Knitting without Needles ~ plus a Yowza Weigh It Pattern Sale!

Hi, Knitters,

Before I start the book review, I want to announce that in celebration of the (nearly) one year release of the Yowza Weigh It Shawl series of patterns I have put all 4 Yowza Shawls on sale. These shawls are simple, fast and fun and they make the perfect gifts using one skein of Miss Babs Yowza or a comparable yarn from your stash. 

The sale starts today, September 30th and will continue through October 14th, 2015. The four patterns prices are all set at $3.50 per pattern, marked down from the normal price of $5.00 per pattern. No sale codes are necessary as the prices have already been lowered for you. 

Big savings, big shawl knitting fun! Enjoy!

Here are the Yowza Weigh It Shawl Pattern links for you with the sale prices ready to go:

Yowza Weigh It Shawl 1

Yowza Weigh It Shawl 2

Yowza Weigh It Shawl 3

Yowza Weigh It Shawl 4

Here is the link for the Yowza yarn that I used in these shawls: Miss Babs Yowza.

Now for the book review at hand. 

Knitting without Needles.

I've been converted! 

Being more of a traditional knitter I have to say that I wasn't too interested in trying out arm knitting in the past but Anne Weil of Flax & Twine has completely changed my mind with her newly released book, Knitting without Needles. Anne Weil takes arm and finger knitting to a new level of execution and sophistication in the pages of her beautiful new book. The book is chock-full of 30 fresh and fun projects. The projects include stylish home decor, kid and baby items, wardrobe accessories and more. All of the simple mostly chunky projects will provide almost instant gratification and all you need are your arms/fingers and the yarn! Literally. 

Let me start with a few links for you:

Click here to see Anne's fabulous website Flax & Twine!

Click here for Anne's shop where you can purchase the book, kits & how-tos!

Click here to see the projects from Knitting without Needles on Ravelry!

The yarn for the book was supplied by every knitters' favorite place for inspiration, Purlsoho!

The Pouf yarn is Cascade Magnum!

Here is a little bit about Anne Weil from her press release:

Anne Weil is a freelance contributor for MarthaStewart.com and her site is part of the "12 Months of Martha" team of bloggers selected by Martha Stewart's craft department. Her projects have been published on Design*Sponge, Design Mom, Apartment Therapy, Huffington Post, Real Simple, Mollie Makes, Pottery Barn blog, and more. Anne teaches nationwide and has online classes on Creativebug.com and Craftsy.com. 

I've provided direct links to Anne's accounts @flaxandtwine for you here: 

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

(Mug is from Creative with Clay, wheel is from Infinite Twist, pillow is handstitched by me from a kit by Kristin Nicholas)

Anne Weil has pulled together a fantastic book blog tour with some exciting participants. When Anne asked me to be a part of the tour I of course said an enthusiastic yes because I love her work and have followed her blog and Instagram for many years now. What I didn't know at the time is that Anne was making and gifting each of the blog tour participants with their very own Pouf in the Cascade Magnum color of choice! I couldn't believe it. The Pouf is one of the cover projects in the book.

The Pouf shell is created using arm knitting with 4 strands of Cascade Magnum held together and then it is stuffed with a comforter. Genius.   

The best part of receiving our very own Pouf from Anne is that when I went to say goodnight to my daughter last night she had already claimed the Pouf as her own. She was using it as a backrest on her bed while she was studying. Perfect and sweet. 

The Pouf would be a great college-kid dorm gift, too. Team colors, anyone?

(Mug is from Creative with Clay)

Knitting without Needles includes beautifully photographed step-by-step tutorials with crystal clear instructions. The projects are all creative, well-done and achievable. The book is for non-knitters and knitters alike of any skill level, even first-timers. There are projects that kids could do as well. There is a little something for everyone.

The home decor projects in the book are definitely my favorites. I think this is the area where arm and finger knitting can really shine to their fullest. 

photo provided by Knitting without Needles

These linen baskets are created with finger knitting. I just love them! 

photo provided by Knitting without Needles

The super-chunky throw pillows are made with arm knitting. I love the textured stitches. There is a cabled blanket in the book, too. Anne takes you step-by-step on how to use a paper towel tube as your cable needle. How fun is that?

I do think the highlight of the book besides the clever projects are the tutorials. Anne makes it all so achievable and simple by breaking down each step for you from casting on to binding off to stitching pieces together. It all looks so easy and clear. 

photo provided by Knitting without Needles

I had to add in this final photo of the baby booties. These are created with felt soles (a template is provided) and literally two strands of finger knitting cleverly stitched together. These baby booties would no doubt be the hit of any baby shower around.

Check out the other stops on the Knitting without Needles blog tour:

9/23  Gabrielle Blair | Design Mom

9/25  Lisa Congdon | Today Is Going To Be Awesome

9/28  Brittany Jepsen | The House That Lars Built

9/30  Erin Souder | House of Earnest

10/2  Susan B Anderson | Susan B. Anderson Blog

10/5  Victoria Smith | SF Girl By Bay

10/7  Melissa Coleman | The Faux Martha

10/9  Mari Richards | Small for Big

10/12  Shannon Cook | Very Shannon

10/14  Delia Randall | Delia Creates 

10/19 Caitlin & Manda | The Merry Thought

10/21 Meredith Crawford | One Sheepish Girl 

 'Tis the perfect start of the season for quick gift-making of all sorts and Knitting without Needles is the perfect start to homemade gifts for your loved ones.

I've got so much in store for you over the next couple of weeks. I have a couple of FANTASTICAL giveaways to offer you, a new podcast episode, new pattern releases of my own and more. 

I'll be back soon, Knitters.

xo ~ susan