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Giveaway and Blog Tour: Great Little Gifts to Knit by Jean Moss

I am honored to be participating in the blog tour for Jean Moss’s brand-new book, Great Little Gifts to Knit: 30 Quick and Colorful Patterns, just released from Taunton Press.

moss cover

You know how this works, folks: I’ll do a review of the book, and then give one of you lucky readers a chance to win your very own copy.

There is something about knitters and gift-giving. Even though  we have to start in July (or even January) to get holiday gifts done on time, even if our Ravelry queues are chock-full of projects we want to make for ourselves, we still end up being Gifty McGifterson, having fun picking, making and presenting our knitted projects to friends and family. With that in mind, Jean Moss presents a selection of thirty patterns, most of them relatively small and therefore quick-knitting, designed with all of your loved ones in mind — including the family dog.

moss dog

The projects are thoughtfully grouped into sections based on the intended recipient. Chapter 1 contains baby projects. The Shower Set consists of hat, booties and mitts knit in snuggly DK yarn; for girls the hat and booties can be trimmed with a rosette, as shown in the photo.

moss shower set

The Shower Set, as it is called, is perfect for a relatively new knitter — manageable and will look so sweet on a new baby. The Cuddle Cocoon, a kind of sacque, comes in two versions, one with a swirl rib for more adventurous knitters,

moss cocoon

and also in a regular ribbed version for less experienced needles. The Baby Love Blanket uses shadow knitting techniques to hide a heart motif in the center; Moss thoughtfully includes swatches of the blanket in two alternative colorways, to help knitters envision the motif better.

moss baby blanket

And the Jubilee Jacket and Hat, inspired by Norwegian Selbu knitting, is a charming combination of texture and stranded colorwork.

moss jubilee

Chapter 2 is called “Hers,” and features gifts for women of all ages and styles. Fashionistas will love the FrouFrou fingerless gloves. knit in Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze

moss frou

or either variation of the Will-o-the-wisp Shawlette

moss wisp shawl

(the version on the mannequin mixes Kidsilk Haze with slightly thicker pure silk yarn, and requires minimal finishing, while the purple and rose version mixes laceweight with Kidsilk Haze).

More experienced knitters may want to try the Kitten’s Paw Stole

moss kitten

or the super-warm stranded Zebra mittens.

moss zebra

You guessed it: the next chapter is “His,” a mix of patterns for the men in your life. Warm socks, knit with a traditional fair isle motif in aran-weight tweed, would make a lovely gift no matter which colors you choose,

moss hugs

or how about a cabled beanie to keep him toasty warm all winter?

moss galway

The last chapter is “Home,” and contains (in addition to the doggie jacket shown above) home dec projects. I like the Checkers Cushion, which looks like stripes or checkerboard depending on your angle, made with the shadow knitting technique.

moss checkers

Fanciful tea cozies might do the trick for a whimsical (and Earl Gray-loving) friend,

moss tea

while placemats and napkin rings are versatile gifts for almost anyone on your list.

moss placemats

All of the projects are shown in gorgeous Rowan yarns of various weights, and there are schematics, color charts, and multiple sizing to make knitting go smoothly. MRSP is $21.95 or you can snap up a copy for $16.90 (as of the time of this writing) through the link above.

Now the giveaway part: leave a comment to this post telling me which gift you’d most like to make, and I’ll select one lucky winner to receive a copy of the book courtesy of the nice people at Taunton Press. I do moderate comments to avoid spammers, so if your comment doesn’t appear immediately, be patient until I have a chance to review and approve them. (The fine print: leave your comment before midnight, Friday, September 13th; only one comment per person; you must leave an email address, Ravelry ID or other method that allows me to find you — if I cannot find you, I’ll have to pick another name. Winner gets to choose e-book OR hard copy!)

You can find some more photos of the projects at Jean Moss’s website here, and see the full itinerary of blog posts here. Check out the next stop on the blog tour, tomorrow, at Joanne Conklin’s Rhythm of the Needles blog.  Thanks to Jean and Taunton Press for including me on the blog tour!

 

 

 

Note: September 11th is a day full of meaning and heartbreak in the USA. We will all think with great respect and sorrow on the many lives lost in 2001 and the fearless responders who helped so many of the victims on that dreadful day. I apologize that the day of my blog post coincides with this anniversary and truly mean no disrespect to the victims or their loved ones.

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41 thoughts on “Giveaway and Blog Tour: Great Little Gifts to Knit by Jean Moss

  1. If I won I would make lots of these patterns. But first on my needles would be that super smart checkerboard pillow. I love to tryout new techniques when I knit and I haven’t ever done shadow knitting so I think I need to give this a try
    I am mjm on ravelry

  2. I’d love to knit the baby items for my niece who just had a little girl who had hear surgery at less than 48 hours old. Rav amchart

  3. I’ve wanted to try knitting with Kidsilk Haze for a long time. I’m probably the last person out there that hasn’t knit with it yet. I’d love to make the Frou Frou Mitts for my nieces. They are just the right age to really love them. Thanks for the giveaway. The book has many lovely designs.

  4. ZOMG. The Jubilee sweater and hat!!!
    also those fabulous Teapot cozies!!!
    and love the projects for Him. !!!
    !!!
    !!!
    but wait.. the Will o the wisp shawlette is also a beauty. !!!
    ok. I’ll stop with the !!!.
    What a fantastic book. just one more !

  5. well just the photos show several projects I would enjoy making. First out would probably be the cuddle cocoon since I have a little one to knit for currently. The tea cozies would be fabulous additions/ decorations for my teapot collection.

  6. My son, in his 16-year-old wisdom, says that while we remember what happened on 9/11/01, that we should move on by doing good. He remarked that bad stuff happens all the time and the best way we can honor those affected is by trying to make the world better. He’s a smart kid. Your blog post is in no way disrespectful.

    If I win the book, I’ll knit in honor of those who suffered because of what happened that day.

  7. There are several things in this lovely book that would be fun to knit. I would start with the Welcome Toran.

    I worked for ten years with the World Trade Centers Association, was there for the inaugural dinner. The remembrance of that evil act is a daily event for me.

  8. The “his” socks b/c in 7 weeks, I’ll be able to knot for my new husband w/o risking “the curse”! Thanks for the helpful review, lady — I’d probably not have looked into this book otherwise!

  9. I would absolutely start with the dog sweater for little Lionel… the 5 year old Pomeranian and dachshund mix that my daughter adopted in May. He needs a special little sweater for the winter.

  10. Those aran-weight socks looks like a sure-fire winner in the gift-knitting sweepstakes! All the men I know have big ol’ feet, and I bet those would knit up fast.

    Thanks for doing the giveaway!

  11. The Cuddle Cocoon is such a terrific idea! And it would come at the perfect time, since a friend of mine is expecting her first baby soon, and I want to knit something for the occasion…

  12. I love the look of the checkers cushions, but I think the first thing I’d have to knit would be the Baby Love Blanket for my brand new, absolutely adorable great-niece! 🙂

  13. My little dog does need a new sweater since she has out grown her sweater from last year. I know my daughter would also love the kitten’s paw stole.

  14. This looks like an awesome book. I would love to win and start my endless gift knitting. It is so fun to give knitted gifts to special folks.

  15. Each time I look at the projects in this delightful collection a different one moves to the top of my list to knit… must begin holiday gifts!!

  16. I’d love to knit the hat. I’m new to knitting so I go slow, but I’m very proud when done. Thanks for this post and giveaway!

  17. Squeeee! My Grandson is due Oct 31st and the little cocoon with cap would just be perfect! The Nordic socks are awesome and love the Kittens Paw Shawl would make a great gift. Actually, I can see gifts all over theses! Love <3

  18. Since winter is coming up, I’d tackle the odalisque hat & headband. I’ve never knitted anything that shape so it would be a fun project. 🙂

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