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I’m happy to join the Knits for Boys blog tour today, even though it’s NatCroMo and I usually keep my content 100% crochet in March. (You can find the full blog tour schedule here.)

I made the exception because there are a lot of great things about the book, and some of it is even applicable to crochet! Read on for my review and a giveaway, sponsored by Stackpole Books, that will give you the chance to win your own copy.

Book Review

Knits for Boys: 27 Patterns for Little Men + Grow-with-Me Tips & Tricks by Kate Oates from Tot Toppers and When I Grow Up is more than just a knitting pattern book. It’s a great guide to knitting for children and for adjusting garment patterns.

The book opens with an introduction where Kate explains that her book features not only “classic designs with a modern edge” but also great suggestions for making knits that children will love.

Every child is unique and has his own style and preferences, and the various designs and options in this book give you plenty of ways to create knits your boys will want to wear.

Kate also shares her four steps for creating customized projects for boys:

• Flatter Them With Fit,
• Tempt Them With Texture,
• Captivate Them With Color, and
• Offer Them Options.

Naturally, she provides more detail than I have about how to follow each of these steps, most of which are great tips for gift knitting (or crocheting) in general.

Kate then shares a 25 page section, Grow-With-Me Sizing and Styling, which includes detailed information about gauge, blocking, taking accurate measurements, adjusting patterns (for fit and for style), sizing charts and growth patterns for children, and adding pockets and hoods. Kate also includes 9 detailed tips for creating designs that children can grow into. While Kate always writes these notes in reference to knitting for boys, many of the tips are applicable to knitting garment in general, and certainly the stylistic suggestions also apply to crocheting for children.

The next section, Materials, Techniques, and Abbreviations, is 7 pages long and provides some great tips on yarn substitution and written (and sometimes photographic) instructions for several techniques including I-cord, multiple cast on and bind off methods, wrap and turn, buttonholes, and zipper installation.

The next 3 sections focus on patterns. Grow-With-Me Projects, includes 8 patterns for tops and and a set of long johns (with top and bottom). Touch Me Texture includes 10 patterns for accessories and tops. The Color Collection includes 11 patterns for tops and accessories. Each pattern includes lovely full-page photos as well as numerous smaller pictures. Most patterns include notes and all of the garments include large schematics. Kate includes details in her patterns that will allow knitters to easily make all of the adjustments she describes in the earlier sections. For instance, she labels each part of the pattern to indicate which part of the garment is starting and whether it is an increase or decrease row. The book closes with a visual index that will help you find a cherished design later.

As with all pattern books, your enjoyment will probably be increased if you like the designs, and you can find great pictures of all of them on the Ravelry source page here. However, because this book includes so much more than just patterns – discussions of the math of knitting, a primer on customizing garment patterns for picky recipients, etc. – it is well worth purchasing if you are new to creating garments and want to know more about the details.

Kate’s writing style is conversational but not overly chatty, and you feel like you might be taking a class with her. The patterns are in contemporary colors and are vibrant but not too “fussy” for the average young man. I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars for a knitter who likes to make projects for children, or one wants to learn more about customizing garment patterns for style and fit.

Giveaway

Stackpole Books has been generous enough to provide an additional copy of Knits for Boys: 27 Patterns for Little Men + Grow-with-Me Tips & Tricks to one U.S. reader! To enter, let me know what pattern from the book would you knit first in the comments. (Here’s the link to all of the patterns.) Don’t forget to log in on the Rafflecopter widget so your entry is counted. Be sure to enter by Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full disclosure: An electronic review copy and paperback giveaway copy of Knits for Boys were provided by Stackpole Books. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review. My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.