Debby Ware

These are really cute hats for babies and children. The instructions appear to be complete and well written. My only critical comment is that the photos are of hats that are knitted of yarns that seem too bulky for the size of the children. The advanced knitter might want to test the patterns with finer yarns for a prettier effect.

I received a review copy of Holiday Hats for Babies: Caps, Berets & Beanies to Knit for Every Occasion by Debby Ware (The Taunton Press) through NetGalley.com.… (meer)

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, and that opinion is that I loved this book! I very rarely review books about knitting, but when I saw this book offered, I just had to take a look inside, and I'm so glad I did! This is not just your regular, every day book on knitting baby hats, with the standard patterns repeated over and over, or with a few variations thrown in to shake things up. Each hat is uniquely different from anything I've seen before, more like something an artist would draw rather than something a knitter would knit. I guarantee you that no other baby in your Mommy and Me group will be wearing anything close to what your little prince or princess will have perched on top of their little head!

Although there were some patterns in the book that I would not personally choose to make, each one was festive and fun, with clear, easy-to-read and follow instructions. Each pattern tells you what weight yarn you will need and then lets you know what yarn was used to make the sample in the picture, which I find very helpful. It's not really that big of a deal, but sometimes I just don't want to take a chance on substituting a yarn and not getting the desired result. It's just nice to have both options. The book also shows multiple views of each hat, both on and off of the very adorable babies who are modeling them. Sizing is done by head circumference rather than age, which just makes more sense to me. Some of them are one size fits all, and some have a small and large option, but again, the head circumference is added for each one.

My personal favorites include the Holly Holiday Hat with giant holly leaves and bright red berries on it, the Glitter and Glow Beanie which they say is a snap to make, and you get to tie the top of it up with a giant fancy ribbon, adding your own personal touch to it, and the Halloween Hat, a little pumpkin hat on which the eyes and hat are added using the Duplicate Stitch, giving you the freedom to create any expression you want.

In summary, I found this book a delight to read, with simple instructions, and hats that are so unique you will not find anything like them in any book other than this one. I would happily recommend it to my friends and anybody who is looking to knit something a little bit different for their unique little one.

I give this book 5 stars.… (meer)