Susan B. Anderson is a master of developing cute, clever, often quick and easy knitting patterns for the little ones among us, and her Itty-Bitty Toys: how to Knit Animals, Dolls, and Other Playthings for Kids offers a bunch of great options for people who want to knit stuff for ths kids in their lives to play with.
With projects ranging from quick and easy nesting blocks to a sock yarn hippo and five reversible toys (we'll get back to those in a minute), these patterns are versatile and fun for knitter and recipient alike.
The Patterns
Itty-Bitty Toys doesn't spend a lot of time talking about technique, though there is a quick overview of some of the beyond-the-basics skills needed to complete the patterns. The book is divided into six categories of knits:
- quick and easy
- animal friends
- sock yarn toys
- take-action toys
- classic toys revisited
- reversibles
The quick and easy projects include squishy knit balls of various sizes and a penguin made up entirely of Garter Stitch squares.
Animal friends includes an adorable bunny and the sweetest giraffe you've ever seen (one of those patterns that proves that all the fussy details are completely worth it). In sock yarn toys you'll find a sock-yarn monkey, of course, and a set of finger puppets in the shapes of fruit, among other projects.
Take-action toys include things like a mama duck and ducklings pull toy and a pair of puppies with their own blankets so kids can put them to bed. Knit nesting dolls and a princess and the pea doll (complete with 11 mattresses!) are a couple of the classic toy choices.
All of these patterns -- there are 26 in all -- are really cute and things your kids will love to have and play with, but what's really cool for knitters and toy recipients alike are the five reversible toys.
Knit separately and then crocheted together, these toys respectively turn from a frog to a turtle, a lion to an elephant, a cat to a mouse, a blonde girl to a brunette and an egg to a bluebird (that one comes with a nest, too).
These patterns are so cute you'll want to knit all of them, just for the joy of flipping them back and forth.
My Favorites
All of the reversible toys are particularly cute, but some of the other standouts include the aforementioned giraffe, complete with appliqued spots on his back; a little lamb worked with a loopy fiber; the adorable sock-yarn hippo (the one in the book is so cute in a shade of pink); and the clever felted cover for a super ball that makes it safer to play with inside.
Because these projects are all relatively small, they're pretty manageable for knitters of most skill levels. The detailing adds to the time involved in some project, but it's certainly worth the effort for the extra smiles those details will bring.
Knitters who tackle these patterns do, of course, need to be really comfortable with increasing and decreasing for shaping toy parts, and they should be willing to sew lots of pieces together.
The toys in Itty-Bitty Toys are universally cute and would be enjoyed by a range of kids and toy-smitten adults alike. If you want to get your kid or another special child in your life something really special for their next birthday or holiday, consider knitting a toy that's as individual as they are.
Publication date: October 2009
