Book Review: Knitted Critters For Kids To Wear

More books! I've been taking a look at Knitted Critters For Kids To Wear by Jean Adel. It's a book of animal-themed hats (with scarf and mittens) for kids. Nothing more, nothing less. So, need not apply if you don't have kids or don't like cutesy stuff for your kiddos.

Now, I know what you're thinking from the cover: this will probably appeal more to the kind of knitter who favours novelty yarns and shops at Michael's than the hand-dyed lovin', LYS shoppin' yarn snob. And that's probably true, but while I probably fall into the latter category myself, I think I'll probably crank a few of these guys out by the end of the calendar year. The designs are all pretty similar: the book consists of a couple dozen versions of the same hat, embellished in different ways. Some are pretty simple (i.e. no real frills), some more complicated (i.e. colourwork). But they're all pretty much the same. I've got my own eye on Jeremiah the Frog, Bandit the Racoon and Ringo the Dog.

The book itself is pretty well laid-out -- each section (beginner, easy, and intermediate) starts with colour pictures of kids wearing the hats, then the patterns follow, making it easy to flip through and choose the animal you like best. I am a little irked that the hats are sized age 3 through 7. While I'm seriously making hats for Henry and my one-year-old nephew Caleb, I'm not sure many self-respecting school-aged kids are going to be that into these (and thumbless mittens for three-year-olds?). Maybe it's the snob in me coming out again, but I can't see Ruby seeing a fuzzy Koala hat as anything else than baby-wear. Don't get me wrong -- I don't look down upon five-year-olds in animal hats (to each her own), I'm just saying that it would be nice for newer knitters if they were sized smaller for tinier kids so they wouldn't have to do the math themselves.

Update: Okay, I'm out of the loop. Apparently these hats sell for big bucks at Barneys. Yes, the upscale department store, not the dinosaur. So, I know nothing about hip kid fashion. But I still think these would be cute on a baby. That's all.

*****

In other news, the weekend was indeed lovely, despite the missed anniversary. Trips to the park, wine-tasting get-togethers, pool parties... it's a good summer.