Book review: Yarn Play

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I mentioned a few posts that I bought the book Yarnplay, and since I don't have any pictures yet of my knitting, I thought I'd distract you with a review of the book.


To be perfectly honest, while I thought the photography in this book was beautiful, after a quick glance through the pages, I started regretting purchasing the book. I'm not really one to knit with colorful yarns [Unless of course you count my countless Noro scarves], but on a bigger scale, I'm more into classic colors, classic designs, and neutrals simply because if I'm going to spend that much time knitting something, I want it to be something I could wear a lot.

However, after glancing through it several more times, it has grown quite a bit on me.

The patterns are basic, there are a few washclothes, a log cabin type afghan, and some simple sweaters. But what makes the patterns interesting are the yarns.

The cover sweater is stunning and isn't knit in the standard way a sweater would be knit. The bottom is actually knit sideways, and the pattern encourage you to place stripes of color anywhere you'd like. Then it is seamed into a tube, and the top is knit. I'm looking forward to seeing all the different variations of this sweater knit around blogland, as no two will be alike, even if using the same exact yarn.

Other patterns include:

Two washclothes using Allhemp 6


A bathmat using Lionbrand Cotton:


A stunning afghan:


Armwarmers using Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport:


A cute clutch, using Peace Fleece Worsted:


A few scarves:



A simple sweater, using SWTC Karaoke:


And one of my personal favorite patterns, an Asymmetrical Cardigan:



All in all, it's a great book to have, whether you're interested in incorporating color into your knitting in new ways, or whether you're like me and want simple patterns that will still look stunning in solid, neutral colors. These patterns work either way.