Knit Accessories: Essentials & Variations

Another book already? I know! 

I've been teaching knitting for a while now, and I've worked on and off in yarn shops, and the question I hear so often is "I need a good basic hat/mitt/sock pattern". I hear this from newer knitters, who are looking to make their first hat/mitts/socks, but also from more experienced knitters who are looking for a set or reliable basics that they can use over and over again.

Every knitter needs a set of go-to accessory patterns: hats, scarves, cowls, socks and mittens. These are the patterns that we turn to every winter to make holiday gifts. These are the patterns a knitter relies upon when looking for a quick and easy knit, or a plain sock to work in a self-patterning yarn, or when the weather turns cold and the family needs hats.

KNIT ACCESSORIES: ESSENTIALS AND VARIATIONS is a 64-page booklet collecting these basics and providing a jumping-off point for knitters to create their own unique accessories.

Beginner-friendly and approachable, it’s designed to be a knitter’s first book of patterns, featuring clearly written patterns for easy-to-knit (but still useful) projects that help build confidence and skills.

And it’s not just for beginners! KNIT ACCESSORIES: ESSENTIALS AND VARIATIONS offers more experienced knitters a solid set of master templates to use over and over, with suggestions for altering and customization.

The Patterns
Simple and classic designs... scarves , cowls, hats, mitts and socks
... in a range of sizes... youth small to adult XL
... in two gauges each.... for flexibility without overwhelming

With recipes, ideas and tips for customizing
• suggestions for stitch patterns
• ways to customize with color
And for scarves and cowls, a table of yardage/gauge/finished sizes.

And It’s Not Just a Pattern Book
Mini tutorials to help newer knitters build confidence:
• how (and why) to check gauge for the patterns; and when not to
• tips for working in the round on both circulars and DPNs
• help with tricky spots, e.g.: closing up the hole at the base of a mitten thumb, picking up gusset stitches in top-down socks.
Tips and tricks for knitters of all levels:
• guidance on yarn substitutions – what makes a yarn good for a given application? (e.g. pilliness, washability, softness); recommendations for non-wool alternatives.
• suggestions for gift knitting – how to choose colors, sneaky ways to get sizing info, and what to make if you have no idea of size.

You can buy the book - either physical or digital versions (or both!) - online here, the digital version through Ravelry here. Soon to be available on Patternfish, too.