The Fellowship of the Knits: Lord of the Rings: The Unofficial Knitting Book

by Tanis Gray

Experience the magic of knitting in the first-ever Lord of the Rings knitting guide, featuring more than 25 patterns inspired by the mythical world of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Knit your way across J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, from the Shire’s idyllic countryside to the Elfin palaces of Rivendell, with this first-ever Lord of the Rings knitting guide. With patterns to suit your every otherworldly mood, this book includes cozy knits to languish by the fire in at Bag End, rustic outerwear to enjoy a beer and a warm bowl of stew at The Prancing Pony Inn, and elegant laces suited for the lush, peaceful valley of Rivendell.

Inspired by the popular books and film adaptations—including beloved characters, locations, and natural elements––this guide features a variety of knitting techniques, like cables, lace, colorwork, brioche, and textured stitches, and it includes patterns for apparel, accessories, and home décor for every skill level. From the Hobbits’ warm, rustic knits and the Dwarves’ rugged armor to the intricate, lacy garments of the Elves of Rivendell, there’s a pattern to suit everyone in your life.

With detailed instructions and stunning full-color photography, knit yourself an Elf Maiden Cloak, Second Breakfast Socks and Mittens, an Elven Bread Shawl, a Dwarf Battle Helmet, a One Ring to Warm Them All Scarf, a Precioussss Doll, and more with the help of this homage to the beautiful world of The Lord of the Rings .

FIRST LOTR KNITTING This unofficial guide is the first book made up entirely of Lord of the Rings -inspired knitting projects.

OVER 25 KNITTING Knit more than 25 projects for sweaters, scarves, hats, socks, gloves, blankets, and more.

EVERY SKILL A variety of projects designed for different skill levels makes this guide ideal for beginner to advanced knitters.

CLOTHING AND COSTUMES : Create classic looks from The Lord of the Rings, from an Elf Maiden Cloak to Dwarf Battle Gauntlets.

ALL-STAR This knitting guide includes patterns created by some of the most popular knitting influencers on Ravelry and Instagram.

DAZZLING Each pattern is accompanied by detailed instructions and beautiful full-color photography to help ensure success.

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, How To, Art

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand: brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before. These patterns are gorgeous and evocative and varied and lovely and creative! Cosplay patterns, modern patterns, accessories, and more. Sweaters, shawls, hats, gloves, a pillowcase, socks, dolls. Lace and colorwork are fully charted.

On the other hand: I feel like fandom pattern books should always have at least a few beginner-friendly projects. The overlap of LOTR fans and advanced knitters is smaller than LOTR fans and casual/beginner knitters. Time and time again I've seen someone drawn into a craft through the desire to make one thing for fandom purposes and then get sucked into the vortex. I was disappointed to not see a few more simple patterns here. Many, if not most, are truly complex and only for advanced knitters, not even ones I'd choose for learning a new technique. However, for the advanced knitter who is a Tolkien fan, “It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish.”

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so many inventive ideas, like the sweater that looks like elven armor and You Shawl Not Pass which looks like wings in Khazad-dum. There are passages from the books, pattern introductions explaining its connection to the story, lovely photos, and difficulty level markers.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Impressive knits but nothing I would want to make for myself, other than perhaps the Elf Warrior fingerless mitts & hat on p. 70. (I never did make it through the trilogy myself, I always stalled with the ents in volume two. At least twice. So it's totally me; it's not the knits.)

[Mikie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Så mycket fint!
Men lite för avancerat för mig i nuläget.

[grimalkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot for me to actually knit, a lot of color work and intricate things that don’t appeal to me. Very imaginative with patterns from the LoTR world. I appreciated that they specified when the reference was to the films, not the books ;)

[Lee Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fellowship of the knits: Lord of the rings: the unofficial knitting book - Tanis Gray

I went ahead and read this book knowing that I do not like Lord Of The Rings in any way whatsoever and also knowing how disappointed I was after reading two of three knitting books Tanis Gray has put their name to… For me it is literally a knitting book and I am looking for knitting inspiration and that is what I am basing my review on.

I love the gold rings for skill level on each pattern
1 gold ring - Easy
2 gold rings - Intermediate
3 gold rings - Advanced

Chapter one - Costume Replicas
1. Dwarf Helmet (2 gold rings) - This pattern looks interesting and it has a lot of instructions. I like the colours together, but I wouldn’t make it or wear it. lol
2. Dwarf Battle Gauntlets (1 gold ring) - While I get that these are a specific design, again I wouldn’t make or wear them. I love the colour used and the pyramid studs, Those studs are cool. The thing I don’t like is the holes, I know it’s part of the look of the “battle or “war torn” look but I personally don’t see the point in all that effort on a garment to make it look fucked up (sounds like a statement my Mum would make. lol miss you mum ❤️)
3. Elven Armor Pullover (3 gold rings) - I don’t think I would have the patience to make this, but I love the look of it, it’s very stylish and would look perfect with my favourite jeans. I actually want a top like this!👌🏻
4. Elven Royalty Cloak (2 gold rings) - Very pretty. I wouldn’t make it or wear it, but I appreciate the details of the design.
5. Sheildmaiden Vest (2 rings) - Nope 👎🏼 lol it’s ugly af. I simply don’t like it. 😂
6. Fellowship Scarf (2 rings) designed by Tanis Gray - Like the dog/hounds tooth effect but not the colour scheme.

Chapter Two - Hats & Mitts
1. Horse Banner Mitts (2 rings) - I love these mitts! And I definitely wouldn’t mind giving them a go. Either in the colours in the pattern or even in the earthy colours. 😍
2. Noble Maiden Hat (2 rings) designed by Tanis Gray - omg, what a beautiful shade of blue and the white yarn with little sprinkles of colour is pretty too (I want these yarns!) . I wouldn’t make this hat but I love the yarns used. 😍
3. Elf warrior fingerless mitts & hat (2 rings) - nope, looks like a boring pattern to me.
4. Lady of the woods headband (2 rings) designed by Tanis gray - I like this one. I’ve made a few headbands and I’d like to make this one to add to my collection. I like the simplicity of it and it would be perfect for face care routine. 👍🏻
5. Watchful Eye Mittens (2 rings) - Even though I have a weird eye thing, I actually really like these mitts, they are very cool. I love how the purple and the contrasting colours work well together. 💜

Chapter Three - Cowls, Shawls & Pullovers
1. Roots & Branches Cowl (3 rings) - I like the names of the coloured yarns used (Edge of the galaxy & Avacado toast) that’s about it for this one. lol
2. You Shawl Not Pass (3 rings) - Oooh I love this one! The style, the colours and the layout of the pattern. I really want to make this one. 😍 I could actually learn something from this pattern which is what I’m looking for. 🖤 💛 🧡 ❤️ this design is stunning and it’s my favourite pattern in the book.
3. One Ring Cowl (2 rings) - not for me, I don’t like it. It just seems as though something is missing.
4. The Eye Cowl - I’m not going to mention the eye thing again. lol but I actually really like this design too. 🤔 Maybe I could make this and the “Watchful Eye Mitts” in similar colours as a set, I like the idea of that. 👀
5. Enchantment Shawl (3 rings)- What a pretty shawl. The colours look amazing together, but I would be a bit scared of ruining it. It looks so delicate. I appreciate the design it’s amazing and the beadwork is perfect. Praiseworthy 😍 🌟
6. Elven Heritage Pullover (3 rings) - Wow so much detail and so many instructions. Umm, again I like the gradient grey yarn, but not the actual jumper. I like the tree design, it reminds me of the tree of life which I love, unfortunately though, the shape of the jumper is not quite right for me.
7. Woodland Realm Cowl (1 ring) designed by Tanis Gray - I like it but not enough to make it.
8. Light Of The Two Trees Pullover (2 rings) - err nah, I think it’s ugly. lol

Chapter Four - Scarves & Socks
1. Food For The Journey Scarf (1 ring) Designed by Tanis Gray - I actually really like this one. This I would make to wear when the weather is starting to warm up a bit, I think it would be great as a seaside scarf. ❤️
2. Cloak Pin Socks (1 ring) - Nope, sorry. lol 😝
3. Foliage Socks (2 rings) - I like the leaves pattern (which I’ve kept for another project) but not the actual socks. The shape is uglier than the previous project. lol
4. Second Breakfast Socks & Mittens (2 rings) - I personally don’t like them at all.

Chapter Five - Home & Toys
1. The Grey Wizard Pillow (2 rings) - it’s a NO! From me. Straight off, It reminds me of Gonks and I can’t stand the stupid fucking things. I don’t get the obsession with them and purely for that reason I don’t like this either. 👎🏼 👎🏼
2. Little Folk Toy (2 rings) - 🤔 it actually reminds me of a few people I know combined. lol I want to make one, not necessarily as a Hobbit but in general, just as a little doll. I could use it for practice techniques. The more I look at it, the more he reminds me of my dad before he went grey. (lol Miss you dad ❤️)
3. My Precious Toy (2 rings) - Ain’t nothing precious ‘bout that! It’s freaky as fuck! Err no. It looks like my next door neighbour. Sorry Caroline. lol
4. Undying Lands Throw (1 ring) Designed by Tanis Gray - it’s pretty but not for me.

Overall I think this is the best out of four of Tanis Gray’s books that I’ve read so far. ❤️❤️ there are 7/27 designs in this book i want to make. 3 yarns I want to buy and 1 chart I plan to use for something else.
Did I mention that I don’t like Lord Of The Rings? I actually favour this book over her “Knitting With Disney” book and Disney is one of my favourite things ever. lol

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Three books prior to this one and somehow I think it's going to be different. 😀😀😀 No.

The book is full of pretty pictures and knitting projects no one is ever going to knit. Some are just downright unattractive not to mention overly complicated. There's not a costume replica in the bunch (per usual). If you're looking for a felted version of Gandalf's hat or Sam's Scarf you won't find them here. Some projects are cute, mitts, fingerless gloves, a Beanie maybe. Slapping Saurons Eye (symbol) in a chart and calling it a Lord of the Rings project is what you're getting in these pages.

Instructions vary from fully written out and charted to follow chart A without further guidelines. If you're an LOTR fan, this might make a nice collection item, if you're a glutton for punishment (like me) and have an urge to let a knitting project frustrate you, this is your book.

[Jennifer]

There are some pattern mistakes that editing would have caught sometimes. An experienced knitter will be able to adjust. But I'm enjoying knitting the patterns.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of knit designs, based on Lord of the Rings. Although I will probably not knit any of them, I enjoy perusing knitting books with enjoyable themes and nice photography.

My favorite patterns were these, and when I look at the list I am seeing a theme emerge
-Dwarf Helmet: an interesting garter/slip stitch design that gives the feeling of chain mail.
-Dwarf Battle Gauntlets: liked the use of slits to make them look battle damaged, and the studs on the knuckles to make them look dangerous
-Elven Armor Pullover: beautiful but looks too challenging to execute for me
-Shieldmaiden Vest: designed to look like a leather vest with chain mail accent stripes
-Elf Warrior Fingerless Mitts and Hat: This would be the most likely pattern to be executed by me, with a twisted rib pattern that is reminiscent of brioche but possibly easier.

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle earth knitting guide…

The Fellowship of the Knits: Lord of the Rings: The Unofficial Knitting Book by Tanis Gray is a cute book of knitwear though because it’s “unofficial” it can’t include photos from the movies.

Do you want to have a cute knit items, say a scarf, gloves, socks, shirt, or whatever to represent your favorite middle earth race such as dwarves, elves, hobbits, or (ugh) humans? Maybe you want something that shows your allegiance to Sauron or the orcs (or even a balrog)?

Heck there’s even a pattern for making a knit hobbit (or Gollum) of your own…

As with the other book I posted about, they have some thorough patterns…

They are all inspired by the lord of the rings trilogy with no The hobbit specific ideas (sorry, no Smaug).

[Emily Vander Ark]

Picked it up at the library and flipped through in the car, mostly for curiosity's sake. Only one or two of the patterns are items that I, a self-proclaimed modern hobbit, would consider wearing as a part of my regular wardrobe, and the patterns were far too complex and time-consuming for me to consider for the costume bin that I (definitely don't) have in my basement. Pure novelty for me, but it was fun to flip through!

[Atlantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I haven’t tried any of the patterns yet, but I can say that this is a beautifully done book with colored knit charts and vibrant patterns sure to spark inspiration for a knitter who also loves LOTR. There is a glossary of terms in the back as well as a page of yarn resources. I really want to make a Sméagol and the Fellowship Scarf.

#40days #40books Lent#2025 #knitting

[Ligaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautiful Tanis Gray knitting book inspired by film and/literature. This one is particularly interesting as the amount of detail and color work is exceptional. There are schematics, stitch diagrams, and color charts as needed. Lots of photos! I have flagged the Elven Armor Pullover as a next sweater (after all my Nordic pullovers are done...).

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently rating 5 stars because the finished objects are so pretty and perfectly fit the theme. But to be fair, I haven't tried making any of the patterns yet, so buyer beware. Even the simplest items have patterns that look complicated (this is not to say they aren't worth a try), just pointing it out.

[OneDayI'll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the beginning knitter but a gorgeous collection of Tolkien inspired knits. Shawls, tops, hats, cardigans, jewelry and more. The patterns are easy to follow but you'll need more than just being able to bang out washcloths to tackle many of these patterns.

[Rebecca Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

FABULOUS!

Can hardly wait to start working on one of these wonderful fantasy knitting projects! However, which one will I choose? That's quite a dilemma, albeit a pleasant one!

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of inspiration and instruction (extensive). Nothing I would really make unless I were conventioning.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and gorgeous. Once again, most of these are beyond my ability, but they are very well designed.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book strikes a good balance with patterns that both allude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and are eminently wearable (or useable in the house).

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this collection of patterns better then the Hp knitting book from the same editor
I will probaly end up buying this