Knitted Toys

Okey dokey! I've heard the cries, so you get it - a review of Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor. (BTW - that link takes you to the Knitpicks page where you can see more of the projects.)

First of all, let me say that I love Zoe Mellor's books - I have several, though I have yet to actually make anything. But darn if she doesn't have some of the cutest kid patterns around! and I love that she uses bright, bold colors - none of this pink and light blue nonsense.

This book has 25 projects - from dolls to finger puppets and lots of lovies. One thing I enjoy about it, just from browsing, is the size of the objects - these are no tensie stuffed animals - the monkey is nearly as big as the child holding it! (You can see one here finished.)

One thing I like is the variety of "extras" about these toys - the cat is a pj case, the cow is a pillow, the fish are mostly for decoration (and I think I need them in my classroom), the snake can double as a draft thingy (what do you call those things?), etc. I also like the variety in terms of finishing - there is a felted gingerbread man, a butterfly that uses felt for the backing on it's wings and the elephant ears use the same technique (as do the dog ears). The dolls have removable clothes, and would be tons of fun for a little girl. I'm not a huge fan of the owl (I think Lucinda Guy's is cuter) and the mouse pattern looks a lot like the mouse pattern from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation (but bigger), but overall, this is well worth the price (especially if you get it from amazon or knitpicks where it is reduced!).

I myself am a huge sucker for the knit toys. I've got World of Knitted Toys, Knitted Toys, Toys to Knit, and a variety of other baby books that have toys in them. I'd love to have Family Circle Easy Toys, but I haven't added it to the collection yet.

Sadly, with all of these toy books, I'm ashamed to say that I have yet to knit anything from them. I have made two dinos and an Oddfellow from Jess Hutch's book (which is wonderful, but sadly out of print), and I'd love to make more, but I just never get around to it. I am thinking that the nephew will get a new, bigger dinosaur this year for his birthday, and that some new and upcoming babies will get animals as they get older.

Perhaps we need a knit toy-along? Hmmmmmm, I just might have to do that. Anyone in?

The pictures are of my favorite toys from the book - and I don't know why the snake is sideways. I'm just glad blogger finally let me upload pictures. Arggggh!