Book Review and Giveaway Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting by Lorna Miser! USA

Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting by Lorna Miser, is a charming book that it’s almost an autobiographical knitting project book. Lorna invites us to join her on her self-discovery trip. When she was a little girl her desire to knit was born while looking over her grandmother’s shoulder and watching her while she knit. She believes that her knitting skills are a gift from God and how she meets invaluable connections she’s made with people on her knitting journey. With these new friends she shares her stories and listens to theirs. Each project in the book in some way represents a person that she has become friends with and has encouraged her along the way. Of course, her grandmother was her first knitting instructor. Her grandmother prided herself in knitting amazing lace doilies on very thin needles. Although her grandmother was a very shy person she would take her finished doilies two different appointments and events to show others. Most people would be in awe of her talent and she would sell or take orders for her gorgeous doilies. The first project in this book is of grandmother’s lace shawl.

Lorna’s mother was a very frugal knitter and a seamstress. She never had a stash of materials or yarns laying around their house. She only bought yarn and material when she knew what she was going to create and when she was finished with the project she would create something from scrapped of fibers and never cast them aside as worthless. For some reason, I was very touched by this due to the fact, like Lorna I have so many skeins of yarn that I am sure I will never use. During this recessionary time we should all take a lesson from Lorna’s mother.

This hard covered book holds 25 beautiful projects for us to knit and each one has a story of lasting friends that Lorna met along her knitting journey that influenced her life deeply. When I do book reviews sometimes it is very difficult to find out anything about the author, but in this case Lorna tells us a great deal about herself and when you have finish the book you will feel that she is one of your friends.

Through people she met Lorna eventually was the founder of Lorna’s Laces where you will find incredibly beautiful hand dyed eco-friendly yarns and learn more about this dedicated knitter.

This book is available on Amazon.com.

This Giveaway will run from May, 20^th through June 3th. Just type “Enter Me”

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There are certain things that just make sense to knit at this time of year, and market bags are one of them. We tend to use our canvas bags more often in the summer with trips to the farmer’s market and the library, but string bags and market bags are great to use all year.

I love the Three Oranges Bag by Hana Cho, which looks just like a knit version of a plastic shopping bag, but with three cute oranges stitched on. The bag uses intarsia to make the oranges, but you could use duplicate stitch or intarsia to add a different design if you like. It calls for fingering weight yarn and you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Sharyn Anhalt’s Market Square bag (also on Ravelry) uses worsted weight yarn and a mosaic pattern to make a pretty bag you’ll want to use every time you go shopping. The bag comes in two sizes and is worked in two colors of the same yarn for a fun mixed up effect that’s almost like weaving.

Speaking of fun colors, the Market Bag from Hubbabubbie Art uses a multicolored cake yarn (specifically Lion Brand Mandala) to produce fun color changes without any extra work. This bag is worked from the bottom up with a crocheted bottom and knit mesh sides. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry.

The Pike Place Market Bag from Blue Bird Pine Shop looks like a massive bag to hold all your market goodies (that is a child holding it, but still). The bag calls for worsted weight cotton yarn and the mesh is worked on extra large needles to help it open up to hold everything you want held.

The Knit Farmer’s Market Bag form Design BCB is another good one, made mostly of mes with a little stockinette for extra stability. The base is also worked in stockinette so items you put in it will sit flat.

This mesh bag from Sheep and Stitch doesn’t have a base, and the body is worked flat before being joined in the round to make the top and handles. That makes it easy to make the bag just the size you want because you can stop knitting whenever you feel it’s big enough. The pattern includes a step-by-step video if you need extra assistance.

And the Eco Market String Bag from Mama in a Stitch has a solid knit base worked in a contrasting color from the mesh body. It’s an easy project that comes out a great size for your market needs without being too huge.

Do you have a favorite knit market bag pattern? I’d love to hear about it!

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