Knitting for Gold (Love to Knit): Amazon.co.uk: Sue McBride: Books

Review

The Olympics are coming! AAAAIIIIEEEEE! As the Olympics bandwagon with it's huge gold medal wheels rolls by it seems that everyone is jumping on it, and it doesn't stop when it comes to craft either. Didn't think it was possible to knit a hurdle? Think again! Knitting for Gold by Sue McBride is Search Press' answer to the question "Eegad! The Olympics are coming! What shall I knit!?!?!". The answer? Olympians! What's it about? The blurb promises to instil you with the ability to "knit your own sports heroes". There are 20 dolls in the book for you to get stitching, along with all their sporting equipment. After all, what's a kick-ass snowboarder without his snowboard, eh? Sue is one of the infamous Materialistics, a group who make some jawdropping works of knitted art, so I'm already confident there will be fabulous knits inside. What else is there? The cool thing about these knits are the extras to go with them. The fencer, for example, has a bit of clear plastic for his sword. The archer is shooting cocktail sticks. I love when crafters think outside the knitted box and don't insist you have to knit everything. Craft type? If you're a sporty knitter who wants a fast project you might want to pace yourself. There's quite a bit of fiddliness in there so don't go expecting quick knits. Overall it's a good solid book for those who want to learn to make dolls and the clothes and bits to go with them. You can adapt these patterns for loads of other events afterwards. It's definitely a knitted medal winner for me.-craftycrafty.tv It's 2012 and people are getting ready for the Olympics - making these fun dolls will ensure that you also have a share in the fun. As any knitter knows there is no such thing as too many books containing patterns for toys. You can use these for fundraising, stocking fillers, party prizes and more and they make up fairly fast as long as you are a reasonably proficient intermediate knitter. The author has endeavoured to make this book as simple as possible but I do not think that the projects are really easy enough for a beginner. You need to know how to read a pattern and all the other basics first and have a few projects under your belt before tacking any of these. Instructions are give in words only, no charts which will suit most knitters from the UK and US; look at the back for a short list of other books to enjoy and a useful mention of another Search Press book on how to knit. All notes not pertaining to individual patterns are given at the beginning on a single page - basic materials, tension, stuffing, sewing up etc. Then it is on with the patterns that make up the bulk of the book. Most Olympic events are covered and there are twenty dolls in here, ten of each gender. Each has a name and full knitted equipment as well as the necessary clothes, including a pattern for a medal at the end. Male dolls have a white band for underpants as part of them while female dolls have removable sports bras and knickers. Dolls have wire inside to be poseable, omit for playthings rather than ornaments. Choose from a runner, footballer, fencer, karate, dressage, skier, archer, snowboarder etc all handsomely illustrated with full-page photographs. I think that most knitters will have a lot of fun with this book.-Myshelf.com

Product Description

Bully off with field hockey, sprint for the finish with the track stars, or wow the crowd with your doll's snowboarding prowess; there are twenty dolls just waiting for the signal to go. Imaginative author Sue McBride provides knitting patterns for both male and female dolls, along with all the sports equipment you need to get them ready to win the gold. The clothes and kit range from running shorts to ski-poles, and each project is illustrated clearly, making these knitted dolls a pleasure to make. Perfect as gifts for the sportsman or woman in your life, why not knit a doll in the colours of your favourite team or sports personality? On your marks...Get set...knit!

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Ready, Get Set, Go! 23 Dec 2011

By Wendy W

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book arrived this morning, much earlier than expected, allowing me to begin my charity knitting in good time to celebrate the Olympics.The patterns use mainly DK yarn and 2-needle stocking stitch,and there are 2 basic doll patterns, so should be easy to produce lots of dolls. The book is well presented, with lots of pictures on high quality paper and contains many accessories to knit for 20 different sports. I recommend it highly to anyone who wishes to knit sporting mascots and would appeal to a wide range of knitting expertise. Casting on right now...

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

going for gold 3 Jan 2012

By K. Platt TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Heading for gold is this book full of sports heroes. A basic doll pattern is given and 21 dolls dressed for sports including accessories such as hurdles and skis. Fun for all the family. Run your own version of the Olympics in your home. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's yarnsandfabrics blog.

gold medal winner 3 Jan 2012

By Poppy

This book will be great for sports fans as mascots, as well as for knitters. There are 20 different dolls to knit, 10 male and 10 female sportspeople. Patterns include outfits and accessories for each sport,including snowboarding, skiing, swimming, archery, gymnastics,karate, football, ice skating and tennis. Good for using up your odd balls of yarn as the dolls are not too big. There are even patterns to knit your own gold, silver and bronze medals for the winners. Very useful for this year's Olympics if you didn't manage to get a ticket!