Book Nook - Knitting Mochimochi

Hi readers,

Recommending a knitting book that one hasn't actually knit anything from is the equivalent of recommending a cookbook from which one hasn't made any of the recipes.  You can only really discuss the surface things like the pictures, or how you feel inspired to make certain things from the book, etc.  So take everything I'm about to write with that grain of salt:  I haven't knit anything from this book!

With that said, I love this book!  And one of the things I love about it is the photography.  I know, it's a little strange for me to launch right into a discussion on photography - this is a knitting book after all - but this book does photography very, very well.  Allow me to gush: there are little knitted alligators and they are pictured coming out of the sewer.  There are squirrels on wheels, photographed at the skating rink.  There is a knitted TV Guy, pictured watching TV (competitive ice skating, we learn) on the couch, with a beer & TV dinner in front of him.  And my favorite of all, Plucky Mushrooms, pictured in the grass with a lawnmower coming up fast from behind.  The pictures really help tell the "story" of the knitted critters and they add to the overall humorous tone of the writing.  The photographer didn't phone this one in - you can tell the thought & effort she put into the photos.  On a side note, I'm amazed at some of the poor photography in some recent knitting books, things like out of focus subjects (and not in a creative way), photographs that don't show the knitted item well, etc.  So it's nice to see a knitting book that gets photography right!

I also really like this book because of the humor.  The knitted items themselves are funny (feet eaters!) & then the author describes them in such funny ways  There are little hamsters and one of them has a little bubble above his head that says "make us for cute addicts and their enablers."  Really, I chuckled throughout this book.  How many knitting books can you say that about?

Not only does the author give us lots of funny descriptions, but she has also created a book-full of cute & whimsical critters that appeal to kids & grown-ups.  Pigs with wigs, a moose who thinks he's a bird, a grouchy couch......there is much cuteness here.  I also love that many pages are devoted to knitting techniques & how-to's (with lots of clear photos throughout!), so that when you decide which one to knit first (this is a tough decision) you'll have all the info. you need to re-create it as shown.  Some knitting books skip this stuff, but I always appreciate when it's there, handy for the reader.

So, I'm sorry I can't report on how well-written the patterns are, but this book is great for reasons beyond that.  Great photography, adorable knitted items, lots of humor in the pages and lots of knitted inspiration.  I love knitting books that are more than "here's a pretty sweater to knit" & this one-of-a-kind book is just that.  Check it out just to get a chuckle.  And if you do knit anything from it, let me know!  As for me, I think I'm going to knit those adorable mushrooms.  They, like everything in this book, are just too cute!

Cheryl