Book Review and Giveaway: Bath Knits by Mary Beth Temple

I’m excited to review the book Bath Knits. This book is written by my friend Mary Beth Temple and she has come up with 30 great patterns to spruce up any bathroom. The designs are both practical, and beautiful, and definitely are “made to pamper”.

I’m also pleased to announce that you can enter the giveaway contest at the end of this post for your chance to win a copy of Bath Knits. Let’s get started on the book review.

The book is divided into 5 different themes. Each one features a lovely color palette to give you some ideas as to how the different knit projects will complement those private spaces we retire to seeking solace and comfort.

The first theme is called The Naturals.

My favorite pattern in this section is the Tab-top Towel. This cotton towel is perfect for a busy family with lots of hands who need a dry off. Make 7 of them to rotate through the week. It’s a great project for a beginner knitter who wants to learn a bit of color-work in their knitting. The other projects in this group are also sure to bring a touch of sophistication to any bathroom space.

The second theme is the Flower Garden.

These designs will make a woman’s toilette very classy and add a touch of warmth. My favorite patterns here are the “Shaped Washcloths” As you know, I’m a technique-oriented knitter, and I really want to learn how to work these shapes that are constructed from the center out.

The Oceantide section of the book is calming and soothing.

There are many cool patterns for washcloths, but the project I’m going to knit first is the Textured Bath Mitt. I don’t really like bath poofs, so this is the perfect masculine solution to applying body wash to the skin without using abrasive plastic.

Sunny Days is the fourth theme of the book and these designs are warm and invigorating.

A couple of sweet washcloths can be knit and then stored in a knit basket. How fitting! Then there’s a mod twist on the edging for towels. My first choice is the Textured Linen Washcloth, mostly because I’ve always wanted to knit with linen yarn, but never really had any idea of what to make. This fits the bill perfectly.

The final section is Bright and Cheery and these designs are perfect for helping family members wake up every morning with the bright pops of color that you could feature in your bathroom.

The Framed Lace design is very appealing to me because it scratches my “how is that knit” curiosity itch. Though Mary Beth suggests framing it to make it a piece of wall decor, I would like to use it as a wash cloth, and it would be very fun to knit with the short row and lace construction.

After looking at the designs, I then turned the pages again to study the yarn choices that Mary Beth has made. There’s a wide range of yarn thicknesses, from a finer fingering weight all the way to bulky. There’s also a wide range in composition of the yarns. Lots of cotton, naturally, because of the durability, but other natural fibers are used as well, like linen, as I’ve already mentioned. The price range for these yarns is also great, making all the projects very affordable without using low quality yarns.

Lastly there’s a good range in purchasing options for the yarns, with some being common in big box craft stores and others in local yarn stores or online shops.

What about the speed of making these projects? Well, I think there are enough patterns that would give process knitters some fun as they try short row and color techniques that won’t leave you dumbfounded, but won’t let you get bored either.

And product knitters and beginners who would like to finish things quickly have lots of options as well.

Many of the projects make great gifts and if you’ve let some holiday or special occasion creep up without knitting anything to give away, many of these projects would make perfect projects to get ready quickly.

While there are a lot of decor and utility items, Mary Beth hasn’t forgotten to include some garments. There’s a cute pair of lacy socks and the plush robe for a personal spa day!

Lastly, the photography and book design are lovely and complement the designs and the intent of the patterns well. There are closeup views of every item that needs to show where design elements are worked in a special way, or how a finished item should look.

I really hope that you’ll consider entering the giveaway contest, but if you don’t win, please look for this book at your favorite store, or ask them to order it for you. It’s $16.95 in the United States, which means just over 2 quarters for each pattern, and I know that between my wife and I, we’ll easily knit 80 to 90 percent of the patterns.

Good Luck!

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