, a puffin, a crab or a lobster on a little pullover with the appropriate number of sleeves (that’d be 6).

There's a little bum bag that her fashionable crab wears cross body, hats for everyone, and even the snails get a choice of different shells inspired by real sea shells, or even strawberries? There is so much included in this book, one might call it an encyclopedia of knitting of and knitting for seaside creatures! 126 pages of patterns alone!

Pictures are super clear, showing all key details of each design, and the tutorials and tips at the end will be useful for newer knitters, or as refreshers for those of us needing a little reminder.

I just love the charm with which this book and all its creations were designed.

AS