cover image Knit Baby Blankets!

Knit Baby Blankets!

. Storey Publishing, $14.95 (127pp) ISBN 978-1-58017-495-4

In her companion to Knit Baby Head & Toes, Storey Books editor Steege presents 15 attractive and generally uncomplicated designs for baby blankets. As she points out in her introduction, baby blankets are based on squares, which means there's no complicated shaping required. Most of her designs are ""simple, quick-to-knit projects for first-time or on-the-go knitters."" Steege's garter stitch Corner-to-Corner blanket, for example (which is her adaptation of a traditional design), is a good example of unadorned elegance. Several of the more complex designs, including the eye-catching intarsia animals Safari Parade and the classic Cable Aran blankets, are best for knitters already adept at color work or cabling. Scattered throughout the patterns are brief but helpful instructions in I-cord, cabling, intarsia, bobbles and grafting. The patterns are carefully laid out in plain English, more or less (standard knitting abbreviations are employed), in a user-friendly column format that sometimes runs to nearly 10 pages per pattern. Steege also provides basic information on knitting in general, and on selecting yarn specifically for babies. This volume's designs are modest rather than frilly, and classic rather than cutesy, making this a solid resource for knitters with plans for multiple blankets. Color photographs throughout.