May 08, 2006
Product Review - Bead Soup Bracelet kit
I had never knitted with beads until the day that I opened up my bead soup bracelet kit from Earth Faire.
The kit is packaged beautifully, with clear written instructions and great photographs. The beads themselves come in a snappy little tube with the clasp and metalic thread tucked into a little plastic envelope.
Threading the beads onto the thread before knitting honestly took me longer than knitting the bracelet! Clear instructions are given as to how to estimate when you have threaded enough beads and it worked perfectly for me. The actual knitting is simple enough for the most novice knitter and the results are fast and stunning. I estimate that it took me around an hour and a half to string on all the beads and about an hour to knit the bracelet.
Like with any pattern, its important to read the whole instructions carefully before starting to knit. I found fixing on the clasp at the end a little fiddly but that's more because I don't do delicate than anything else. The kit was shipped quickly from the US to UK and I thought that the price was reasonable. The customer service was fantastic, so much so that I'm now scouring the website to see what I can order next!
Posted by Kerrie at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
Book Review - Knitgrrl 2
Knitgrrl 2: Learn to Knit With 16 All-New Patterns, by Shannon Okey
I haven't ever seen the first in the series of Knitgrrl books by Shannon Okey so I can't compare the two but I loved this second book! The prjects are aimed at young beginner knitters and are without fail, brightly coloured and interesting to look at. I love the way that the book doesn't assume that beginner knitters can only knit and purl without any shaping, the boundaries of beginner knitters are pushed here to show how simple yarn overs and shaping can be used in patterns. In my opinion, the innovative patterns themselves would be suitable for people with some knitting experience making this book appealing to more than just young knitters.
I'm currently obsessed with the flowers as shown on the headband on the front cover of the book. I'm thinking corsages rather than headband but they are so fun and easy to make.
Check out the rest of Shannon's site as well for lots more news about the Knitgrrl series of books as well as her new books, Spin to Knit and Felt Tips (Love, love, love that name!). There is also an errata page for the Knitgrrl books, always useful!
Posted by Kerrie at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2006
Hello
Hi there, welcome to the new MagKnits blog. I know its a bit empty at the moment but we have lots of nice new products to review and some upcoming themes etc to share with you. Check back later in the week and see what we're up to.
xx
Posted by Kerrie at 08:51 AM | Comments (3)