The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater …That Grandma Knit
Debbie Macomber & Mary Lou Carney · Pictures by Vincent Nguyen · Harper Collins

For his birthday, little Cameron gets a colourful hand knitted sweater from his grandma. Have you ever received a present that was made with love especially for you – and you didn’t like it? When I was a girl, my grandmother gave me huge underpants that were supposed to keep my kidneys warm. With mini skirts en vogue, warm kidneys seemed to be a major worry for my gran. I hated the “tents”, as I called them and always hid them at the back of my drawer.

In comparison, the sweater that Cameron gets from his gran doesn’t seem that embarrassing. But then – I’ve never been a little boy! Cameron doesn’t want to wear the sweater because he thinks all his friends will laugh at him, so he tries his hardest to get rid of the dreaded garment. He squirts tomato sauce and mustard on it, hides it in a pile of stuff destined for the op shop and even puts it on his dog Scout, hoping he would roll around in the mud with it. But nothing works. The sweater stubbornly comes back to haunt him.

Then one day, Cameron’s grandmother comes for a visit and explains to the boy the thoughts that went through her head when she was knitting the sweater – thoughts of love, happiness and hope. And suddenly, the sweater doesn’t seem so terribly horrible any more.

This is a touching and funny book with simple pictures that are not just illustrations, but tell their own story of Cameron and his feelings. The cover blurb recommends the story for kids between three and seven. But I think it’s best suited to be read to children from the age of four. The story is told in small episodes: before Cameron’s birthday, on his birthday, all the different ways he tries to get rid of the sweater, and finally his grandma’s visit. Each episode would make a perfect bedtime story, so the book could be read over several days.

As a knitter, I love the story for its subject matter alone, but it gets even better: the back of the book gives instructions on how to learn knitting, as well as the pattern for Cameron’s truly terribly wonderful sweater.

A delightful picture book that serves as a hint for all grandmothers to start looking for their needles.
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Reviewed by Sabine Schneider. Sabine started writing when she was about seven and only minutes later started to cook and crochet. Since then she’s been writing, cooking and crafting steadily, producing (more or less) attractive results. Born in Germany, Sabine has trained as a cook, kindergarten teacher and graphic artist and worked in Germany, England and France. For the last decade she’s been here in New Zealand, working as a graphic artist, writer, baker and cook. She creates gorgeous hand painted yarns (sold on Felt), as well as bags, beanies and eclectic wrist cuffs.

25 Bags to Knit: Beautiful Bags in Stylish Colours · Emma King · C&B Crafts

I’ve always loved making my own bags, and I’m one of those women who think one can’t have too many bags. Some of my handmade bags have been rather hasty projects for (almost) instant satisfaction, some took some more time to make and turned out to become much-used favourites. I make them mostly from natural fibres, so they’re washable. There’s nothing worse than having to give up your beloved bag because it is taking on a grimy tinge. That aside, by making your own bag you can show off your individuality and creativity without having to slave for weeks on end.

Knitted bags can be as stylish, funky or elegant as you like – it all depends on what yarns and embellishments you have in mind and how technical you want the knitting to be. 25 Bags to Knit has bags for all levels – beginners to advanced knitters. I don’t like all of the designs, but it’s good that the book caters for a range of tastes. None of the bags are too elaborate, but are made to look more complicated than they are with a colourful array of yarns, patterns and embellishments. One that I really like is the simple orange clutch from the paperback cover with its simple moss stitch pattern and cute embroidered daisies. I want to knit it without handles, line it with cotton and put a zip in to make a small pencil case.

Techniques used in the book include a lot of simple knit/purl patterns, some intarsia and Fair Isle and even knitting with beads and sequins and some simple embroidery. The bags range from plain shoulder bags to funky bags with a beachy feel, from children’s backpacks to evening glamour. Most are variations of a simple flat pouch with handles, and almost all of the bags would make great stash busters or show off small amounts of your handspun.

Measurements, be it gauge, yarn weights or needles, are imperial as well as decimal. There is also a handy conversion chart at the back of the book. Abbreviations can be found in a table, but also, and I love this fact, beside each of the instructions, so knitters have all abbreviations for a project right where they need them.

I would have liked some innovative solutions for bag closures. Sometimes it’s okay to use a bag that can’t be closed at all, but I usually like to be able to snap the opening together or just zip it. But that’s a small niggle, and I’m sure experienced crafters will find a way. Overall, I think 25 Bags to Knit is a beautiful book that has a variety of projects for knitters of all skill levels.
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Reviewed by Sabine Schneider. Sabine started writing when she was about seven and only minutes later started to cook and crochet. Since then she’s been writing, cooking and crafting steadily, producing (more or less) attractive results. Born in Germany, Sabine has trained as a cook, kindergarten teacher and graphic artist and worked in Germany, England and France. For the last decade she’s been here in New Zealand, working as a graphic artist, writer, baker and cook. She creates gorgeous hand painted yarns (sold on Felt), as well as bags, beanies and eclectic wrist cuffs.